Part 1: Health Care Access and Approval of Queen Elizabeth School Purchase – 04/11/2024
- PECConnect
- Apr 11, 2024
- 4 min read
The County Council’s Committee of the Whole met on April 11, 2024, at Shire Hall in Picton for a wide-ranging afternoon session that blended hopeful updates on local health care access with a long, careful debate about the future of a key County-owned property. The meeting was chaired by Councillor Janice Maynard and brought together Council, senior staff, and members of the public for discussion on issues that directly affect residents across the County.
After calling the meeting to order and confirming the agenda, Maynard reminded attendees that motions made at Committee are recommendations only, and would return to Council for final consideration later in April. With no declarations of pecuniary interest, the meeting moved quickly into announcements. A brief notice of motion was shared by Councillor Chris Braney flagging upcoming discussion related to County Road 49 and a recent provincial decision elsewhere that could have implications for the County. With that preview noted, attention turned to the main deputation of the day.
View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes>
County Docs and the Health Care Connect Pilot
The first major discussion centred on local health care access, with Adam Hambly of County Docs Physician Recruitment presenting an update on the Health Care Connect Premium Pilot Program. Hambly outlined how the County-funded initiative was designed to help physicians absorb the administrative and clinical costs of taking on large numbers of new patients from the provincial Health Care Connect waitlist.
Hambly explained that all four pilot premiums had already been taken up, supporting the attachment of roughly 1,000 residents to local family doctors. With additional physician interest emerging, he asked Committee to consider expanding the program further in 2024 to accelerate access for more unattached patients.
Councillors asked detailed questions about physician retirements, incoming doctors, the role of virtual care, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and persistent confusion among residents about how Health Care Connect works. A recurring theme was misinformation, particularly the belief that joining the provincial list means losing access to existing care.
Several members, including Councillor John Hirsch and Councillor Phil St-Jean emphasized the need for clearer public communication. Others reflected on how stopgap solutions like virtual care help, but do not replace in-person primary care.
By the end of the discussion, Committee formally received the deputation and approved an additional $75,000 from the Tax Stabilization Reserve to expand the pilot for the balance of 2024, allowing more residents to be rostered with local physicians.
Public Comment on the Queen Elizabeth School Property
The tone shifted as the meeting moved into comments from the audience, where Dominique Jones, Executive Director of the County Foundation, addressed Council regarding the former Queen Elizabeth School property in Picton. Jones urged Council to consider long-term community needs, including affordable housing and shared service space, and encouraged exploration of public-private partnerships in light of recent funding setbacks. Her remarks set the stage for the most extensive discussion of the afternoon.
Council then turned to a staff report on whether to proceed with purchasing the former school property ahead of a June 10 deadline. Adam Goheen, Director of Housing, explained that while the original plan relied on senior government funding that did not materialize, the site remained strategically important for affordable housing and potential community use.
What followed was a lengthy, sometimes tense exchange. Councillors weighed the financial risk of purchasing an unbudgeted property against the risk of losing a rare, centrally located parcel if it went to the open market. Staff outlined the intention to secure the site first, then explore third-party partnerships to recover costs while retaining some measure of municipal control.
Some members expressed concern about taking on another building when the County already owns aging assets. Others argued that the property’s value and location made it a unique opportunity that might not come again.
After extended discussion, a recorded vote was held. Committee voted 9–5 to direct staff to complete the purchase, carry out due diligence, and return with partnership options.
Key Takeaways
The County is seeing measurable progress in connecting residents to family doctors, with Council willing to invest further to speed up access.
Clear communication remains a challenge, especially around health care systems residents rely on during transitions like retirements and relocations.
The County is prepared to take calculated risks on property decisions tied to affordable housing, even amid financial uncertainty, reflecting the scale and urgency of local housing needs.
The meeting highlighted how complex, interconnected decisions at Committee ultimately shape daily life across the County.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 2:49:15. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.
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