CBC: Ontario doctors vote to reject tentative physician services agreement

Ontario doctors have voted to reject a tentative physician services agreement by a margin of 63.1 per cent against to 36.9 per cent in favour.

Fifty-five per cent of the Ontario Medical Association participated in the vote at a townhall-style meeting on Sunday either in person or by proxy, the association said in a release Monday.

“Members have spoken, and the Board of Directors respects their decision,” said Dr. Virginia Walley, president of the Ontario Medical Association. “The OMA will always represent the will of our members, and today is no different.”

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 by 2020, and allows doctors to co-manage the system with the Ministry of Health.

The association will now immediately convene a meeting of its board of directors, consult with members on what priorities are to be addressed in future negotiations, and request a meeting with the provincial government to outline its expectations for renewed talks.