COVID-19 and launch of vaccines put budgetary pressure on OPH in Q1
Ottawa Public Health says the post-Christmas spike in COVID-19 cases and the launch of the city's vaccination efforts pushed costs up in the first quarter of 2021.
According to a report and budget documents prepared for the city's board of health, OPH spent $23 million in base and one-time COVID-19 costs in the first quarter of 2021, exceeding the quarterly budget for those items by about $5.4 million.
The report says OPH is "projecting an over expenditure for the current fiscal year as a result of extraordinary costs related to COVID response and vaccine program," but ultimately believes the budget will be balanced by year's end, "with the assumption that the Province will provide full funding for these costs."
In the first three months of 2021, city staff say OPH spent more than $24.4 million on compensation, about 31 per cent of its annual budget of $79.3 million, and exceeded overtime spending by $400,000.
"The increased compensation costs are directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic response and the need to scale up the operations in support of the COVID-19 Vaccine Program by increasing overtime requirements, onboarding new casual staff in various capacities and not meeting vacancy allowance targets incorporated in the approved budget," the report says.
Case management efforts were strained in early 2021 due to a rapid rise in cases in January. More than 7,300 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed between Jan. 1 and March 31, 2021, each of which required contact tracing and case management.
The report says the Ontario government has provided all health units with an assurance that there will be a process to request reimbursement of extraordinary costs related to the pandemic; however, to date, no further information has been made available.
The board of health meets at 5 p.m. June 21.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.