Mayor Rob Ford has rejected the province’s offer to hire two public health nurses for Toronto at no cost to the city, drawing rebukes from both the provincial health minister and a loyal council ally.

Ford’s Monday decision marked the second time he has opposed a provincial health initiative that would not have required any city funding. In February, he was the lone dissenter in a 44-1 vote to accept provincial money for an effort to encourage residents to be screened for HIV and syphilis.

One of the nurses would have worked with new immigrants on disease prevention, said Councillor John Filion, chair of the health board. Another would have worked in a poor neighbourhood to promote health services.

In a statement, health minister Deb Matthews said Toronto is to date the only one of the province’s 36 health units to reject the nurses.

“The rest of Ontario's municipalities are working with us and with our public health units to improve care for all Ontarians. I am very disappointed in the city's decision and I strongly encourage Mayor Ford to reconsider,” Matthews said.

Council’s budget committee had recommended that the city accommodate the nurses by increasing the health budget by $170,000, all of which would come from the province. At Monday’s executive committee meeting, Ford asked, “How are we going to pay for these two public health nurses on an ongoing basis?”

Told by a health official that the provincial funding would continue on an ongoing basis, Ford said only, “I just want to defer this indefinitely, then.”

A majority of the hand-picked committee voted with him. But in a rare display of executive disharmony, budget committee chair Mike Del Grande, public works chair Denzil Minnan-Wong, planning chair Peter Milczyn, and and parks and environment chair Norm Kelly opposed.

Said Minnan-Wong on Tuesday: “The province is paying for two nurses full-time. Why would you say no to additional public health nurses to help out? Why would you say no?”

Speaking to reporters after the vote, Ford said he was concerned the city would eventually have to pay. “Who is going to be on the hook for it once the provincial funding goes? We are,” he said. “We have enough people in public health right now.”

Filion called Ford’s fear “nonsense.” The nurses would simply cease their work if the provincial funding ever expired, he said.

“It’s a bizarre situation, it’s completely unprecedented, and I can only assume it’s based on one of two things: complete ignorance of the facts of the situation, or a deliberate case of using ideology to trample on the most vulnerable in society,” Filion said.

The nurses can still be hired if a majority of council votes to overturn the decision. Two thirds of council must first agree to take up the issue.