Physicians moving to Vermilion will not be getting a rental waiver, after a motion by Town of Vermilion council.
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The item was discussed at length at the June 3 council meeting.
“Prior to my arrival, there had been some verbal agreements to provide a select few doctors who had relocated to the area with a three-month waiver of rental fees in the midtown medical clinic,” said Shannon Harrower, Town of Vermilion CAO.
Deputy Mayor Joshua Rayment was opposed to a waiver.
“I’m not in favour of having a motion that lends towards providing three months of free rent to the physicians in this facility,” he said.
“I feel as though the physicians’ retention committee made a decision on the town’s behalf. I don’t believe that to be acceptable. They shouldn’t be entitled to give three months rent free to physicians.”
He pointed to the fact the Vermilion District Health Care Providers Attraction and Retention Committee was composed of neighbouring municipalities and Vermilion shouldn’t bear the whole burden.
“I feel as though because this committee’s composition is made up of the town, the County (of Vermilion River), the County of Minburn, Mannville, we all give a per capita amount to this committee,” said Rayment. “We’ve already given the amount of money that the town should be providing to this committee and the committee should be allocating these funds back to cover that rent.”
Coun. Robert Snow agreed with Rayment’s point, noting the committee defeated the motion to pay the rent.
“They themselves defeated the motion to pay for the rent. It’s not on us to carry the burden of all the municipalities around us,” he said, noting the importance of having doctors in the community.
Some insight was given into the background of the item and a perspective from the committee.
“I came onto the chair of this committee last February and I came into this situation,” said Coun. Kirby Whitlock. “The previous CAO made this commitment to one of the doctors and it escalated down to the other doctors because they were talking and everything.
“The committee, that CAO never came to the committee for approval on this, so that’s where my committee is standing on this.”
He says the processes weren’t followed and the committee decided to defeat the motion to pay the doctors’ rent.
“We weren’t ever asked for it and it never came through council,” said Whitlock. “It’s been going on for over a year now and we need to address this because the doctors are not happy.”
Council learned the individual who was promised the three months of paid rent had his promise fulfilled.
“I would say at this time, the town has honoured their obligation through the only promise they’ve made,” said Rayment.
“Our previous CAO, Mr. Kevin Lucas, had talked and met with a
singular doctor on a singular occasion and said he would cover his rent. That is something the town upheld, whether council agreed with it at the time or not. It is something the town upheld their end of.”
Rayment says they’ve done what was required per the verbal agreement.
“I would say the doctors speaking amongst themselves doesn’t preclude the town making decisions on their behalf,” he said. “I think we’ve done what we’re supposed to do at this time.”
Council voted to receive the item as information, with Whitlock voting in opposition of the motion.
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