Bill 85 — 5 A Bill To Amend the Health Unit Act (Legislature 13, Session 4)

L13 S4 6215

Alberta — Bills

No. 85 4th Session, 13th Legislature, Alberta 6 Elizabeth II, 1958 BILL 8 5 A Bill to amend The Health Unit Act HON. DR. Ross Printed by t... S. 'VALL, Printer to the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, l!ldmon ton, Alberto., 1958

Explanatory Note General-By this Bill it is proposed to change the basis of grants to health units. At present a health unit is paid sixty per cent of certain defined expenses. It is proposed to change this to a per capita grant. (See clause 7). As the grant will no longer be related to the operatin~ expenses of the unit it is considered no lon~er necessary or desl.l'able to retain such a detailed control of the affall's of the health unit and such provisions are accordingly being removed. 2. (

a) Order constituting a health unit will be required to set a date upon which the health unit comes into operation. (

b) The Public Health Act requires a municipality to appoint a local board of health. This amendment will prevent an unneces sary duplication of services where a health unit also exists in the municipality.

Section 7 presently reads: "7. The board may pass a resolution pro.,·ldlng for payment to the members thereof of a sum not exceedlnc "(

a) ten dollars per day for each member for each meetlnc, and "(

b) twelve cents per mile for each mile necessarily travelled by cnr upon health unit business npproYed by the board.". 4. Sections 11 and 12 govern the professional personnel that may be employed by a health unit and require their appointment to be approved by the Minister. Subsection (1) of the proposed

section 11 is subsection (2) of the present

section 12. The proposed

section 11, subsection (2} is necessary for pension purposes.

BILL No. 85 of 1958 A Bill to amend The Health Unit Act (Assented to 1 1958) HER MAJESTY, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Alberta, enacts as follows : 1. The Health Unit Act, being

chapter 139 of The Re vised Statutes of Alberta, 1955, is hereby amended. ~.

Section 3 is amended (

a) as to subsection (3) (

i) by striking out the word "and" at the end of clause (a), (ii) by adding the word ", and" at the end of clause (b), (iii) by adding the following new clause immediately after clause (b) : " (

c) shall set the date upon which the health unit comes into operation.", (

b) by adding the following new subsection immediately after subsection (3) : " ( 4) Where a municipality is included in an op erating health unit, then notwithstanding the pro visions of The Public Hea.lth Act, the board of the health unit shall be the local board of health under The Public Health Act and the medical officer of the health unit shall be the local medical officer of health of the municipality.".

Section 7 is struck out and the following

section is substituted: "7. The board may pass a resolution authorizing the payment to members thereof of allowances not exceeding the amounts that would be paid by their respective councils to members of the council for similar services.". 4. Sections 11 and 12 are struck out and the following is substituted: "11.

(1) Each member of the staff holds his appoint ment during the pleasure of the board. "

(2) The board shall promptly advise the Department of

Section 13, subsection (2) presently reads as follows: "

(2) The board may pay salaries In excess of those approved under subsection (1), but the exceBB salaries shall not be considered ln cal culating the amount of the grant to be paid by the Department or the statutory deductions to be made under The Public Service Pension Act.". These words are removed as the grants are no longer related to certain specified expenses.

Section 15 is amended to remove the necessity of the Minister approving the budget and to add a deadline date for preparation.

Section 16 presently reads as follows: "18. The Department shall pay to each health unlt out of moneys appropriated for that purpose by the Legislature, slxty per cent of the cost of furnlahlngs, equipment, salaries, transportation o.nd other op erating costs, Included In the budget as appro\•ed.". This amendment will change the whole basis of ~rants under the Act. At present the grant is sixty per cent of certam fixed costs of the health unit. The amendment changes the grant to a per capita basis and as the cost of operating a unit varies with the size the per capita grant varies accordingly. The health unit is required to match the grant with a sum of two-thirds of the grant.

Section 17, subsection (3) presently reads: ••

(3) Population figures shall he based on the most recent federal census, or on the annual census ligures that have been taken under The Municipal Assistance Act nnd approved by the Department of :Municipal A ITa Irs." 9. (

a) Section 18, subsection (1) presently reads as follows: "18.

(1) The board shall appoint an official auditor to be approved by the l\11nlster.".

2 "(

a) the appointment of any person to the staff, and " (

b) the termination of the employment of any person.".

Section 1:1. l'Uhscct ion ( 2) il' amended by striking" out the worcb ''tlw nmo11nt of the p:rant to hP paid hy tlw Dt~pnrtnwnt or".

Section 15 is struck out and the following is substi tuted: "15. The board shall prepare a budget of its estimated expenses for each year and shall submit a copy to the Minister prior to the first day of January of the year.".

