Patients are waiting longer. Communities are losing access. Front-line nurses and health-care professionals are being pushed to the brink.
The Ford government insists everything is fine. They claim health care is stable and that thousands of nurses have been hired.
That claim does not match reality.
The data shows a different story: front-line nurse positions are being cut across the system at a record pace.
These cuts are not accidental; they are the result of deliberate choices. Chronic public health-care underfunding by the Ford government has left health-care organizations struggling to balance budgets, which come at the expense of cutting nurses and health-care professionals.
This understaffing crisis is intentional because taxpayers’ dollars are being redirected into private, for-profit clinics and facilities. This intentional shift benefits corporate shareholders, not patients.
Privatization does not fix health care, it weakens it. Public taxpayer dollars are diverted into corporate profits while resources are pulled away from the public system. The result: fewer staff and worse outcomes for patients, residents and clients. Evidence shows higher rates of complications and poorer outcomes in for-profit care.
Fewer front-line nurses mean longer wait times, delayed treatment, increase of complications and even death. Nurses are required to meet professional standards set by the College of Nurses of Ontario. But when one nurse is responsible for too many patients, safe care becomes impossible. This is a patient safety crisis, and it is also putting nurses’ licenses and their livelihoods at risk.
We know how to fix this.
Safe staffing saves lives. Jurisdictions that have implemented nurse-to-patient ratios consistently see better patient outcomes, lower long-term costs, and improved nurse retention and recruitment. Simply put, more nurses are the solution. More nurses, not fewer, will also help address the alarming levels of workplace violence we face every day.
Too many nurses are stuck in part-time or precarious roles, which undermines patient care. Creating more full-time positions provides stability for workers, improves patient care, and strengthens recruitment and retention across our system.
There is only one pool of health-care workers, and expanding private, for-profit care pulls staff out of the public system, worsens shortages, and diverts public money into corporate profits. Public health care must remain public.
The latest news and stories of how these cuts are impacting our communities.
We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. To learn more, read our privacy policy.
