Sarnia's Mayor has written a letter to Ontario Premier Doug Ford, asking for wage gaps to be equalized in the province's community health sector.
Mike Bradley said urgent action is required for those individuals who serve millions of people each year.
Local nurse practitioner-led clinics, like Twin Bridges on Christina Street, are losing staff to other operations, which are paying more, according to Bradley.
"What has been happening in this one sector, and it's affected this community, is that they have not received a substantial increase in funding for quite some time. In the meantime, in the very same healthcare area the Ford government has given increases -- which I welcome -- to other frontline staff and people are out there making the healthcare system work," said Bradley.
He said his letter to Premier Ford is about fairness and justice.
"My letter is really saying to the government, bring forward some equity here so that the healthcare sector is not playing against each other and hurting delivery at the ground level. Everyone agrees that Twin Bridges does an excellent job in the community and particularly during COVID they were a vital service in helping the public," he said.
Bradley said he recognizes the importance of fiscal responsibility for tax dollars, but in this case it is counterproductive, with a wage gap causing high staff turnover, staffing shortages and recruitment challenges.
"Personally, I'd like to see them [the provincial government] focus more on the healthcare system than on the alcohol system in the province. This is a critical issue in providing healthcare in an aging population in Ontario and aging population in this community. [We need to] have the support services, and pay them properly, to keep the pressure off the hospital system. That's what this is all about," he said.
The Ontario College of Family Physicians recently reported the number of Ontario residents without a family doctor has reached 2.5 million people.
The organization said more than 160,000 were added to the list in a six month period alone.