Patient care will worsen in Durham Region hospitals unless Ford government reverses course on staffing and capacity issues, says new report on province’s hospital crisis

Health Care, OCHU

Durham Region hospitals must increase staffing and capacity by 22 per cent each to meet patient needs, in sharp contrast to the government’s insufficient plan: OCHU/CUPE Oshawa, ON – The crisis in the province’s hospital sector will only worsen over the next four years, unless Ontario makes significant investments to improve staffing levels and capacity,…

Hospital workers rally across Toronto to demand Unity Health CEO push back against Ford government privatization scheme

Governmental, Health Care

TORONTO, ON – Workers from hospitals across Toronto held a series of rallies today outside St. Joseph’s Health Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital, and Providence Healthcare to speak out against the Ford government’s plan to privatize hospital services. Healthcare workers from the three sites, which are operated by Unity Health Toronto, included nurses, personal support workers,…

“Say no to privatization:” more than 700 St. Mary’s General front-line workers call on hospital president to help defend public healthcare

Health Care, Solidarity

KITCHENER, ON – Front-line hospital workers delivered a petition to the St. Mary’s General Hospital management staff on Monday afternoon, calling on the hospital president to take a stand against the provincial government’s plan to privatize hospital services. The action was part of a demonstration of about 100 healthcare workers organized by a coalition of…

Arbitrator awards 45,000 Ontario hospital workers 6.25% wage increase; registered practical nurses to get additional incentive

Health Care, OCHU, Solidarity

TORONTO, ON – On Tuesday, Arbitrator Kaplan’s Bill 124 reopener award recognized the extent to which Doug Ford’s Bill 124 unconstitutionally suppressed union member wages — particularly given the combined effects of the pandemic, the healthcare worker recruitment and retention crisis and inflation — and determined that these factors must be reflected in compensation increases…

Hospital staff rally against Ford’s privatization plan in Hamilton, call on government to invest in public health care.

Health Care, OCHU, Solidarity

HAMILTON, ON – A large group of hospital staff including nurses, personal support workers and lab technologists rallied today at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton against the Ford government’s plan to contract out hospital services to private, for-profit clinics. In response to Bill 60, the recently passed legislation that farms out surgeries and diagnostic procedures…

Several thousand Ottawa-based registered practical nurses considering leaving because of understaffing and low pay; new poll finds

Health Care

OTTAWA, ON – A staggering number of Ottawa registered practical nurses (RPNs) may leave their jobs based on poll findings showing that more than 60% surveyed are considering quitting, driven out of health care by understaffing and low wages. In Ottawa that could mean that over 1200 RPNs currently working at the six city hospitals…

Poll finds more than 60% of registered practical nurses are being driven out of health care by understaffing and low pay, putting patient care at risk

Health Care

TORONTO, ON – With a recent poll showing that Ontario is at-risk of losing more than 60% of its registered practical nurses (RPNs) workforce, RPNs made an emotional appeal to the Doug Ford government to step up investments in wages and improved working conditions to stop thousands more from leaving nursing. The poll, conducted by…

Ontario Health Coalition Workplace Referendum Toolkit

Click Here to download: Workplace Referendum Backgrounder to Privatization Click Here to download: Workplace Referendum Cheat Sheet Click Here to download: Workplace Referendum Instructions for Volunteers Click Here to download: Workplace Referendum Letter to Employer Sample Click Here to download: Workplace Referendum OHC Timeline Click Here to download: Workplace Referendum Planning Tool Click Here to…

Frontline Toronto youth mental health workers vote 100% in favour of strike action if a fair deal can’t be reached

Health Care

TORONTO – Workers at YouthLink, a mental health agency that helps roughly 3,000 Torontonians aged 12 to 24 each year, are unanimous in their belief that youth in crisis need consistent care provided by fairly paid workers. YouthLink’s clinical counsellors, child and youth workers, residential counsellors, outreach workers, shelter workers, student development workers and administrative…