Latest news with #Shoemaker
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'At the brink of falling apart': Sport organizations hope new government heeds urgent call for funding
Olympic gold medallist Adam van Koeverden, the newly minted secretary of state for sport, must navigate an urgent call for funding from sport organizations and what has been described as a safe-sport crisis. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press - image credit) At the end of a successful Summer Olympics in Paris last year, David Shoemaker issued a stark warning. Canadians took home 27 medals from France after standout performances in swimming, beach volleyball and track and field, to name a few. Advertisement The Canadian Olympic Committee CEO said he believed Canada has the potential to do more, but that he worried the athletes' full potential won't be unlocked without more resources from the federal government. "I worry about performance in Milano Cortina and certainly for LA [in 2028]," Shoemaker said that day. "There hasn't been an increase in the core funding of the national sports organizations, the 62 federally-funded national sports organizations, in 19 years. They are having to do so much more with so much less, including the demands upon them to create a safe and barrier-free healthy sports system that we all want so badly." WATCH | Canada's new secretary of state for sport talks transforming Canada's sport landscape: Fast forward almost 10 months and Canadians have a new government, led by a new Prime Minister, Mark Carney. Advertisement The new person in charge of the sports portfolio is a familiar face in the Canadian sports world: Adam van Koeverden, the retired kayaker who owns four Olympic medals, including gold in the K-1 500-metre from the 2004 Summer Games in Athens. There's no minister of sport in this government. Koeverden is the secretary of state for sport, part of a two-tiered cabinet created by Carney. But much will still be expected from the former athlete. He's tasked with addressing funding demands from sport organizations. The magic number Shoemaker has cited is a $144 million increase to make up for two decades without a significant boost to core funding, now appearing as millions of dollars worth of deficits on sports organizations' books. He'll also have to navigate what's been described as a safe-sport crisis across the country. The Future of Sport in Canada Commission will report back in March, and van Koeverden, who gave his own recommendations to the panel earlier this year, will guide how the government will respond to its findings. Advertisement Perhaps even bigger than all of that is preserving what sport means to Canadians at a time when that identity is under threat like never before. It's a tone both the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee struck in a joint statement released after the new cabinet was named in May. "As we face an unprecedented crisis of national identity, this portfolio will be critical in achieving this government's urgent nation building priorities," the statement said. "Sport unites Canadians like nothing else can – bridging geography, language, and politics." Fundraising for training When it comes to nation building, Nathan Bombrys sees a role for rugby. Advertisement The Canadian women's rugby union team is ranked second in the world heading into the sport's World Cup in England, which begins in August. Bombrys, who is Rugby Canada's CEO, believes the Canadian women have a shot at winning the tournament. "If you follow the sport of rugby, it's literally planting a flag where it doesn't belong, and we have a team capable of doing that," he said. But the women's team has been fundraising just to pay for proper training. It would go toward things like holding training camps and accessing mental performance coaching. The Canadian women's rugby sevens team won silver at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) Even if they're successful in reaching the $1-million fundraising goal, Bombrys expects Canada will have one of the lowest budgets in the entire tournament. Advertisement Performing well at that tournament, which is one of the biggest in the sporting world, would certainly fall under the nation-building category. "I'd like to see this government really appreciate the value that sport brings to the nation, to Canada, and really understand that," he said. Rugby Canada is also looking to see more corporate sponsors involved in the sport. Without more money, the future looks different. Bombrys said he's already having to make difficult decisions that affect athletes and programming. "Will we still play on the global stage? Probably," he said. "But wouldn't we like to be competitive and represent Canada well? Without that support, it's going to be harder and harder to do that." Staying afloat For Olympic athletes across Canada, funding is the number one issue, according to Philippe Marquis, a two-time Olympian in freestyle skiing who serves as the chair of the Canadian Olympic Committee's Athletes' Commission. Advertisement Marquis was happy to see van Koeverden receive the sports file, and like Shoemaker, he feels a sense of urgency. "Sport organizations are at the brink of falling apart with the lack of funding and the resources," he said. "Everyone is tight." Canadian Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission chair Philippe Marquis, pictured in 2019, says funding is the number-one issue for Olympic athletes. