EDITORIAL – Law should be changed to allow cities to give cash to doctors

An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.

RECRUITING DOCTORS is even harder than at first thought, according to a report to Kamloops City council yesterday.

Council asked staff in June to look into providing financial grants to physicians who might be interested in working in the Tournament Capital. No can do, says the report that came back — the Community Charter prohibits it because doctors are private businesses.

So, there are other ideas being worked on, such as permissive tax exemptions on clinics and expedited business licence applications and inspections. The report didn’t offer anything in the way of specific recommendations, though.

Other communities, meanwhile, have been charging ahead with various incentives.

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Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.