United Way of Ajax-Pickering-Uxbridge Participates in

905 Strong Communities Coaltions

For Immediate Release

October 24, 2006

AJAX, ON - There is a large and growing gap in provincial funding of health and social services between the GTA/905 and the rest of the province, which requires immediate action by the Government of Ontario in terms of how it funds key provincial health and social services, according to reports released by the Strong Communities Coalition today.

“Provincial funding for health and social services in the GTA/905 is not keeping pace with the huge population growth taking place in the regions”, said Edna Klazek, Executive Director of United Way of Ajax-Pickering-Uxbridge.  “The result is that GTA/905 residents are waiting longer for services, are forced to leave their communities to access services or are simply going without service.”

The Strong Communities Coalition is a new alliance of the United Ways in Durham, Oakville, Peel and York and the GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance with the support of York Region Human Services Planning Coalition and the Peel Fair Share Task Force. The Coalition’s goal is to improve local and timely access to comprehensive and quality health care and social services in the GTA/905 regions of Durham, Halton, Peel and York.

"As Chair of Durham Region, I cannot stress enough the magnitude of problems that inequity of funding has created for Durham and our neighbouring Regions. I strongly support the recommendations of the Strong Communities Coalition and commend the United Ways and the GTA/905 Healthcare Alliance for their leadership on this crucial issue. It is not unreasonable for citizens of Durham Region to expect basic and essential service within their own communities. That's why I believe a funding formula based on population size and growth is fundamental to the economic growth and prosperity of this Region."

The PricewaterhouseCoopers analysis released by the Strong Communities Coalition found that there is a $1.5 billion annual funding gap - $551.5 million in social services, $993.7 million in health care services.  The gap results from a $181 less in per capita funding for social services and a $246 less per capita gap for health care services funding received by GTA/905 residents compared to the rest of Ontario.  In both sectors, the gap in provincial funding between the GTA/905 and the rest of the province has widened. 

"This report provides a graphic illustration of the need for a provincial hospital, health, and social services plan that directly supports high growth regions across the GTA/905 such as Durham" Brian Lemon, CEO of Lakeridge Health stated.  "The principal of growth funding is fundamental to ensuring local and timely access to quality services and to enable the government's Places to Grow Plan to be successful," he added.

The Coalition makes three recommendations to the Government of Ontario in its Growing Pains report designed to improve local access to health and social services for residents of the GTA/905 and to address growing funding inequities for these services in the GTA/905 regions:

• Immediately provide growth funding for health and social services in the GTA/905 regions of Durham, Halton, Peel and York.
• Revise the way the province allocates funding for health and social services across Ontario so that it is distributed on the basis of population size, growth and characteristics – that is, fundamentally population-based.
• Develop a health and social services strategy for Ontario’s high-growth regions to complement Places to Grow, and that this strategy be developed in consultation with the GTA/905 stakeholders, including members of the Strong Communities Coalition.

United Way of Ajax-Pickering-Uxbridge provides funding to more than 60 local programs offering health care support and social services that offer assistance to those in the communities of Ajax, Pickering and Uxbridge. For more information please visit our website: www.uwayapu.org.

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For further information, please call:

Edna Klazek at 905-686-0606