Ontario Mayors Oppose Financial Incentives for Attracting Doctors to Communities
Several Ontario mayors have been calling on the province to ban financial incentives municipalities use to lure in doctors, saying the recruitment tactic is harming communities that can't pony up the cash – especially those in rural and northern regions. But Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Matthew Shoemaker is going even further, suggesting the federal government should outlaw the practice from "coast to coast." “I think it should be banned across the country actually," he said in a recent interview. Shoemaker said his city needs 40 more doctors, including 18 to practise family medicine, and while it does offer a moving allowance of up $10,000, it is not in a position to compete with municipalities that are offering doctors tens of thousands of dollars to relocate. "I believe that incentives are detrimental, and we do not concur with their use; therefore, we are currently not inclined to engage in an incentive-based contest as we would be likely to emerge ...