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press) The way he sees it, national sport organizations and athletes are both trying to survive. For sport organizations, like Rugby Canada, it's having the resources to properly structure and deliver sport to athletes. For athletes, it's trying to attend camps and access proper training, all while buying food and paying rent. Having or not having that money could determine whether an athlete stays in sport or walks away. Advertisement The 2024 federal budget increased the monthly living and training allowances under the Athlete Assistance Program, commonly known as carding, by about 23 per cent, retroactive to April 2024. "Was it sufficient? Not necessarily, and it has to be indexed with inflation and obviously what's going on around the world with cost of living," Marquis said. A familiar face The sports portfolio is nothing new to van Koeverden. Beyond his own career as an athlete, van Koeverden was Parliamentary secretary to ministers responsible for sport over two Parliaments. "It's been a joy and a huge privilege, but it's also been tough," van Koeverden said a few days into his new job. Advertisement "It's a lot of work and I'm embracing all of it. But sometimes it's hard when you achieve a goal because you recognize that there's just so many expectations and work that you've got to do in order to achieve the good outcomes, the reason that you get involved." Exactly what Carney would like his government to accomplish when it comes to sport isn't yet clear. The topic didn't appear in the Liberal platform, nor has there been a mandate letter released for the sport portfolio. Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker issued a stark warning at the end of last year's Summer Olympics: without additional funding to sport organizations, Canada's performance at the Games could falter. (Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press) Van Koeverden said he's encouraged by how frequently Carney, who was a hockey goaltender in college, talks about sport. Advertisement "I'm really, really excited because Mark Carney has clearly articulated his love and his passion for sport, physical activity and recreation in Canada," van Koeverden said. Whether Carney's government will increase funding of national sport organizations and multisport service organizations — such as the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee and U Sports — to the level that leaders like Shoemaker are calling for remains to be seen. But van Koeverden agreed he would advocate for an increase in core funding for national sport organizations, describing it as "critical." "Sport Canada does a great job making sure that all our national sport organizations get funding, but we've got more people in Canada now," he said. "Sports are more expensive. So are flights for national teams." Advertisement He also agreed that carding funding should be indexed with inflation, even though budgeting for that could be "a bit ambiguous." But just as important is funding the bottom of the pyramid, van Koeverden said, which helps get more people, including kids, playing sport. In his mind, funding sport at a grassroot level will help foster more Sidney Crosbys and Christine Sinclairs at the top of the pyramid. But keeping the most talented athletes on the ice, field or court, and helping them achieve their potential, is also part of the puzzle. "We continue to advocate to the federal government for an increase in funding [for national sport organizations]," Shoemaker told CBC Sports during the election campaign this past spring. "We think we're making a strong case. We think we're getting through. But only time will tell."
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Bluffton man, Lima woman arrested in child porn probe
May 20—TOLEDO — A Bluffton man and Lima woman have been charged in federal district court on charges related to online child pornography activities. Kris Shoemaker, 64, of Bluffton, and Grace Miller, 42, of Lima, were arrested earlier this month by the U.S. Marshals Service after a special agent from the FBI received cyber-tips related to the receipt and distribution of child sexual abuse material. According to records from the U.S. District Court for Northern Ohio, FBI special agent Caleb E. Williams on March 17 received tips from Yahoo Inc. and Facebook related to the receipt and distribution of child sexual abuse material. One tip led investigators to an approximately 39-second video, which depicts an 8- to 10-year-old female nude from the waist down, touching her genitals and then masturbating. That video was traced to an account linked to Shoemaker. On May 8, members of the FBI and Allen County Sheriff's Office executed a federal search warrant for Shoemaker's residence at 124 W. Jefferson St., Bluffton. Shoemaker was interviewed at the scene, submitted to a polygraph and subsequently admitted to engaging in child pornography activity online. He identified Miller as his current girlfriend and one of the women he distributed child pornography to, according to court documents. On that same date, Miller was interviewed by detectives from the Allen County Sheriff's Office. She reportedly admitted to taking pictures of an 8-year-old female's