Provincial pre-budget consultations held in Sudbury
The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs was in Sudbury on Monday.
Members are travelling to some communities across the province gathering in-person input as part of 2023 pre-budget consultations.
"I think overwhelmingly what we are hearing is the about the needs for healthcare and mental health. Bill 124 and the effect that has had on health care," said Sudbury New Democrat MPP Jamie West.
“And also mental health locally with the opioid challenges that we have.”
It's an opportunity for the public to talk directly to the government about what they want to see in the budget.
“None of them have talked about millions of dollars -- most of the time it's a very small amount of money that would go a long way to solutions that would be right here right now for the people of northern Ontario,” said Nickel Belt New Democrat MPP France Gélinas.
“Giving them access to care, giving them access to mental health and addictions, decreasing the amount of death."
To highlight some of the growing health care needs, the Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinics made a presentation.
"We are fortunate that we have three sites in Sudbury right now but we know that there are currently 3,000 people that don’t have access to care in Sudbury and there are other providers who are going to be retiring soon," said Jennifer Clement, executive director of Sudbury District Nurse Practitioner Clinics.
The Canadian Mental Health Association Sudbury Manitoulin said it has only received a two per cent budget increase in the past decade and said that has had a negative ripple effect on people who need services and staff.
"Health human resource challenges that we have had and that is in recruitment and training qualified staff for our organization," said Patty MacDonald, the CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association Sudbury Manitoulin.
“Then of course the opioid crisis in Sudbury and in all northern communities.”
The committee will be in Sault Ste. Marie on Tuesday and Timmins on Thursday for more consultations.
For groups or organizations unable to present in person, written submissions will be accepted until Feb. 14.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Apple unveils new iPad Pro with 'outrageously powerful' AI-powered chip
Apple is hoping its latest iPad lineup will breathe new life into its sluggish tablet market. In a pre-recorded live streamed event from its Cupertino, California headquarters, the company introduced the latest versions of its iPad Pro and iPad Air tablets, and an all-new Apple Pencil Pro.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.