TORONTO

Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown is calling on Premier Kathleen Wynne to scrap a plan to hire 84 more executives in Ontario’s growing health-care bureaucracy.

Brown slammed the Liberal government for trying to quietly expand Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), a regional health-care bureaucracy that manages the system throughout Ontario. The Tory leader said the government plans to hire 84 vice-presidents and create new “sub-LHINs” throughout the province and have provided very few details.

“The last thing our system needs right now when we’re struggling is more vice-presidents who are going to be hired, frankly, under the veil of secrecy,” he said Tuesday.

Brown said the hiring comes as part of Bill 41, which has already been passed by the legislature. He only learned of the hiring as he talked with doctors and nurse across Ontario as his party consults in preparation for the 2018 election.

The growth of Ontario’s health bureaucracy is a common complaint of many front-line workers, Brown said.

“One of the common things that we hear is that the growth of administration is suffocating precious funds to actual patient care,” he said.

Brown noted the act doesn’t spell out what the new executives would be paid, if they’d be eligible for bonuses, or get car allowances. It also doesn’t spell out how the government will build and staff the 80 “sub-LHINs.”

“The Liberal cabinet will hire these vice-presidents while the local community will have zero input,” he said.

Health Minister Eric Hoskins said Brown’s suggestion the government is hiring the new executives is wrong. As it folds up operation of the Community Care Access Centres into the Local Health Integration Networks, some of those managers will be moving over to the LHINs.

The new “sub-LHINs” will also not have office space, he added.

“We are reducing the numbers of positions by 10% so as you can appreciate, we’re asking LHINs to take on responsibilities that were formerly role of CCAC,” Hoskins said. “So we’re transitioning those individuals ... we’re not creating new positions.”

sjeffords@postmedia.com