There are calls for the merger of the two health units in our area.
An expert panel on Public Health is recommending the reduction of health units from 36 down to just 14.
That would include a merger of the Northwestern Health Unit and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
Under the proposal, the health unit for the region would match the boundaries of the Northwest Local Health Integration Network, which goes from the Manitoba boundary all the way to White River and up to Hudson’s Bay
Dave Canfield is the Past President of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association and he says the region is just too large to provide public health services properly.
Canfield says the reduction of health units may make sense in southern Ontario, but stresses it’s a long shot here at home.
The proposed changes are part of the Patients First legislation that was passed by the provincial government last year.
