Central Huron council has granted a request from the Huron Hospice Palliative Care Steering Committee for "support in principle."
Mayor Jim Ginn says there is a clear need for the service, and the recommendation is that it be located either in or near the Clinton area, so he had no problem in supporting the project. But he quickly added funding was another issue.
The province requires the community to provide the building, which could mean constructing a new building or modifying an existing building. The community is also required to come up with 40% of the annual operating cost.
Ginn says his concern, and one that's shared at the county level, is that this is a health issue, which is a provincial responsibility and should not be down-loaded to municipal taxpayers.
Ginn says property taxes were never meant to cover health care costs.
The decision on residential hospice development in Huron-Perth is expected to be made by the South West LHIN Board on February 21.
