This draft letter to the Grey Bruce Board of Health was approved at Bruce County Council today, with no dissension.

Dear Chair Paterson and Board of Health members

I am forwarding this letter on behalf of Bruce County Council, recognizing that three of our county council members, Councillors Peabody, Twolan and I, are current members of the Board of Health.

We are engulfed in a pandemic none of us predicted and as a result, we are all working tirelessly to navigate our way to safety by doing our utmost to protect our communities. Bruce County Council appreciates the hard work and dedication of Dr. Arra and his entire team at the Grey Bruce Public Health Unit (GBHU) including the Board. The efforts to reduce the spread of COVID and distribute needed vaccine across Bruce and Grey has been significant tasks which been effective in keeping our citizens safe and well.

Notwithstanding, and with apologies for the delay in sending this correspondence, County Council did want to share its concerns regarding personnel and staffing costs incurred by the GBHU in 2020. It is understood that there was an absence in some key staffing positions that resulted in the accumulation of overtime hours for which staff were compensated.

However, we are concerned about the prudent use of public funds. While we understand that provincial funds were made available to offset some over expenditures, we remain concerned about additional costs that might be incurred in 2021, with the continuation of pandemic conditions. Bruce County Council is interested in understanding what measures the Board of Health has and will put in place to limit expenditures for the 2021 fiscal period and would request to receive specific information regarding actions taken.

Additionally, Bruce County will initiate its 2022 annual operating and capital budget development later this month, for presentation by County staff to Council in the fall. Given the funding agreement that exists between the County and GBHU, we are inviting the Board of Health to appear as a delegation during our Budget review process to provide an overview of their proposed budget and the implications for municipal funding. We would ask that you reach out to Edward Henley, Director of Corporate Service and County Treasurer to discuss this request more fully.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter. We share our collective thanks for all the efforts to date and commit to continued partnership to ensure safety and wellness for all.

Kind regards

Janice Jackson, Warden
Bruce County