Ontario Faces Possible Cuts of 9,000 Nursing Jobs by 2028

The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) has issued a stark warning about significant job cuts within the healthcare sector, particularly in Ottawa. The union’s latest report estimates that more than 9,000 nursing and personal support worker positions could be eliminated by the fiscal year 2027-28, with over 700 jobs at risk in the Ottawa area alone. This potential decline in staffing is expected to exacerbate wait times and negatively impact patient care across the province.

The report highlights a troubling forecast for Ontario’s healthcare system, predicting nearly 2,400 hospital bed closures throughout the province. OCHU President Michael Hurley expressed deep concern, stating, “It’s going to mean more people on stretchers waiting for admission to beds, and it’s going to mean the quality of health care in the hospitals is going to slip again.” The union attributes these projected losses to insufficient funding increases from the provincial government.

The Ontario government, led by Premier Doug Ford, has informed hospitals to anticipate a 2 percent annual funding increase until 2027-28. According to Doug Allan, a senior researcher with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), this amount is far below what is necessary to maintain current healthcare services. “Five years ago, hospitals had $2 billion in working capital. Now they have negative working capital. You can’t run a system this way,” he noted.

The OCHU is urging the provincial government to address immediate needs within the healthcare system, advocating for the addition of 6,200 staffed beds to tackle the backlog of surgeries and alleviate overcrowded waiting rooms. Furthermore, the union is calling for a substantial increase in core hospital funding by $3.2 billion to address existing deficits and facilitate the hiring of more healthcare workers.

In a statement to CBC, the Ontario Ministry of Health defended its funding approach, asserting that the province has committed $91.5 billion to healthcare this year and will continue to prioritize investments in the sector.

Critics, including France Gélinas, the Ontario NDP health critic, argue that this funding is insufficient and unevenly distributed across the healthcare system. “We know hospitals have to borrow money from banks just to be able to pay their employees,” she remarked in a French-language interview with Radio-Canada. Gélinas expressed concern that the government’s funding strategy may lead to increased privatization of healthcare services.

“The lack of funding isn’t accidental. It’s because if hospitals aren’t able to meet the needs of the people, the people are going to say we need something else,” she stated, referring to the government’s decision to transfer certain surgeries to private clinics.

Hurley echoed these worries, stating, “The government is committed to a market model, and it wants to open the market of surgeries, but the consequences of doing that for individuals are that only the wealthy will actually move to have surgeries more rapidly.” He referenced a 2024 study from the Canadian Medical Association Journal that revealed a decrease in the rate of cataract surgeries in public hospitals following an increase in public funding for surgeries in for-profit centers.

To ensure the long-term sustainability of Ontario’s hospitals, the OCHU argues that annual funding must at least match inflation rates, estimating a necessary 6 percent yearly increase. Hurley also emphasized the importance of the Ford government’s commitment to ending hallway medicine, a promise made in 2018. “To do that, they need to fund the hospitals at their real cost,” he concluded.

As the healthcare landscape in Ontario faces these significant challenges, the implications for patients and healthcare workers alike remain grave. The urgency for increased funding and strategic planning is clear as the province contemplates the future of its healthcare system.