'According to the health unit, Barrie will be downloaded approximately $600,000 in cost sharing for public health,' says mayor, who also chimes in on new child-care costs

The city will have to dig deeper to cover costs being passed down by the Doug Ford government as the Progressive Conservatives try to knock down the provincial deficit.

At the Association of Ontario Municipalities (AMO) conference Monday in Ottawa, the premier announced the province will be making funding cuts in areas such as public health and child care.

"According to the health unit, Barrie will be downloaded approximately $600,000 in cost sharing for public health," Mayor Jeff Lehman told BarrieToday this morning. "It means we either have to cut something else in our budget, or reduce the services that the public health unit provides, which affects all residents using those services."

The provincial government says it's necessary to pass on some of those costs as it tries to eliminate an $11.7-billion deficit.

Starting on Jan. 1, municipalities will now have to pay 20 per cent of the costs of creating new child-care spaces.

"Barrie is a young community and the cost of child care is a huge issue," Lehman said. "Downloading the cost of new child-care spaces means a new cost for municipalities, as this was formerly paid for by the province.

"In Barrie, I expect this will mean fewer child-care spaces are created in the coming years, and waitlists will get longer," the mayor added. "Or, we will need to raise taxes to make up the difference."

Transitional funding from the province is expected to lessen the impact somewhat on municipalities.

Some cuts to funding for administrative child-care costs are also being delayed until 2021 and others until 2022.

When budget talks roll around next year, council will have to find new ways to dole out the dollars to fill some new gaps.

"(It's) impossible to say how we might make up the difference," Lehman said. "We are also facing millions in costs from provincial legislation and reductions to police grants. This will make for a very difficult budget year in Barrie."

Changes are also expected to funding for land ambulance, which is the responsibility of Simcoe County, but what effect it will have on city coffers remains to be seen.

"Too early to know, I'm afraid," Lehman said.

- With files from Canadian Press