County residents will have to pick up the slack after provincial funding for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health fell short of expectations this year.
The request to county council’s finance committee came just as local health units were facing a possible H1N1 flu pandemic. To date, thousands of people have received flu shots from the public health unit.
And this area’s public health unit is apparently better off than others in Ontario.
Stefan Loker, the finance manager for the local public health unit, said in a letter to county Treasurer Craig Dyer, “Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Health Unit received an increase of 4.45%. This was one of the higher increases received in the province.”
But, he noted, “During the 2009 budget deliberations, the board of the WDGHU approved a budget that was based on the assumption of a 5.0% increase in provincial funding for 2009. Board and municipal partners were previously informed of different scenarios of provincial funding and the impact it would have on required funding from the municipalities.
The expected funding was $1,435,949 and the actual amount from the province was $1,417,212, leaving the $18,737 shortfall.
Council approved the committee report and will provide the money.
