City Council has approved a municipal contribution to the ‘Physician Start-Up Grant’ in the amount of $20,000 per new physician recruit up to a maximum of $200,000 per year for the next three years. The funds will be added to the City’s 2025 municipal budget.
The decision comes after members of the Timmins Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee (TPRRC) made a compelling presentation to council last month on the current physician shortage in Timmins, and the potential shortage in the next five years. Timmins needs forty (40) physicians now and could need over eighty (80) physicians by 2029.
The presentation included a set of initiatives aimed at addressing the shortage, including the development of a ‘Physician Start-Up Grant’ to assist doctors with starting practice in Timmins. The intention is to match equal contributions from the Timmins and District Hospital, City of Timmins, and industry partners for up to 10 physicians per year. With both the hospital and municipal contributions confirmed, the TPRRC will now approach industry leaders to assist.
“There is the potential for tens of thousands of residents to be without direct access to a family physician or required specialist,” says Mayor Michelle Boileau. “We know there is already a large number of residents who are considered “unattached patients”. Ensuring that we have adequate access to healthcare is imperative. With the projected growth in the mining and mining service sectors alone, supporting sustainable health services is one way that our industry leaders can also support their current workforce and recruitment.”