Burk’s Falls proposing shared health centre ownership concept for the Almaguin Highlands

The Village of Burk’s Falls is working on a proposal to help spread the cost of operating the Almaguin Highlands Health Centre in the community.

Mayor Chris Hope said the residents of Burk’s Falls have been shouldering most of the cost for years, but cautions this approach can’t continue.

Hope said each year when setting the health centre’s budget, whenever a deficit has occurred the Village reaches out to the surrounding communities to help offset the deficit.

“Some years we receive some money, but often we don’t,” said Hope.

Hope says it then falls on Burk’s Falls residents to make up the shortfall.

Denis Duguay, Burk’s Falls Chief Administration Officer, said over the past four years the medical centre deficit has averaged $10,000 a year.

Duguay said that every $14,000 that’s added to the budget equals a one per cent tax increase and those increases add up year after year.

Duguay said in 2023, the Village budgeted $195,000 for the medical centre and had a deficit of $28,000.

This year, it had to budget $240,495, but he said it won’t be enough.

Duguay said the 2024 deficit is likely to exceed last year’s shortfall because the medical centre needed repairs this year. Those costs haven’t yet been finalized.

Hope said the root of the problem stems back to 1992, when the Bob Rae NDP government wanted to close the local medical facility which was known as the Burk’s Falls Red Cross Hospital.

Residents protested the NDP proposal and as a compromise it remained open, but under the management of the Huntsville hospital.

Hope said this scenario remained in place for a number of years but eventually ended.

Rather than fall back under the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, which would provide ongoing funding, Hope said the funding responsibility fell on the taxpayers of Burk’s Falls.

“So, the 950 souls of Burk’s Falls have been paying for our medical centre for years,” Hope said.

Hope noted that many residents from South River to Perry Township use the local medical facility because it has a blood lab and X-ray unit.

“They come here because they know there’s a lineup in Huntsville for those services,” he said.

What complicates matters is that Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare owns the blood lab and X-ray unit. Hope said in order to continue providing both services, Burk’s Falls had to agree it would not charge Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare any rent.

“So, we pay for this,” he said.

Hope said there are other rent-paying tenants at the medical centre, which helps offset the costs of operating the facility.

But like any building, infrastructure work is an ongoing matter that always needs to be addressed and this takes money.

Municipal staff have been working on the shared responsibility proposal for the medical centre throughout the summer and it should be ready for circulation by October.

Hope said the first step is to present the concept to the area's town councils.

A public meeting would follow to bring residents into the loop with the proposal and the Ministry of Health would also be made aware of the proposal’s details.

Hope said Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith has been involved with developing the proposal and he’s been a big help.

Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Almaguin News. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.