The provincial government has reconfirmed its support of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU).
Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie announced Thursday $1,897,600 in additional base funding to WECHU to help to support public health services in both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 fiscal years.
Last August, the province announced the restoration of provincial annual base funding for public health units, which is the level previously provided under the 75 per cent provincial / 25 per cent municipal cost-share ratio.
Dr. Ken Blanchette, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), WECHU says at that time the Ministry of Health made a commitment to increase public health funding by 1 per cent for three years.
Blanchette says the early notification allowed the board to plan ahead.
"We had as part of the announcement originally in August planned out these increases as part of our budget planning process for this year. So for me it was nice to receive, wonderful, I got a phone call from MPP Dowie as well and we received a letter and it confirmed all the pieces that we had planned out for this year."
In Dec. 2023, WECHU laid off approximately 10 per cent of its staff, resulting in about 24 jobs lost this year due to budgetary restraints.
Blanchette says this funding does not change that.
"All the decisions that we had made were based on that commitment of a three year increase. So we had made all of those decisions with the predictability of this is what our allotment would be."
He says WECHU did not seek out this funding but they will continue to apply for one-time funding each fiscal year.
"Even for our base budget we traditionally put forwards asks. Over the existence of the health unit we've been able to do that. Sometimes the asks are granted, sometimes they're not. At least for this piece it's set in place so we know the parameters and the funding allotment that we need to work in, and we will do our absolute best to be able to do that."
According to Dowie, through this funding, WECHU will receive up to $359,125 in additional base funding for the 2023-24 funding year, $1,077,375 in additional base funding for the 2024-25 funding year and $461,100 in additional one-time funding for the 2023-24 funding year.