By Cecilia Nasmith

While the Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit Board of Health does not feel comfortable wading into a political situation, they did vote at their October meeting to issue a letter of concern over the effects of the impasse between the Province of Ontario and its optometrists.

The situation came to a head this fall due to OHIP payments for eye testing having remained risen only 9% over 30 years – during which time the province has refused to negotiate. When the 2021 provincial budget did not address the issue, Ontario's optometrists took action and withdrew OHIP services.

Hamilton Township Mayor Bill Cane wondered if the Board of Health should be involved with the dispute, as it is beginning to affect vision care.

“For example, most of the companies that produce glasses and contact lenses and things that we need – if your prescription is more than two years old, they won't do it. And you can't get a new prescription,” Cane pointed out.

People whose vision has changed, therefore, cannot get proper specifications for appropriate lenses.

Is it the place for the Board of Health to take a position, he wondered, in light of the fact that the stalemate is affecting people's vision care.

Cobourg Mayor John Henderson said that, just the previous day, Northumberland County council had received correspondence from the Municipality of Trent Lakes with their motion calling on the province to resolve the issue - and on the county to support their call.

Trent Hills Mayor Bob Crate agreed that a municipal council might be a more appropriate source of approach for a political entity like the provincial government.

Crate said he'd been lucky enough to get his eyes tested a week before things shut down, and his optometrist – knowing he was on municipal council – had expressed strong opinions to him.

Perhaps a more appropriate approach might be a letter of concern that people are not able to get these services they require because of this impasse.

“I like that approach,” Cane said.

“We don't take a political stance, or support one or the other – just draw the government's attention to this public-health issue, and we would like them to try to redouble their efforts to resolve it.”

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Natalie Bocking agreed there is cause for concern.

“I think that's reasonable, especially when we think of children's access to eye care and eye screening. This impacts their ability to really do school work and participate in education, which is a key foundational aspect of their life right now.”

The board then passed a motion directing staff to draft a letter to the Ministry of Health expressing these concerns.