Owen Sound and Georgian Bluffs Dignitaries Meet with the Minister of Health for Physician Recruitment Support

Rural areas have found it more challenging to attract enough doctors to meet patient needs.  Owen Sound continues to look for support to attract and retain Family Physicians to the area while also leveraging relationships with neighbouring municipalities.

On Tuesday, January 24, Owen Sound officials requested support from the Province to help attract physicians to our area by accessing existing provincial incentives currently available to other communities.  Mayor Ian Boddy and Deputy Mayor Scott Greig of Owen Sound, along with Mayor Sue Carleton and Councillor Isaac Shouldice of Georgian Bluffs, all met with Hon. Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health and Deputy Premier of Ontario.

The meeting was held during the annual Rural Ontario Municipal Association’s (ROMA) convention in Toronto.  The ROMA Annual General Meeting and Conference is an opportunity for municipalities to discuss critical issues and to engage, learn, network and bring innovative solutions back to the community.  Physician recruitment requires support from more stakeholders than just the municipality, and ROMA provides an ideal platform for Owen Sound to have conversations with Provincial leaders about quality-of-life issues that impact our citizens every day.

For more information, please contact Phil Eagleson, Fire Chief at 519-376-2512 or email to peagleson@owensound.ca

Quote:

"Our meeting was productive, and we were pleased that Georgian Bluffs could join our delegation meeting with Hon. Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health. Our message was unified that our citizens simply need more doctors.  To do that, the County and municipality need more tools and resources from the Province to bring those doctors to Owen Sound and the surrounding area to provide access to everyday primary care.” - Mayor Ian Boddy

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In photo, from left to right:

Isaac Shouldice, Georgian Bluffs Councillor; Cynthia Fletcher, Georgian Bluffs CAO; Sue Carleton, Georgian Bluffs Mayor; Hon. Sylvia Jones, Ontario Deputy Premier and Minister of Health; Dawn Gallagher Murphy, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health; Ian Boddy, Owen Sound Mayor; Scott Greig, Owen Sound Deputy Mayor; Rick Byers, MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound

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