ALGOMA-MANITOULIN—Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Bill Rosenberg has announced that the province, through its 2025 budget, has increased funding across the hospital sector. Manitoulin Health Centre (MHC) officials very much welcomed the funding news.
“This is a game changer,” stated Paula Fields, chief executive officer and president of the MHC. “It is really good news,” she noted, saying, “I had received a phone call just before Christmas on this. I thought this had to be an error when I first heard this, but the funding was confirmed two days later. $1.3 million in funding is being added to our base funding.”
“As MPP for Algoma-Manitoulin, I am pleased to acknowledge that our government through the budget for 2025 has announced an increase in funding across the hospital sector by four percent for 2025-26, ensuring Ontarians can continue to receive high-quality care in their community,” said MPP Rosenberg. “Hospitals received three percent of this funding envelope earlier this summer.”
“As part of this investment, we are dedicating one percent of this increase to provide targeted funding to address key structural pressures at specific hospitals, including small and northern hospitals and hospitals facing hallway health care challenges,” explained MPP Rosenberg. “This funding will enable hospitals to plan and budget sustainably, strengthen stability and protect access to core services for patients and their families.”
MPP Rosenberg said, “I am pleased to announce that seven hospitals in our riding of Algoma-Manitoulin will receive one percent targeted funding as their share of this funding investment totaling $11 million,” continued MPP Rosenberg. He explained the seven hospitals include Hornepayne Community Hospital, Lady Dunn Health Centre, Manitoulin Health Centre, Services de sante’ de Chapleau Health Services, Espanola Regional Hospital and Health Centre, North Shore Health Network and St. Joseph’s General Hospital Elliot Lake.
“This investment represents an important first step within the broader Health Sector Stabilization Plan, a multi-year strategy to align investments with structural needs and optimize funding models toward performance-based approaches to provide long-term sustainability across the hospital sector,” continued MPP Rosenberg.
“I am pleased to be able to make this announcement and am proud of the changes we are implementing to better the health care in our communities. We will continue to work together with our health partners to make investments that ensure Ontario offers the best health care possible.”
“This is huge, it shows what we have been saying all along that hospitals such as ours, small, rural Northern Ontario hospitals are severely underfunded,” said Ms. Fields. She explained everyone received three percent increase in funding from the province and one percent in funding had been held back while the province did a review of hospital funding. “We are grateful for this investment and for the acknowledgment that small and northern hospitals face distinct and ongoing pressures,” said Ms. Fields. “This funding will help us maintain essential services and plan more sustainably. At the same time, continued and predictable investment is critical to ensuring we can recruit and retain staff, maintain infrastructure, and meet the growing health care needs of our community.”
As a rural and Island-based hospital system serving a geographically dispersed population, MHC continues to face challenges related to workforce shortages, aging infrastructure and the rising cost of delivering care. While welcomed, MHC notes that this funding represents an important first step, not a final solution.
“Keeping care close to home is fundamental to the health and well-being of residents,” said Dennis McGregor, chair of the MHC board of directors. “Our communities depend on local access to care. Ongoing investment is not optional, it is necessary to sustain services, reduce patient displacement and ensure our hospitals remain strong for generations to come.”
Ms. Fields explained MHC, “still needs more funding, since we are predicting a $1.5 million deficit in our budget. We need to look to opportunities for programs like visiting care specialists, but we were really pleased to hear this funding announcement from the province.”
MHC looks forward to continued collaboration with the province, regional health partners and community leaders to build on this investment and advance long-term solutions that reflect the realities of rural and northern health care delivery.
