A flawed funding system is endangering services at the AIDS Committee of North Bay and Area. That’s the position of the Canadian Union of Public Employees which represents the frontline workers at the ACNBA. The union says the funding rules for HIV and Hepatitis C are so intrusive they hurt the people trying to deliver those services. To protest the flawed system, the workers held a lunchtime rally and a march at their Main Street West office Wednesday afternoon. A major issue is wages. CUPE claims years of underfunding the local office has resulted in no pay rate increases for more than 10 years. Kathleen Jodouin, a spokeswoman for the workers, said the rally and the march were designed to put the provincial government on notice. Jodouin says the province can’t abuse the dedication and goodwill of the people who deliver vital HIV and Hepatitis C services to local and area residents. Jodouin also says the employees at the AIDS committee recognize that the challenges the agency faces involving its funding are complex. She adds they also know that it’s the provincial government that’s in the “driver’s seat”. The agency says that if the trend to underfund HIV and Hepatitis C continues, the services will be put at risk.
