Ontario's public health units are calling on the government to stop using one-time funding to bridge a gap created four years ago, and to provide them with a predictable source of money.
Premier Doug Ford's government announced in 2019 it was cutting the provincial share of public health funding.
It moved from a 75-25 cost-sharing formula with municipalities to 70 per cent from the province and 30 per cent from municipalities.
Following an outcry, Ford offered mitigation funding to help local governments transition to the new formula.
That mitigation funding was considered temporary, but has continued through 2023.
Now, the Association of Local Public Health Agencies is asking the government to permanently revert to the original funding level in its upcoming budget.
It says the unpredictable nature of one-time funding doesn't let them plan far ahead.
They also say they need a funding boost of $145 million to help them catch up on services backlogged by the pandemic.
A spokesperson for Health Minister Sylvia Jones says the government will continue to invest in public health.