Category Archives: Health Care

Health care workers protest government funding cuts at Ontario PC MPP Matthew Rae’s office as billion dollar revenue shortfall looms over Ontario hospitals

Over 1,000 positions already being eliminated in hospitals including North Bay, GTA, and Hamilton Stratford, ON – Health care workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees held a rally outside local Tory MPP Matthew Rae’s office on Tuesday in response to funding cuts by the Ford government. The government recently directed the hospitals…

New report warns of longer wait-times, rushed care, and overcrowded Ontario hospitals as government cuts expected to cause over 10,000 job losses and shortfall of 4,080 beds

Over one thousand positions already eliminated in multiple hospitals including North Bay, GTA, and Hamilton as hospitals buckle under budgetary pressures TORONTO – As hospitals cut hundreds of jobs and eliminate vacant positions amidst budgetary constraints imposed by the Conservative government, the largest health care union in Ontario is warning about longer wait-times, rushed care,…

Paramedics need a real solution to growing workforce crisis, not additional red tape through a college: CUPE Ambulance Committee of Ontario

Paramedics need a real solution to growing workforce crisis, not additional red tape through a college: CUPE Ambulance Committee of Ontario TORONTO – Ontario’s paramedic system is under severe strain as services struggle to recruit and retain workers while frontline paramedics face mounting mental health pressures. Yet some influential voices are once again promoting the…

Hybrid Works! CUPE Members at Ontario Health atHome Stage a Province Wide Day of Action on the First Day of Doug Ford’s Return to Office Mandate

Ontario – Hybrid works. Since before the pandemic, workers at Ontario Health atHome have been working remotely to help deliver the essential home-care services Ontarians need. Now, on the whims of the Ford government, these workers are being forced back into office spaces that are not equipped to handle them all at once. Available office spaces have…

“A setback for access to health care in North Bay:” CUPE blames Ontario government’s underfunding for staff cuts at local hospital

Union says the hospital must improve staffing to ease access to services as overstretched workers scramble to meet patients’ needs North Bay, ON – Staff cuts at the North Bay Regional Health Centre will affect every facet of care provision, contrary to claims of “no service impact” by the hospital CEO and Ontario PC MPP Vic…

After years of underfunding and wage suppression, CMHA—Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge workers vote 93% in favour of strike action

Peterborough, ON—Frontline mental health workers at the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)—Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike after years of underfunding and the wage suppression of Bill 124 pushed them into poverty. Members of CUPE 5258—including nurses, mental health workers, and family education support workers—deliver critical community-based care across a…

More Chaos for Ontario Health Athome Workers as Employer Reverses Freeze on their Return to Work Order Less Than a Day After Announcing it was on Hold

Toronto – Yesterday, Ontario Health at Home announced that it was reconsidering the timeline for its four-day-a-week, return-to-office plan — a clear response to the growing pressure from CUPE members who spoke out together. But less than 24 hours later, at 2 p.m. today, the employer issued another memo reversing course and announcing that staff…

Union begins hospital contract talks for 45,000 hospital workers today

Nurse-to-patient ratios, job security in the age of AI, and compensation are the union’s key priorities TORONTO – The province’s largest hospital sector union representing 45,000 staff begins bargaining today with the Ontario Hospital Association. CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE) says its main priorities are nurse-to-patient ratios, job security, and compensation. “There are over 100…

Doug Ford’s Return to Work order is a pathway to frustration for Ontario Health atHome workers

Toronto – Last week, Premier Doug Ford announced he is mandating all Ontario Public Service Agency and Commission Workers return to the office 5 days per week, starting in January. This policy, which was created with no consultation with workers and serves no meaningful purpose, is not only short-sighted, but also potentially fiscally irresponsible. Since…

Nurse-to-patient ratios save lives and reduce staff burnout, says new academic study

Authors urge Ontario hospitals to implement safe staffing ratios Stratford, ON – A new academic study says mandating nurse-to-patient ratios would save lives, improve overall outcomes for patients, and alleviate the staffing crisis in Ontario’s hospitals. Based on an extensive review of existing research on staffing levels in hospitals, in-depth interviews with many Ontario hospital nurses, and…