Ontario will still spend millions on hep C victims

Ontario has no plans to eliminate its $109-million fund for people with hepatitis C, despite Tuesday's announcement of a new federal compensation plan for victims of tainted blood transfusions.

Eight years ago, the Mike Harris government put $200 million toward compensating those who developed hep C from blood transfusions before 1986 and after 1990, but who were left out of a 1998 package offered by federal and provincial governments.

Those eligible under the Ontario plan received $25,000 each.

However, more than half of the provincial compensation fund about $109 million has still not been spent, said John Plater,chair of Ontario's hepatitis C advisory committee.

Plater said his groupplans to send recommendations to Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman in the fall on how to spend the remaining millions.

"Ontario I am sure will move to see what's happening, to get the details on what's happening with the federal program, and make decisions as quickly as reasonable," said Plater.

Ministry of Health spokesman David Spencer said the ministrywill wait to hear the group's recommendations before deciding where the money will be spent, but says that the money will still go to people with hepatitis C.

In 1998, the Harris government was the first to establish a compensation fund for the so-called "forgotten victims" of hepatitis C.

On Tuesday, Primer Minister Stephen Harper and Health Minister Tony Clement outlined details of the new package to cover 5,500 Canadians who developed hepatitis C from tainted blood transfusions, but were not covered by the 1998 package.

The amount to be paid out by the federal government will range from $30,000 to $250,000 per individual, depending on the severity of their illness and the amount of income lost to health problems.