The provincial government is paying a $1.2 million annual lease to the Morgan Group of Companies for the Urgent Care Clinic in Mount Pearl, even as the building continues to sit idle and unused.
That’s a concern for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
The walk-in clinic at Mundy Pond Road will be moved to occupy the building for the time being, but federation spokesperson Devon Drover says the real issue is government spending and the efficient use of taxpayer dollars.
He says health care makes up about 42 per cent of the provincial government’s overall budget and “when you’re spending that much taxpayer money on one area of government, at a time when we’re also racking up massive government debt, every dollar matters, and every delay matters.”
Devin Drover (VOCM News)
Drover does say that the Wakeham government has taken “meaningful steps with tax relief…but we still have further to go.”
He says health care staffing challenges are not unique to this province, and in a highly competitive environment, government can be doing more to attract trained health care professionals.
“Newfoundland and Labrador still has some of the highest taxes in Canada…we have some of the highest income tax rate, we have the highest sales tax in the country. I understand if you’re a nurse, a physician or another highly skilled medical professional looking for job offers, you’re likely going to go somewhere where taxes are lower.”