breasts and genitals and sending them to Shoemaker. She stated she sent the images and videos to Shoemaker via Facebook Messenger. She told investigators she began taking and sending him the images and videos approximately seven months ago, and she took them at her residence in Lima, according to court documents.. Shoemaker's cell phone was seized during the execution of the search warrant and was found to contain numerous sexual images involving minors. Shoemaker was arrested on charges of receipt and distribution of child pornography. Miller was taken into custody on a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor related to the production of child pornography. Both Shoemaker and Miller waived their rights to a preliminary hearing in federal court. No further hearings have been scheduled at this time. Shoemaker was convicted in 1982 of voluntary manslaughter, in 1991 of carrying a concealed weapon and in 1992 of attempted gross sexual imposition involving a 12-year-old female. Shoemaker is no longer required to register as a sex offender, according to court documents. Featured Local Savings
Boston Globe
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
The debate over ranked-choice voting in Boston is more than just academic
Send questions or suggestions to . To subscribe, . TODAY'S STARTING POINT If a coalition of activists and the Boston City Council get their way, 'Who did you vote for?' may soon become a trickier question to answer in Boston. And that's on purpose. Last week, the City Council Advocates say RCV gives voters more choices and encourages candidates to earn broader support. New York City; Burlington, Vt., and other municipalities Advertisement But not everyone is persuaded. Some lawmakers and political scientists question the benefits of RCV. Others worry that it will make elections more complicated for voters to participate in and for the city to run. Today's newsletter explains the debate. Advertisement Advocates' case For its supporters, the benefits of RCV flow from its design. By letting voters pick whom they want most while also signaling who should get their support if that candidate doesn't win, RCV lets voters better express their preferences. People can cast ballots for third-party or independent candidates without worrying that their vote will be wasted — or worse, hand the election to a candidate they dislike. 'The biggest gain is that folks aren't feeling like they're left out,' said Edwyn Shoemaker, who runs Ranked Choice Boston, a coalition that advocated for the measure. Voter turnout in municipal elections in Boston, as in most cities, tends to be low. But people who believe their vote matters are more likely to show up to cast it, Shoemaker argues. He cited Boston municipal elections are technically nonpartisan, without a candidate's party affiliation listed on the ballot. Shoemaker thinks RCV can reduce polarization even more by giving candidates a reason to compete for voters outside their normal bases of support. It might even incentivize them to campaign more civilly, lest they alienate a rival's supporters who might otherwise rank them second or third. Criticisms Critics say RCV's advocates overstate its benefits, which can vary depending on the kind of election in which it's used. In a statewide race for president, for example, RCV might well prevent a third-party candidate from handing the election to a Democrat over a Republican, or vice versa. But implementing it for municipal races to elect what's currently an all-Democratic city council might not change much. Most of the current district councilors won their seats with majorities of the vote, suggesting broad support even absent RCV. (RCV would work slightly differently for at-large city council seats, with a lower threshold for victory.) And in RCV elections elsewhere, the candidate with a plurality in the first round Advertisement Other critics say RCV imagines an idealized electorate that doesn't really exist. Yes, many people know which candidates they prefer or do research before deciding whom to support. But expecting most voters to parse the sometimes-minute differences among candidates for local seats in a majority-Democratic city strains credulity, said Eitan Hersh, a Tufts political scientist. 'It's sort of like if I asked you, 'What's your favorite ice cream flavor?'' Hersh said. 'And then instead of that, I said, 'Okay, now you have to rank-order all the ice cream flavors.' It's kind of hard.' Ranked-choice ballots also tend to be more complicated and time-consuming to fill out, and complexity breeds mistakes. According to Some critics also think RCV will burden Boston's already strained election system. Councilor Ed Flynn Advertisement The context In between the advocates and critics are the ambivalent. Lee Drutman, a voting reform expert at New America, a Washington think tank, is in that camp. Once an RCV evangelist, he's come to Does that mean the debate doesn't matter? The passions on both sides may instead reflect a more troubling phenomenon: growing dissatisfaction with American democracy. As voters become more pessimistic about the country's bitter partisan divides, some have evidently latched onto changes they hope will improve things — even if the evidence is mixed. 'People are looking for electoral reform,' Drutman said. 