Ontario doctors hold contract vote, result expected today

Doctors voted Sunday on a new fee agreement reached by the Ontario Medical Association and the government, with some members urging their colleagues to reject it.

The vote took place during a town hall-style meeting that lasted over four hours, as several doctors took the floor to offer their opinions of the agreement.

The four-year deal would increase Ontario's $11.5-billion physician services budget by 2.5 per cent a year, to $12.9 billion by 2020, and allows doctors to co-manage the system with the Ministry of Health.

The Liberal government imposed fee cuts for some doctors' services last year,  but the new agreement promises no more unilateral cuts over the four year deal.

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However, some doctors are angry that the OMA failed to get agreement on binding arbitration, although the association will continue to fight for that right in court.

More patients, heavier workload

Monique Moreau has been a family doctor for close to two decades. She says every year the list of patients gets longer and the workload heavier. 

"There is increased demand because the population is increasing and is getting older," Moreau told CBC News on Sunday.

There is increased demand because the population is increasing and is getting older.- Monique Moreau, family physician

​Moreau is part of the group Concerned Ontario Doctors, which staged rallies and protest marches urging physicians to vote against the deal, warning it doesn't provide adequate funding to provide the services patients need.

While it increases health care funding by 2.5 percent for physician services, Moreau says more money is necessary to fund more doctors, more medical procedures and eventually to reduce waiting lists. 

Radiologist Dr. David Jacobs, chair of diagnostic imaging for the OMA, says no one is asking for a raise from themselves, and what they really want is better funding of health care.

Stability welcome

OMA president Virginia Walley says the OMA knows the deal "isn't perfect," and some doctors are angry, especially at what she calls the "disrespect" the government has shown by its unilateral fee cuts.

But she says the fee agreement brings funding stability to doctors after two years of uncertainty.

"This agreement doubles the growth rate that we now have in our system and provides some extra funding on top of that," Walley said Sunday.

Some doctors, like Brenna Velker, are actually concerned that if the agreement isn't ratified, they will end up with a worse deal.

"I think the cuts could continue because we have no protection against unilateral action," Velker said.

A spokeswoman for the OMA said results of the vote will mostly likely be known by Monday.