The Ontario Association of Optometrists is giving the Ford government until September to set up a formal negotiating process that strikes a better funding arrangement with its members.
Its members plan to withdraw from OHIP services if it doesn’t happen.
President Dr. Sheldon Salaba says past talks have been too informal.
“Every time that we’ve tried to address compensation issues with them, they have nothing that forces them to sit down and listen to the conversation. So we get informal, one-off meetings, and then we don’t hear from them again for months,” he explains.
Salaba says ultimately they’d like a similar process that’s in place for physicians.
Their other main ask is for the province to cover the operating cost of delivering an eye exam.
He says right now, the government covers 55% of the cost, forcing optometrists to pick up the rest of the tab, which is becoming unsustainable.
