The CEO of the Huron-Perth Healthcare Alliance says while he's optimistic about recent developments at the federal level, he's not as encouraged by the announcement on the provincial level that the budget may not be balanced on schedule.
The Liberals had promised the budget would be balanced by 2017 - 18, but Provincial Financial Accountability Officer Andrew Williams now says the deficit could actually be $3.5-billion by then.
Williams says that will influence health care as well as the broader public, and when hospitals haven't seen an increase in funding for four years that's not good news.
Williams adds an aging population is continuing to drive the costs of health care up, and the longer it takes to balance the provincial budget the longer there will be pressure in health care and the broader public system.
