Sundridge is receiving supporting resolutions from Ontario municipalities agreeing with its call for student enrolment at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) to expand at its Sudbury and Thunder Bay campuses to address a physician shortage.
Council passed its NOSM expansion resolution at its Nov. 24 meeting.
In addition to sending it to MPPs and government officials, the resolution was also sent to NOSM, the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM) and the Association of Ontario Municipalities (AMO).
During council’s regular meeting Feb. 23, Mayor Lyle Hall said supporting resolutions had arrived from the Township of Nairn and Hyman, just west of Sudbury, and from the Municipality of Shuniah, a bedroom community to Thunder Bay.
Shuniah was actually endorsing an expansion resolution of NOSM passed by the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association and wanted Sundridge to know of its support.
Also declaring support for the Sundridge resolution are the Almaguin Highlands Health Council, the Township of Strong and Burk’s Falls.
While debating the resolution, Burk’s Falls Mayor Cathy Still noted graduating medical students are becoming specialists and that’s resulted in a shortfall for general practitioners and has made physician recruitment competitive for many communities.
Sundridge Mayor Lyle Hall is putting the supporting resolutions into a package which he will add to as more resolutions arrive.
At some point, he will send the completed package to NOSM and will also present it at the AMO annual conference this summer, scheduled in Ottawa.
The AMO event usually attracts numerous cabinet ministers in addition to the premier and MPPS from all political parties.
“This will show the ministers the proof of (NOSM expansion) support,” Hall said.
Hall also noted there may be other municipal councils that supported the Sundridge resolution but haven’t sent copies of that support to the municipality.
Hall was impressed with the responses received so far, saying it was “the very first time we’ve ever gotten responses to any of our motions we’ve sent out and I want to keep the ball rolling.”
Other Northern municipal councils that put together their own resolutions calling for NOSM to expand are North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie.
FONOM also passed its own resolution.
Dr. Sarita Verma, the dean, president and CEO of NOSM, said in June northern Ontario is in need of 326 physicians.
With both the Sudbury and Thunder Bay campuses able to graduate a total combined maximum of 64 students each year, it would take five years to eliminate the physician shortage, assuming no existing practicing doctors leave the north or retire during this time frame.
Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the North Bay Nugget. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