'RCV has caught on for particular reasons. But is it actually transformative enough to change the fundamentals of the system?' 🧩 6 Across: POINTS OF INTEREST The scene of a fatal accident in Hyde Park in April in which a school bus struck and killed a 5-year-old boy. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Boston and New England Karen Read: Read's lawyer pressed a digital forensics examiner on his credentials Verdict: A jury convicted a former high school basketball coach in Rhode Island of misdemeanor battery for Settlement: The MBTA Crash data: Fatal incidents involving school buses, like the one that killed a 5-year-old boy last month, Retail reclamation: Macy's is closing 150 stores nationwide. Downtown Boston's may survive Trump administration Congresswoman charged: The Justice Department said it was charging Representative LaMonica McIver, a New Jersey Democrat, with assaulting a police officer near an ICE facility this month. McIver called the charges political. ( Jan. 6 settlement: The administration agreed to pay Ashli Babbitt's family about $5 million after a Capitol police officer defending lawmakers fatally shot her during the riot. ( Take It Down Act: Trump signed a bipartisan bill meant to prevent the dissemination of non-consensual intimate images, including deepfakes and revenge porn. ( Trump's agenda: Republicans claim they're cutting Medicaid fraud to pay for Trump's tax cuts. But in Massachusetts, fraud Free press: CBS News' president resigned after opposing the company's efforts to settle Trump's lawsuit against '60 Minutes.' ( Red tape: New England fisherman blame bureaucracy for hurting their industry. They're The Nation and the World Joe Biden's cancer: The former president's diagnosis underscores that cancers can pop up suddenly even among those with excellent health care. ( Diddy trial: Witnesses testified that music mogul Sean Combs controlled and assaulted his longtime girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura. ( Mending ties: The UK and the European Union struck a deal that covers trade, energy, and more. It's their biggest relationship reset since Brexit. ( BESIDE THE POINT By Teresa Hanafin 💍 The Big Day: They dated for four years before going their separate ways — only to reconnect in Savannah for a 🚗 Timing is everything: AAA predicts that 28,000 more people will drive on Mass. roads over the holiday weekend than last year. Here are the best times to travel from Thursday through Monday. ( Advertisement 🌸 Floriferous: It was a banner year for hydrangeas in 2024, and while this year's blooms may not be as spectacular, they will be quite nice. 👶🏼 Robbing the cradle: It's not just men who like dating younger partners. Turns out women are attracted to younger men, according to a recent study. ( 🏠 People pleasers: If you're selling your home this spring, there are seven things that homebuyers really want and I have to say, a clean crawl space was not on my dance card. ( 📥 RTO or WFH? Workers in some cities have been quick to return to offices; others are among the slowest. Boston's on one of those lists. ( 🥺 Living with guilt: Being the person who accidentally causes another's death can lead to a lifetime of grief. But there are resources to help. ( Thanks for reading Starting Point. This newsletter was edited and produced by ❓ Have a question for the team? Email us at ✍🏼 If someone sent you this newsletter, you can 📬 Delivered Monday through Friday. Ian Prasad Philbrick can be reached at
Toronto Sun
08-05-2025
- Health
- Toronto Sun
Some Ontario mayors against financial incentives to attract doctors
Published May 08, 2025 • 6 minute read A doctor wears a lab coat and stethoscope in an exam room at a health clinic in Calgary, Friday, July 14, 2023. Photo by Jeff McIntosh / The Canadian Press Several Ontario mayors have been calling on the province to ban financial incentives municipalities use to lure in doctors, saying the recruitment tactic is harming communities that can't pony up the cash — especially those in rural and northern regions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account But Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Matthew Shoemaker is going even further, suggesting the federal government should outlaw the practice from 'coast to coast. 'I think it should be banned across the country actually,' he said in a recent interview. Shoemaker said his city needs 40 more doctors, including 18 to practise family medicine, and while it does offer a moving allowance of up to $10,000, it is not in a position to compete with municipalities that are offering doctors tens of thousands of dollars to relocate. 'We think incentives are bad and we don't agree with them, and so we're not at this point supportive of getting into a competition on incentives because it is a competition we will lose,' he said. Shoemaker said he asked Ontario's health minister to intervene and stop the practice during a meeting they had last August. But he said there seems to be no appetite for such a move in Ontario unless there is 'more widespread acceptance of banning of incentives' across the country. