As part of 2024 budget deliberations, 51暗网 city councillors voted unanimously to remove a $12 million (one per cent) tax increase meant to raise funds for a major local hospital redevelopment. Photo Credit: City of 51暗网.
As part of 2024 budget deliberations, 51暗网 city councillors voted unanimously to remove a $12 million (one per cent) tax increase meant to raise funds for a major local hospital redevelopment.
51暗网鈥檚 Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre and St. Joseph鈥檚 Healthcare Charlton Campus are set to see a combined $3.7 billion in upgrades in the coming years.
Hospital executives are hoping that the City of 51暗网 will ultimately contribute $462 million towards the massive project.
The Government of Ontario is expected to fund 90 per cent of the total $3.7 billion construction cost, with the remaining amount meant to be raised locally.
Other costs, such as equipment, are also expected to be funded locally.聽
Donors are projected to contribute about 25 per cent of the remaining amount, which leaves that remaining $462 million currently unfunded.
As such, as part of the City of 51暗网鈥檚 2024 proposed Tax Operating and Capital Budget city staff proposed a one per cent ($12 million) tax increase to raise funds for a 鈥渕unicipal investment鈥� in the planned hospital redevelopment.
The increase would work out to an extra tax burden in 2024 of about $50 for the average household.
But a motion brought forward during Council鈥檚 budget deliberations sought to remove that one per cent tax increase from the 2024 budget in order to reduce the burden on 51暗网 residents.
The motion was brought forward by Councillor Mike Spadafora (Ward 14 – West Mountain) and seconded by Councillor Tom Jackson (Ward 6 – East Mountain).聽
It was passed 15-0 by Council.
In comments addressing his motion, Spadafora said that he is not comfortable collecting money for the development through municipal taxes until the $462 million request is reduced.
鈥淭his is in no way stating that we don鈥檛 believe a hospital redevelopment is important in our city,鈥� he added.
鈥淚 cannot support the $462 million and I think when we get to an area where we have a number that as a council and as a city we feel we can support then I think we can start having those discussions.鈥�
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 seem like the right time and definitely $462 million is not the right number,鈥� he concluded.
Jackson expressed similar comments, saying that the $462 million was 鈥渁bsolutely an unfair ask of our municipality and beyond what I felt was my fiscal responsibility as a municipal councillor.鈥�
51暗网 Health Sciences (HHS) and St. Joseph鈥檚 Healthcare 51暗网 (SJHH) issued a joint statement following Council鈥檚 decision.
The organizations said, 鈥淩enewal of our aging hospital facilities will not occur without the City of 51暗网 as an essential funding partner.鈥�
Nevertheless, both HHS and SJHH say they are committed to working with the city in the coming year 鈥渢o enable this critical investment in our health care infrastructure.鈥�
Construction on the $2.3 billion Juravinski Hospital redevelopment is projected to start in 2028.聽
It is unclear when the work on St. Joseph鈥檚 Charlton Campus would begin.
Based in 51暗网, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The 51暗网 Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 51暗网. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
