Chaos, frustration, secrecy, overwork plague Ford’s Ontario Health atHome system changes, say more than 1000 front-line voices in recent survey

Health Care

TORONTO – A recent survey of Ontario Health atHome (OH atHome) community and in-home care coordinators, team assistants and system planners, represented by CUPE points to a health system restructuring that is failing to solve care and access gaps while deepening health service privatization. All these factors are further demoralizing staff who are dealing with…

Tories must ban staffing agencies, not simply legislate data collection of administrative and billing information

Health Care

Union wants comprehensive staffing plan premised on fair compensation, good working conditions and a long-term recruitment strategy Toronto – The Canadian Union of Public Employees is urging the provincial government to ban the use of agency staff in Ontario’s healthcare system. This call follows the introduction of new legislation by the Ford government which the…

Giant Trojan Horse visits Queen’s Park as OCHU-CUPE and Ontario Health Coalition protest privatization of hospital services

Health Care, OCHU, Solidarity

In response to the government’s plan to issue new licenses to for-profit clinics this fall, OCHU and OHC are demanding that money be invested in public hospitals instead TORONTO – Symbolizing the threat of the plan to privatize hospital surgeries, a 15-foot replica of the Trojan Horse visited legislators at Queen’s Park today. The metaphor…

Underfunding, understaffing and better services for residents behind 92% strike vote at CUPE South Riverdale Community Health Centre

Health Care, Solidarity

TORONTO – Health and social workers who are passionate about the outreach services they provide to residents of South Riverdale have sent an unmistakable signal that they are no longer prepared to tolerate the harmful effects of severe underfunding and understaffing at South Riverdale Community Health Centre (SRCHC). On Tuesday, members of CUPE 5399, which represents over 120…

No respite for Ontario patients: new report says five times more hospital beds needed than planned by Ford government

Health Care, OCHU, Solidarity

New analysis shows province faces a 13,800 shortfall of hospital beds by 2032 Ontario’s hospital capacity crisis will worsen in the coming years as government funding will fall short of even maintaining current levels of service, according to a new research report produced by CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE). Citing latest data on…

CMAJ study showing lower income people have less access to for-profit cataract surgeries must force a reconsideration of policy, says hospital union

Health Care, OCHU, Solidarity

TORONTO – In response to new research showing that wealthy Ontarians are disproportionately benefiting from for-profit clinics, CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions is demanding the province halt public funding for private surgeries and invest in cataracts provided by public hospitals. A study by the Canadian Medical Associations Journal released yesterday says that surgical rates…

“Premier’s callous response to hospital crisis stark contrast to the suffering of patients and staff:” says OCHU/CUPE at launch of new peer-reviewed study heralding warning for Ontario

Health Care, OCHU, Solidarity

TORONTO – The Premier’s recent comments in the media shows “a callous attitude” towards the hospital crisis, where overcrowding has increased by 30 percent since 2018, said Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE), referring to Doug Ford’s gaffe about overflow patients having the option of receiving treatment at a new…

Hospital workers demonstrate at Pickering MPP’s office against government’s expansion of private, for-profit hospital services

Health Care, Municipal, OCHU, Solidarity

While the Ford government plans to double private delivery of MRIs and CT scans, OCHU/CUPE says underused hospital operating rooms should be better utilized   PICKERING, ON – Hospital workers protested the Ford government’s rapid expansion of healthcare privatization outside Ontario PC MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy’s constituency office in Pickering this morning. In June, the government…