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We don't want to become the place that is having all its doctors taken away from us,' he said. Read More A Ministry of Health spokesperson said the government has made big investments to connect more Ontarians with doctors, but didn't directly respond to a question on whether it would consider banning municipalities' financial incentives. Shoemaker isn't the only one raising concern over the use of incentive-based programs to address Ontario's doctor shortage. Todd Kasenberg, the mayor of North Perth, is also encouraging the province to ban cash incentives, which he calls a 'mistake. 'We've entered an arms race and typically there aren't any winners in an arms race,' he said in an interview. Kasenberg said around 3,000 of 17,000 people in his town north of London, Ont., are without a family doctor. With expected retirements in the next few years, the doctor shortage will be severe if officials can't recruit fast enough. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'So it's a substantial issue and met with a lot of frustration in the community, a lot of anxiety,' he added. He said the town is expected to welcome four medical residents from Western University this year. Council approved spending $50,000 to provide housing support for those residents, even though Kasenberg said he was personally 'uncomfortable' with the move. He hopes the recruits will stay in town beyond their residency period. London Mayor Josh Morgan and Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal have also publicly criticized municipalities' financial incentives for doctor recruitment. Ontario's long-standing shortage of primary care providers affects millions of patients in every corner of the province, but advocates say rural communities are hit harder because they have fewer hospitals and walk-in clinics. RECOMMENDED VIDEO This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Experts have long warned that hefty financial incentives offered to doctors are widening the health-care access gap between poorer rural towns and richer urban centres. Some say while the incentives might work, particularly in recruiting new graduates and medical residents who have education loans to repay, they don't serve to retain doctors in those communities. 'I think it is much more effective to be able to, from a retention standpoint, to support new grads by helping them to manage their schedule, add work slowly, avoid the risk of burnout,' said Dr. Sarah Newbery, a family physician in Marathon, Ont., a rural community 300 km east of Thunder Bay. 'If they're too busy from the get-go, they will not be easy to retain.' Newbery knows a thing or two about retention — she was one of six young physicians who moved to Marathon nearly three decades ago and ended the town's chronic doctor shortage. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. At that time, Marathon was about to lose its only emergency department and the fate of the entire hospital was up in the air. The local physician recruitment committee even had burlap sacks ready to cover the hospital signs on the nearby highway. 'It was probably the most underserviced community certainly in the province, maybe in the country,' Newbery said. RECOMMENDED VIDEO She said the town gave the entire group $10,000 in bonuses — a little over $1,600 each — and housing support that included two years of free rent for some. But those incentives were not a deciding factor for Newbery and her partner to stay in Marathon for 29 years. She said what kept that group of physicians in town was a collective commitment to provide better care for the community as well as an understanding of a healthy work and life balance. Marathon is home to six physicians now, and has only one doctor vacancy at a time when other rural communities are in a health-care crisis. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Instead of offering cash bonuses, Newbery suggested the money should be invested in making towns more welcoming and appealing to doctors in the long run. About 525,000 Ontarians who live in rural areas have no access to primary care, and that number is increasing four times faster compared to urban centres, according to data provided by the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association. Christy Lowry, the association's chair, said improving access to health care, recruiting physicians and medical workers, and making sure local emergency rooms remain operational are 'top priority' for the association. 'All of those pieces are part of what we're focused on right now, and we can see how the lack of these services are negatively impacting our communities and the well-being of our communities,' she said. Lowry, who is also the mayor of Mississippi Mills, a rural community west of Ottawa, said while her town has a modern hospital with 'tremendous service,' the shortage of primary care providers is a problem for residents, some of whom are travelling as far as Kingston to see their doctors. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The association estimates Ontario municipalities are spending nearly half a billion dollars on health care annually. 'Property tax dollars should be going to core municipal priorities. They were never designed to pay for health services,' Lowry said in a recent interview. 'The problem is there's a shortage. (We) don't have enough, so it becomes this competition between one community and the next.' In northern communities, more than 350 doctors — including more than 200 family physicians — are needed to fill current vacancies, and that number is much higher if retirements expected over the next five years are factored in, according to the Ontario Medical Association. The association's former president, Dr. Dominik Nowak, said that's 'unacceptable.' The shortage had led to fierce competition for physicians. 