The Mayor of Merritt insists he plans to continue pushing the province for a financial refund connected to the closures of his community’s emergency room, despite the Regional Hospital Board shooting down his first salvo.

Because fees-for-service for local medical coverage are first paid into their respective regional hospital district, then on to the province, Merritt Mayor Mike Goetz attempted, but failed, last week to convince the Thompson Regional Hospital District to back his plan to withhold payments for 20 times last year the Nicola Valley Hospital’s Emergency Room was shut down.

“There was some good debate, and I’m glad I had the debate. I’m glad we had the vote,” Goetz told NL Newsday on Friday.  “I was not supported on it. To be 100% honest with you, I’m not surprised, because there could be some issues that could arise from it that could come up later that could bother the TNHD.”

Despite the local setback, Goetz says he now intends to take his largely symbolic fight directly to Victoria, while also upping the ante, by adding fees-for-service the local fire department incurred by attending medical calls.

“We have a briefing note coming in on Tuesday night, where we will be sending the province a bill for $55,000 [for local fire fighter costs],” said Goetz.  “Then I will be adding to it the [$33,952] that I was looking for [from ER shutdowns]. So around $88,000.”

Goetz says if the province rejects his efforts, he will back off, but argues its a fight worth pursuing.

“We’ve all been brought up in the world, where if you pay for something, you get what you pay for,” argued Goetz. “To a certain degree this is a stunt. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? I have no idea. But if I get absolutely nothing, but we end up with our hospital not closing again, then it’s a win.”

The emergency room shutdowns in Merritt were initially mostly due to a lack of nurses.

However, as nursing numbers became more steady at the Nicola Valley Hospital, the problem later became a lack of available doctors to cover the shifts – mostly overnights.

Merritt’s ER has been shut down twice so far in 2024, causing an outcry from MLA Jackie Tegart, who told Radio NL that the “system is broken.”