Ontario is receiving renewed calls by unions representing some 70,000 hospital workers to address staffing shortages contributing to recent emergency room closures, suggesting raising wages and financial incentives to boost hiring.
A letter has been sent by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions and SEIU Healthcare to Premier Doug Ford outlining a number of actions the province should take to reduce labor shortages in health care.
The suggestions include repealing Bill 124, provincial legislation introduced in 2019 that limits wage increases in public-sector contracts to one percent a year.
Ford has recently said during upcoming contract negotiations he would take inflation into consideration.
An open letter to the Ontario Hospital Association has also been issued by the unions asking for several steps to be taken to improve transparency regarding the current crisis, as well as fill vacancies.
Both the provincial government and the OHA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some Ontario hospitals warned earlier this month that emergency department closures could be a recurring issue this summer, particularly for those in smaller communities such as Perth, Clinton, Listowel, and Wingham which have recently seen ERs close for hours or even days.
Having previously pointed to staff shortages and capacity issues, the OHA says these are causing backlogs across the hospital system. with rural and northern Ontario particularly affected.
Organizations representing doctors and nurses have repeatedly said many workers have left their jobs due to being burned out.
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