'There are winners and losers when we have a situation like this and oftentimes the communities that can't afford to recruit and retain are northern and rural communities,' he said last month before his tenure ended. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Nowak said while municipalities should help create a welcoming environment for doctors and their families, ultimately it is the province's job to ensure communities have proper access to health care. 'It's a symptom of a larger problem,' Nowak said of incentive-based programs. 'The larger problem is that family practice is no longer seen as a viable career choice for new graduates.' The Ministry of Health said the province has added 15,000 doctors and increased the number of family physicians by 10% since 2018. Ministry spokesperson Ema Popovic said the government is adding close to 1,500 family doctors in rural and northern areas as part of two different programs, which include bringing in foreign-trained doctors and providing education funds for students interested in working in those communities. She said Ontario aims to connect everyone in the province to a primary care provider by 2029 as part of a $1.8-billion investment. The province recently said there will be 'significant investments' in the Rural and Northern Physician Group Agreement primary care model. There will also be a new program called the Rural Emergency Medicine Coverage Investment Fund, which is meant to ensure appropriate doctor staffing levels year-round, and it replaces a now-expired temporary program that incentivized doctors to fill those shifts in rural and northern ERs. Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto Maple Leafs Canada Toronto & GTA Columnists
Global News
08-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
Some Ontario mayors against communities' financial incentives to attract doctors
Several Ontario mayors have been calling on the province to ban financial incentives municipalities use to lure in doctors, saying the recruitment tactic is harming communities that can't pony up the cash – especially those in rural and northern regions. But Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Matthew Shoemaker is going even further, suggesting the federal government should outlaw the practice from 'coast to coast.' 'I think it should be banned across the country actually,' he said in a recent interview. Shoemaker said his city needs 40 more doctors, including 18 to practise family medicine, and while it does offer a moving allowance of up $10,000, it is not in a position to compete with municipalities that are offering doctors tens of thousands of dollars to relocate. 'We think incentives are bad and we don't agree with them, and so we're not at this point supportive of getting into a competition on incentives because it is a competition we will lose,' he said. Story continues below advertisement Shoemaker said he asked Ontario's health minister to intervene and stop the practice during a meeting they had last August. But he said there seems to be no appetite for such a move in Ontario unless there is 'more widespread acceptance of banning of incentives' across the country. 'We don't want to become the place that is having all its doctors taken away from us,' he said. A Ministry of Health spokesperson said the government has made big investments to connect more Ontarians with doctors, but didn't directly respond to a question on whether it would consider banning municipalities' financial incentives. Shoemaker isn't the only one raising concern over the use of incentive-based programs to address Ontario's doctor shortage. Todd Kasenberg, the mayor of North Perth, is also encouraging the province to ban cash incentives, which he calls a 'mistake.' 'We've entered an arms race and typically there aren't any winners in an arms race,' he said in an interview. Kasenberg said around 3,000 of 17,000 people in his town north of London, Ont., are currently without a family doctor. With expected retirements in the next few years, the doctor shortage will be severe if officials can't recruit fast enough. 'So it's a substantial issue and met with a lot of frustration in the community, a lot of anxiety,' he added. Story continues below advertisement He said the town is expected to welcome four medical residents from Western University this year. Council approved spending $50,000 to provide housing support for those residents, even though Kasenberg said he was personally 'uncomfortable' with the move. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy He hopes the recruits will stay in town beyond their residency period. London Mayor Josh Morgan and Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal have also publicly criticized municipalities' financial incentives for doctor recruitment. Ontario's long-standing shortage of primary care providers affects millions of patients in every corner of the province, but advocates say rural communities are hit harder because they have fewer hospitals and walk-in clinics. Experts have long warned that hefty financial incentives offered to doctors are widening the health-care access gap between poorer rural towns and richer urban centres. Some say while the incentives might work, particularly in recruiting new graduates and medical residents who have education loans to repay, they don't serve to retain doctors in those communities. 