Ontario doctors to go head-to-head in contract vote Sunday

Some Ontario doctors want their colleagues to reject anew fee agreement with the province when they vote on the deal
Sunday, even though they've been without a contract for two years.

The four-year deal would increase Ontario's $11.5-billion physician services budget by 2.5 per cent a year, to $12.9 billion by2020, and give doctors the power to co-manage the system with theMinistry of Health.

It also prohibits further unilateral fee cuts like the ones thegovernment imposed last year, which the Ontario Medical Associationsays disrespected doctors.

• Tentative agreement between doctors and province 'horrifying,' doctors group says
• Ontario government comes to terms with doctors on new deal
• Doctors' group warns new fee deal will send patient wait times through the roof

OMA president Dr. Virginia Walley says she knows the deal"isn't perfect," but adds it improves on the government's previousunder-funding of growth in the system.

Physicians opposed to the agreement say the OMA should havestuck to its demand for binding arbitration, but Walley says thegovernment wouldn't budge on the issue so the association willcontinue to fight in court for that right.

A group called Concerned Ontario Doctors staged rallies andprotest marches urging physicians to vote against the deal, butinsisted it isn't looking for more money for doctors, just adequatefunding so patients get the services they need.