Ford government invests $33M for medical school seats in Ontario

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Health Minister Sylvia Jones, and Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy were in Hamilton on Thursday highlighting a budget investment.

Ford announced, “$33 million to add an additional 100 undergraduate medical school seats, and 154 post-graduate medical training seats.” Ontario residents will be prioritized so more can go to medical school here at home.

READ MORE: 2023 federal budget focuses on high cost of living, investing in public health care, green economy

Hamilton family doctor Cathy Risdon says more spots in medical schools are just one piece of solving Ontario’s worsening family doctor shortage. She is calling for more provincial investments in team-based medical care and administrative changes to allow doctors to treat more patients.

“I may have to fill out eight forms to get one patient to see a specialist. It means I don’t actually have time to see people,” Dr. Risdon said. She says more than 53,000 Hamiltonians are without a family doctor, up from 49,000 in 2020, leading to poorer medical outcomes and affecting the vulnerable the most.

Dr. Risdon says, “what worries me, especially about the shortage in Hamilton is some of the people who need a family doctor the most are the ones that don’t have one.”

With the premier in town, CHCH News took the opportunity to ask him if the province will do more to help Hamiltonians deal with Wednesday’s big property tax hike. The Ford government pushed back on the idea they aren’t doing enough, “‘we’re helping municipalities right across this province, unprecedented amounts of monies.”

READ MORE: Hamilton’s 2023 budget sees one of the largest property tax hike in decades

Flamborough-Glanbrook MPP Donna Skelly added, “and the City of Hamilton like the province has to look at where we are spending our dollars, and we have to prioritize. And I think there could have been measures taken to perhaps reduce that.”

At Queen’s Park, Hamilton Mountain MPP Monique Taylor called on the Ford government to quickly bring back her private members bill, Bill 74, for debate. If passed it would create a new alert for missing vulnerable seniors and children, like an Amber Alert.

READ MORE: Hamilton MPP tables bill to expand Amber Alerts for vulnerable population

Government house leader Paul Calandra says they sent it to the committee to be fixed. “The bill that was presented to the house was significantly flawed and had it gone to second reading today we would not have been able to make the changes that the member herself suggests needs to be made.”

Also at the legislature, newly minted Hamilton-Centre MPP Sarah Jama asked her first question in the house, after being named NDP critic for accessibility and disability justice. “When will the government take real steps to end homelessness in Ontario?” Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark responded with, “our budget stands up for the homelessness prevention program…”

READ MORE: New Hamilton-Centre MPP Sarah Jama sworn in at Queen’s Park

NDP leader Marit Stiles held a town hall event in Flamborough at West Avenue Cider House on Thursday evening and was joined by Monique Taylor, Sarah Jama, and Sandy Shaw. The town hall was aimed at talking about strategies to protect the Greenbelt.