The recently merged health unit covering Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton, Northumberland and Peterborough counties met briefly for the first time Jan. 2, where Highlands East deputy mayor, Cec Ryall, was elected vice chair of the new board.
Following months of debate and analysis, the boards of the old Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge district health unit (HKPR) and Peterborough Public Health (PPH) elected to amalgamate their two entities in December, with the new partnership ratified effective Jan. 1.
The new organization will be known as the Haliburton Kawartha Northumberland Peterborough health unit (HKNP).
In its first order of business, the new board voted to elect Ron Black, deputy mayor of Selwyn township, as chair, with Ryall serving as the second in command.
“It’s being done more so for the infrastructure and to have more resources to perform what we’re already doing now. There’s going to be a lot of people thinking this is not a good idea… but our public health units are in trouble,” Ryall said in a December interview. “At the very least, we hope this will stop service reductions and staffing issues… I’m very optimistic we’re going to come out of this as a better unit.”
HKPR projected a 2024/25 fiscal year-end deficit of $188,476, while PPH anticipated a $1.2 million budget shortfall this year. The Ontario government has committed just over $10.1 million to cover all merger-related expenses over the next year. Money can also be used for capital improvements and program stabilization.
Public health units deliver a wide range of services, including immunization clinics, early childhood programs, sexual health clinics, water quality testing, and food and nutrition training, while offering support in mental health, harm reduction, pregnancy and parenting. The board will meet Jan. 16.
