To the editor:
I’d like to set the record straight regarding current reports surrounding the Meals on Wheels program in Thunder Bay.
First, the program is not being shut down, and the City is not considering shutting it down. We have provided the service through our homes for the aged for more than 45 years. We realize how critical this program is to many residents. We understand it provides a very valuable human service. That service will continue.
Yes, it was included in our core business review process, as have other city services and programs. It should not be taken as an indication of a specific program’s perceived value within the city. It is simply an ongoing review process, a method of ensuring we at the City are doing our corporate due diligence.
In some cases, yes, the city may recommend transferring a specific program to another provider, if that provider can maintain – or improve on – current service delivery. In the case of Meals on Wheels, the question of who should deliver the program was the subject of some discussion at a recent in-camera city council meeting. The reason it was dealt with in a closed session is because city staff currently provide the service.
However, it is important to note that an outside agency – in this case, the Red Cross who deliver this service in many other cities, including Kapuskasing, Burlington, Etobicoke and the Region of Peel – approached the city about the possibility of them taking over the program. Council has not made a decision about this service and asked for more information.
Meals on Wheels is largely paid for by the province and the direct users or clients of the service, with the city acting as the delivery agent. Funding for the program is not risk. We deliver an excellent program through our very generous and dedicated volunteers and staff who coordinate the program.
If Meals on Wheels is at some point transferred to an outside agency, the plan for such a change would indicate that the quality of the program will not change, and that the agency in question is able to continually deliver the program on a sustainable, long-term basis.
No decision has been made to date, and we are exploring options with a full public report to come back to council if transferring the service is viable.
In fact, as evidenced by recent public discussions and comments from Mayor Keith Hobbs and members of city council – Meals on Wheels is viewed as a vital program that elevates quality of life in Thunder Bay. We at the city have every intention of seeing the program continue to do so.
Greg Alexander,
General manager – Community and Emergency Services
City of Thunder Bay
