The province’s decision to reduce its contribution to public health agency budgets will leave the city with a $4 million shortfall in 2020 and a $14 million annual shortfall thereafter, Board of Health Chair Joe Cressy says.

Premier Doug Ford’s government announced earlier this month that it would reduce the portion of funding it provides for public health programming to 70 per cent, leaving municipalities to make up the gap.

Previously the province funded 75 per cent of Toronto Public Health’s budget, though it covered the full cost of some programs.

“The new cuts mean programs like diabetes prevention, enhanced food safety and swim-safe initiatives, infection prevention, infectious disease control and more, previously funded 100% by the province, will now receive 30 per cent less provincial money,” Cressy said in a statement released Friday. “The evidence is clear – cutting public health is both harmful, and fiscally irresponsible. Research has shown that every $1 invested in public health saves the healthcare system $16 in the future. And, addressing a provincial deficit by downloading costs onto municipalities is hardly sound financial management.”

Back in April, Ford’s government imposed similar cuts that would have actually downloaded up to 50-per cent of the cost of public health programming onto the City of Toronto but he backed away from them amid criticism.

The revised plan announced by Ford’s government earlier this month includes a 10 per cent cap on increases in public health costs to municipalities in 2020, though that cap will be eliminated in 2021.

In his statement, Cressy said that the Board of Health will “be reviewing opportunities for cost savings as always” but he said that he is not prepared “to accept cuts that negatively affect the health of Torontonians.”

“These cuts are short-sighted, harmful, and fiscally irresponsible. Make no mistake, these cuts will hurt people,” he said.

In a statement provided to CP24 earlier this month, a spokesperson for Minister of Health Christine Elliott said that the new funding formula was only arrived upon after consultations with affected parties, including representatives from the City of Toronto and the Association of Local Public Health Agencies

“So long as the City of Toronto meets its obligations, there should be no reduction in funding for public health services and programs,” Travis Kann said at the time.