The mayors of Perth and Smiths Falls are presenting a united front in their call for a levy to support the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital.
Perth mayor John Fenik says the levy is essential to maintain the long-term viability of the hospital that has a site in both communities.
“Unfortunately our capital needs over the next little while are exponentially growing,” Fenik said.
$31 million is needed over the next 10 years for equipment like an MRI as well as hardware and software for an information system.
Fenik anticipates the cost of the levy will equate to $76 per household annually in Perth.
Smiths Falls Mayor Shawn Pankow anticipates the cost of the levy in Smiths Falls would be less than $50 per household annually.
Pankow added that some of the money will be fundraised.
“We’re going to rely on auxiliaries and foundations to meet roughly half of that need which means all of those organizations will have to deliver more than they’ve been able to deliver in the past to great extent.”
- Panera to remove ‘Charged Sips’ drink from Canada amid wrongful death lawsuits
- AstraZeneca says it’s withdrawing COVID vaccine amid low demand
- A spoonful of olive oil a day could reduce risk of death from dementia: study
- N.B. woman must move to Toronto for life-saving lung transplant. She can’t afford to go
The hospital serves a total population of 44,000, with some of them spread across nine other municipalities.
Pankow and Fenik said they will be looking to those other communities for financial help.
The two mayors plan to appear before all the councils through late August and September.
Pankow says the funds are needed but it’s up to each municipality to determine how the money is raised.
The Perth and Smiths Falls mayors say the levy will likely be an election issue.
Fenik says he’ll be paying close attention to the stances politicians take when they are campaigning.
“I’m looking for a positive response from the councils and from those running for election in the fall to carry the flag and say this is something they will support.”
No decisions on the levy will be made in any of the municipalities involved in the hospitals catchment area before the election but both Perth and Smiths Falls have already included the hospital levy as part of their 2019 budget discussions.
Comments