Section 16 is struck out and the following

section is s11bstituted: "lG. ( 1) In every year, out of the moneys appropriated lJy the Legislature for the purpose, the Department shall pay to each eligible health unit grants to he calculated as follows, "(

a) for general health unit services "(

i) where the population is less than fifty thous and persons a grant per person of one dollar and forty-five cents less one cent for each one thom;ancl of population, or "(ii) where the population is fifty thousand per sum; or more a grant per person of ninety five cents, "and " (

b) for dental services where such services are pro vided in accordance with the regulations a grant equal to twenty per cent of the grant under clause (a). "

(2) A health unit is eligible for a grant for general health unit services or for dental services when for such service the contributing councils provide the board of the health unit a sum at least equal to two-thirds of the grant that may be macle under subsection (1) for that service. "

(3) The total population shall be the figure obtained pur;:;uant to subsection (3) of

section 17. " ( "1) The funds proYided by the Department and the contributing councils, pursuant to this section, shall con stitute the hm;ic budget of the health unit.". S.

Section 17, su Lsection ( 3) is amended Ly adding im mediately after the word "Affairs" the words "in the caleiH.lar· year preceding that in which the fiscal year begins".

Section 18 is amended (

a) as to subsection (1) by striking out the words "to be approved by the Minister",

3 (

b) subsection (3} of

section 18 presently reads: "

(3) Upon receipt of tbe auditor's financial statement, each con tributing council and the Department shall determine the amount of the overpayment, If any, made by It to the board during the preceding fiscal year, and that overpayment may be deducted from Its share of the budget for the current fiscal year." (

c) Subsection ( 4) of

section 18 presently reads as follows: "

(4) The board shall prepare financial disbursement statements quarterly pursuant to estimates In the approved budget and shall for ward a copy thereof to the Minister.".

Section 20, subsection (2), clause (

a) reads as follows: "

(2) Without restricting the generality of the foregoing, the Lieuten ant Governor In Council may make regulations, "(

a) governing "(

I) the handling of funds by health units, "(II) the collection of contributions due from munlclpalitiea, and "(Ill) the collection of outstanding accounts,". See clause 7. I I.

Section 21 presently reads as follows: "21.

(1) Each existing health unit organized under The Public Health Act shall continue to operate under that Act until such time as It can be reconstituted for operation under this Act by an order of the Lieutenant Governor In Council. "

(2) Such order "(

a) may provide for any matter or thing deemed necessary or advisable to provide for or facllltate the reconstitution of the health unit and Its operation In compliance with this Act, and "(

b) shall designate the effective date upon which the healtb unit wlll cease to operate under The Public Health Act and commence to operate under this Act." This provision is no longer necessary.

Section 22 presently reads as follows: "2ll. A health unit set up under thla Act or any other Act of the Province dealing with health units, may be abolished at any time by order of the Lieutenant Governor In Council.". This reference is no longer necessary as the references in other Acts are repealed.

Section 23 presently reads as follows: "23. The cost of such transportation, hospitalization, medical care and attention, drugs and dressings as Is not provided by the health unit staff, but Is recommended by the staff and approved by the board, for an Indigent sick resident of a health unit area, Is the responalblllty of the municipality of which such Indigent person Is a resident, as provided for under the municipal Acts, The Public Health Act and The Hospitals Act.". With the new basis for grants (see clause 6) this provision is no longer necessary.

Section 24 presently reads as follows: "2•. Nothing In this Act limits the authority granted to any council under Its municipal Act.".

s (

b) by striking out subsection (3) and by substiuting the following: "

(3) The board shall refund to the Department and to the contributing councils, in proportion to the contribution made by each, that portion of the unexpended balance, as shown by the auditor's financial statement, that exceeds five per cent of the basic budget of the health unit for the fiscal year.", (

c) as to subsection ( 4) by striking out the word "approved".

Section 20, subsection (2) is amended by adding im mediately after clause (

a) the following new clause: "(al) prescribing the types of service and the level of service to be provided by a health unit,".

Section 21 is repealed.

Section 22 is amended by striking out the words "set up under this Act or any other Act of the Province dealing with health units,".

Section 23 is struck out and the following

section is substituted: "23. A contributing council may pass a resolution to withdraw its support from a health unit but "(

a) the withdrawal of the contributing council shall only take effect at the end of a fiscal year of the health unit, and " (

b) notice of the resolution shall be given to the Minister and to any other contributing councils participating in the operations of the health unit at least six months before the end of the fiscal year.".

Section 24 is repealed. 15. This Act comes into force on the day upon which it is assented to.

No. 85 FOURTH SESSION THIRTEENTH LEGISLATURE 6 ELIZABETH II 1958 BILL

An Act to amend The Health Unit Act Received and read the First time . Second time ....................................... . Third time ......................................... . HoN. DR. Ross Title: 1958 (13th, 4th) Bill 85,

An Act to amend The Health Unit Act

Document details

Collection	Alberta — Bills
Citation	L13 S4 6215
Type	bill
Volume / chapter	L13 S4 6215
Language	en
Format	json
Source	PROVINCIAL
Identifier	c7419b54a4b40fd04e32daeed734e441bfb8c05f

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