By Angela Hill

Discussions continue on health facility financing

Jan 27, 2011 | 5:06 AM

The future of the new Pineview Terrace Lodge is still up in the air.

The Prince Albert Parkland Health Region requires the promise of the local share to be in place before they go to tender, however the City of Prince Albert said they cannot come with the funds this year.

Mayor Jim Scarrow said he was hoping to speak with the Minister of Health about decreasing the share the local community shouldered.

The Ministry of Health said they are looking at the formula, which sees 65 per cent paid by the province and 35 per cent paid by the local community.

“It’s not our government’s intention right now to change the formula,” said health minister Don McMorris during a recent interview.

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“We will be looking at it, but not saying it can be changed. Some of the communities have that money in place, and those communities must be respected.

“The formula put in place many years ago, by the previous government.”

He said he does look forward to meeting with Prince Albert’s mayor.

The big concern is the already rising taxes in the community, said Scarrow.

“It is still a tax and it would still be incumbent on the tax payer to pay that, there may be a more equitable way of paying for it,” he said.

“It’s only the tax payer, of which there is a limited number, and they are already facing increases just in regards to infrastructure needs.”

The city is meeting with the health region to discuss solutions.

According to health board chairman Gord Dobrowolsky, they have agreed to continue working closely together.

“We have to find a way to make this happen this year,” he said.

“There are no other options. We were looking at a third party option to borrow the funds, that has not materialized and I don’t anticipate that it will materialize.”

According to the health region, the city’s share is $4.1 million after taking off the $1.3 million from the Holy Family Hospital fund that was collected as a levy years ago. The rest of the local share, $2.4 million is spread out across the surrounding rural municipalities.

“It’s crunch time, but at the same time it’s a situation that is not new to the city or to the R.M., the discussion has been ongoing for some two years now,” said Dobrowolsky.

He said he is still hopeful that some arrangement will be made before the middle of March.

For more:

Emotional response to funding decision

City unable to help fund health facility

ahill@panow.com