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Showing posts with the label austerity

Ontario to cut funding for hospital infrastructure in half. Austerity bites

The Ontario government recently  put out a release bragging that they will fund $50 million per year to renew existing hospital facilities.  However, in her September report the Auditor General reported that  Ontario hospital funding is less than the renewal needs for existing hospitals. "The assessments of hospital facilities identified $2.7 billion dollars of renewal needs, requiring annual funding of $392 million to bring assets to what is considered good condition. However, since 2014/15 actual annual provincial funding has been $125 million..."  In other words, the government has put out a release announcing that they are reducing hospital capital renewal funding -- from a   level that was already only a fraction of what is needed to bring hospitals to good condition. The release also brags that they will provide $12 billion over ten years for new hospital facilities (as distinct from funding to renew existing hospital facilities discussed above). That