No talks planned between Ontario doctors and province

There's no sign of any return to negotiations betweenthe Liberal government and the Ontario Medical Association on a newfee agreement for the province's doctors.

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Doctors voted overwhelmingly last month to reject a tentativeagreement that would have provided a 10 per cent boost to thephysician services budget over four years, an increase of more than$1 billion, to $12.9 billion by 2020.

The OMA executive had recommended the deal be accepted, butdisgruntled doctors forced the association to give physicians abinding vote, and more than 63 per cent of those who cast ballotsrejected it.

Health Minister Eric Hoskins said he won't meet the OMA's demandfor binding arbitration before negotiations resume unless it agreesto act like other public sector unions, which would mean full salarydisclosure and giving up tax benefits like incorporation and incomesplitting.

"They've haven't indicated their willingness to do that,"Hoskins said Tuesday. "I just think that they've created a wall
blocking the ability to reach an agreement with thatpre-condition."

The tentative deal the doctors rejected included bindingarbitration for the schedule of benefits, added Hoskins, who said hewas not the minister of doctors, but the minister of health care.

"We need to make sure that when that next health care dollar isbeing spent it's being spent on the right priorities like home care,nurses, hospitals and mental health, not to high paid specialists,500 of whom are billing the province more than $1 million," hesaid.

Binding arbitration forced salaries up in B.C., Hoskins says

One specialist billed the Ontario Health Insurance Plan $6.6million, he added.

Hoskins said British Columbia repealed legislation giving doctorsthere binding arbitration after salaries jumped 20 per cent anaverage of $50,000 overnight.

He accused the Progressive Conservatives and New Democrats ofpandering to doctors by not taking a clear position on bindingarbitration.

Both opposition parties said Tuesday that binding arbitrationshould be part of the discussion with doctors, but stopped short ofsaying they'd agree to the demand to get the fee negotiations backon track.

"That should be one of the items on the negotiations table. Itshould be part of that negotiating process," said PC Leader PatrickBrown.

"We've said for some time now that binding arbitration should bein the mix, that it should be part of the discussion, absolutely,"said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

Both opposition leaders criticized the Liberals for being "hamfisted" in their approach with the province's physicians.

Doctors have been without a fee agreement for more than twoyears, and were fuming after the Liberals unilaterally reducedpayments for some services last year.

'We can't wait forever'

Hoskins said he prefers to negotiate any changes to the feeschedule, but warns the government could act on its own again ifthere is no agreement with the OMA.

"We can't wait forever," he said.

The OMA said it was disappointed the government announced inMonday's throne speech that it will reintroduce the Patients FirstAct, which the association said gives Hoskins the power to imposedecisions about patient care without consulting health-careprofessionals.

Hoskins dismissed the claim, and defended the government'sdecision to talk about the "highest billing physicians" in thethrone speech that opened the fall session of the legislature.

"The point that the throne speech was making, I believe, is thatwe need to get our priorities right," he said.