The mayor of Elliot Lake says it’s a victory for health units in Ontario. Dan Marchisella was reacting to a decision not to stack the health unit board in Algoma with 100 percent professionals. Marchisella says Algoma mayors fought the proposed move and adds had they lost, it would have been bad news for other communities because they would also likely be forced to put professionals on their boards. Under a compromise, Algoma Public Health can have some professionals on its board but only in a minority capacity.
Marchisella says the majority of the board will still represent community interests in the District. In another victory, the Algoma health unit will not be merging with its Sudbury counterpart, a recommendation which was being considered. The merger would have created a super-sized health unit where needs are vastly different between both jurisdictions because of demographics.