Social Policy in Ontario

It’s an absurd stretch to suggest that Toronto’s 5¢ plastic bag bylaw provides an example of how user fees would encourage people to take more responsibility for their health care.

Putting aside the wrong-headed assumption that people go to their health provider for frivolous reasons, there is an obvious reason why Shaun Francis’s arguments don’t hold water. The problem with user fees is that they act as a barrier to access, especially for persons with lower incomes.

Research shows that preventive health services are the best way to ensure the health of people and ensure acute illnesses do not develop into life-long chronic problems.

David McNeil, president, Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, Toronto.