York Region is preparing to hire 30 full-time positions as it braces to manage COVID-19 for years to come.
The region is upping its public health budget by $12 million to $130.4 million, approved in draft form Dec. 2. The region plans to continue emergency management of the COVID-19 pandemic into next year, but also intends to make many new positions permanent to handle COVID-19 as an endemic, recurring issue, like the flu.
Community and Health Services commissioner Katherine Chislett said public health will work to contain future waves and flare-ups.
“We need to acknowledge COVID will be part of our future. Even when the pandemic is over, and in the future, we will need to manage it,” she said. “Learning how to deal with COVID as a permanent fixture.”
York Region is going through its draft budgeting process, with a 2.96 per cent tax rate increase expected, including one per cent to fund the Yonge subway extension. The regional council is meeting the next two weeks to go over department budgets before a final approval, expected Dec. 16.
The Community and Health Services department is adding 54 full-time equivalent positions, or FTEs, 30 of which are related to COVID-19 and the rest related to other service delivery. The new COVID-related positions include public health nurses, certified public health inspectors and pharmaceutical technicians.
But several council members did balk at one proposed position: a mask-fitter meant to ensure the more effective N95 respirator masks are properly fitted onto employees, at a rate of about 41 per day. The position is proposed for two years.
Newmarket Deputy Mayor Tom Vegh questioned whether staff could be trained to fill the role collectively, or if the position requires much expertise.
“I’m really stuck on that,” Vegh said. “It just sounds so odd.”
But Chislett said the department does not have enough staff, and they want to ensure the work can be done efficiently. There are occupational health and safety requirements associated with properly-fitting N-95 masks, she said. It is also needed for some healthcare spaces and recommended for higher-risk individuals.
“N95 properly fitted are most certainly very important,” medical officer of health Dr. Barry Pakes said. “To make sure our health and human resources are able to continue their roles, they need that mask fit testing on a regular basis.”
Other department budget plans include expanding homelessness programs, adjusting to changes in the long-term care sector and creating more affordable housing. The department budget includes $136.8 million in capital spending in 2022 and $522 million over 10-years. The department plans to build 700 more affordable housing units across the region by 2025.
However, Mayor John Taylor suggested more could be funded in the area, considering the capital spending in other departments like transit. He also asked for costs to make seasonal shelters, at least Newmarket’s, year-round, rather than closing in the summer.
“This is the gateway to better service, to wrap-around services, to the kind of interventions these people need,” he said. “Seems to me a lost opportunity to frankly save money across the entire system.”
As far as COVID-19, chair and CEO Wayne Emmerson said it is hanging around.
“COVID is not going away. This is going to be on for many, many, many other years going forward,” he said. “We want to be ready.”