'I think it is much more effective to be able to, from a retention standpoint, to support new grads by helping them to manage their schedule, add work slowly, avoid the risk of burnout,' said Dr. Sarah Newbery, a family physician in Marathon, Ont., a rural community 300 kilometres east of Thunder Bay. Story continues below advertisement 'If they're too busy from the get-go, they will not be easy to retain.' Newbery knows a thing or two about retention – she was one of six young physicians who moved to Marathon nearly three decades ago and ended the town's chronic doctor shortage. At that time, Marathon was about to lose its only emergency department and the fate of the entire hospital was up in the air. The local physician recruitment committee even had burlap sacks ready to cover the hospital signs on the nearby highway. 'It was probably the most underserviced community certainly in the province, maybe in the country,' Newbery said. She said the town gave the entire group $10,000 in bonuses — a little over $1,600 each — and housing support that included two years of free rent for some. But those incentives were not a deciding factor for Newbery and her partner to stay in Marathon for 29 years. She said what kept that group of physicians in town was a collective commitment to provide better care for the community as well as an understanding of a healthy work and life balance. Marathon is home to six physicians now, and has only one doctor vacancy at a time when other rural communities are in a health-care crisis. Instead of offering cash bonuses, Newbery suggested the money should be invested in making towns more welcoming and appealing to doctors in the long run. Story continues below advertisement Around 525,000 Ontarians who live in rural areas have no access to primary care, and that number is increasing four times faster compared to urban centres, according to data provided by the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association. Christy Lowry, the association's chair, said improving access to health care, recruiting physicians and medical workers, and making sure local emergency rooms remain operational are 'top priority' for the association. 'All of those pieces are part of what we're focused on right now, and we can see how the lack of these services are negatively impacting our communities and the well-being of our communities,' she said. Lowry, who is also the mayor of Mississippi Mills, a rural community east of Ottawa, said while her town has a modern hospital with 'tremendous service,' the shortage of primary care providers is a problem for residents, some of whom are travelling as far as Kingston to see their doctors. The association estimates Ontario municipalities are spending nearly half a billion dollars on health care annually. 'Property tax dollars should be going to core municipal priorities. They were never designed to pay for health services,' Lowry said in a recent interview. 'The problem is there's a shortage. (We) don't have enough, so it becomes this competition between one community and the next.' Story continues below advertisement In northern communities, more than 350 doctors — including more than 200 family physicians — are needed to fill current vacancies, and that number is much higher if retirements expected over the next five years are factored in, according to the Ontario Medical Association. The association's former president, Dr. Dominik Nowak, said that's 'unacceptable.' The shortage had led to fierce competition for physicians. 'There are winners and losers when we have a situation like this and oftentimes the communities that can't afford to recruit and retain are northern and rural communities,' he said last month before his tenure ended. Nowak said while municipalities should help create a welcoming environment for doctors and their families, ultimately it is the province's job to ensure communities have proper access to health care. 'It's a symptom of a larger problem,' Nowak said of incentive-based programs. 'The larger problem is that family practice is no longer seen as a viable career choice for new graduates.' The Ministry of Health said the province has added 15,000 doctors and increased the number of family physicians by 10 per cent since 2018. Ministry spokesperson Ema Popovic said the government is adding close to 1,500 family doctors in rural and northern areas as part of two different programs, which include bringing in foreign-trained doctors and providing education funds for students interested in working in those communities. Story continues below advertisement She said Ontario aims to connect everyone in the province to a primary care provider by 2029 as part of a $1.8-billion investment. The province recently said there will be 'significant investments' in the Rural and Northern Physician Group Agreement primary care model. There will also be a new program called the Rural Emergency Medicine Coverage Investment Fund, which is meant to ensure appropriate doctor staffing levels year-round, and it replaces a now-expired temporary program that incentivized doctors to fill those shifts in rural and northern ERs.
