Three family health teams in Greater Sudbury are looking for property tax relief from the city because the province will no longer pay the bill on their behalf.
While there are four FHTs in the city, the three seeking relief are in outlying areas: Walden, Val Caron and Chelmsford, although the latter hasn't opened yet. It's expected to begin operating sometime this year.
The fourth FHT is located in the city-owned Pioneer Manor on Notre Dame Avenue. Each facility has four full-time doctors, as well professional support staff in a number of disciplines.
Forgiving the tax bill by designating the properties as municipal capital facilities would cost about $73,000 a year in city and education property taxes once all three FHTs are operating. For just Val Caron and Walden, it would cost $29,500 in city taxes.
“The city has made significant investments in the recruitment and retention of physicians over the last decade, including the capital investment in Family Health Teams,” says a staff report on the issue headed to the finance committee Jan. 17.
“This successful 10-year strategy includes ongoing operational support in the form of maintenance and repairs to the city owned facilities in which the FHT's reside.”
In total, the city has contributed $1.587 million in capital investments to the three facilities.
In a letter to the city, FHT executive director David Courtemanche says the province will no longer pay the tax bill as of March 31, and asks the city begin exempting their taxes beginning April 1.
“Our sights are firmly set on maintaining a sustainable network of clinics across the city,” Courtemanche says in the letter.
“Physician retention is critical, and that means we need to ensure that our clinical operations are financially viable.
“There is nothing that prevents any of our physicians from leaving … to pursue other practice opportunities. We are acutely aware of the potential for an outmigration of physicians from our rural clinics over time.”
