THUNDER BAY DISTRICT
The 2027 plan would hold the municipal increase to five per cent by drawing again from a shrinking stabilization reserve
THUNDER BAY — NEWS – Thunder Bay District Health Unit administrators have proposed a $17.77-million cost-shared public-health budget for 2027, including a five per cent increase in the levy collected from district municipalities.
Under the recommendation presented to the Board of Health on Thursday, the combined municipal levy would rise by $197,334 to $4,144,004. Thunder Bay’s share would increase by $157,710 to $3,311,910.
The agenda package labels the figures as recommendations. Minutes or another official record confirming the result of Thursday’s vote had not been posted by NetNewsLedger’s 6:55 p.m. EST research cutoff. The outcome should be confirmed before publication.
The core budget would rise by 1.43 per cent from the 2026 approved total of $17,522,318. Provincial mandatory-program funding is budgeted at $11,502,486, a one per cent increase.
Reserve draw limits the levy increase
The proposal relies on another $178,987 transfer from the stabilization reserve. Without that transfer, staff said the municipal levy would have risen 9.5 per cent instead of five per cent.
The draw would leave about $128,300 uncommitted in the fund. The report warns that the 2028 budget will have to reduce its reliance on this revenue source.
Municipal contributions are allocated by population. The proposed per-capita levy is $35.26, up from $33.58. Every obligated municipality would receive the same five per cent increase, with proposed shares ranging from $8,779 for Dorion to $3.31 million for Thunder Bay.
Salaries and benefits account for about 83 per cent of the core budget. The plan includes 131.85 full-time-equivalent positions, down from 133.25 in 2026. Staff said several reductions were achieved through attrition, while some positions were shifted to programs funded entirely by other sources.
A new $125,000 vacancy contingency assumes savings from turnover and unpaid leaves. The report identifies a risk: if those vacancies do not occur, positions could have to be left unfilled to meet the target, potentially reducing services.
Separate proposed allocations include $633,103 for Indigenous public health work in Thunder Bay and the district, $246,432 for work with Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority, and $290,072 for Indigenous food sovereignty. The Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program is budgeted at $999,300.
If approved, the cost-shared budget and the fully funded program budgets would be submitted to the Ministry of Health. The Board of Health’s next listed meeting is Jan. 20, 2027.
