Ottawa Public Health facing up to $3.3M in budget pressures in 2025
CTV
The Ottawa Board of Health met Monday afternoon to discuss preliminary budget details ahead of final approval of the budget directions by city council, which include a 2.9 per cent increase to most city departments.
Ottawa Public Health is facing several budget pressures as it looks ahead to 2025.
The Ottawa Board of Health met Monday afternoon to discuss preliminary budget details ahead of final approval of the budget directions by city council, which include a 2.9 per cent increase to most city departments.
The board heard that 2025 is a "transitional year", as the provincial government looks to revise its public health funding formula for 2026.
A presentation for the board showed that Ottawa Public Health needs at least $2.3 million more in 2025 to sustain current service levels, and the figure could be as high as $3.3 million, based on preliminary estimates.
"OPH's financial challenges stem from historical underfunding, along with our ongoing efforts to meet priority needs by reallocating resources based on emerging priorities," said Business and Development Support Services manager Mohammad Kibria in the presentation.
A report prepared for the board showed that OPH's cost-shared budget shortfall was $8.4 million in 2021 and has since grown to $11.3 million.
"This consistent underfunding has challenged OPH’s ability to respond to local needs, especially in the areas of safe food and water inspections, and the prevention and control of infectious diseases. We urge the Ministry of Health to address this issue," the report states.
