Striking Health Unit Nurses Seek Board of Health Transparency by Filing Freedom of Information Request

BELLEVILLE, ON, September 29, 2023 – As the ongoing strike of Hastings & Prince Edward County Public Health workers nears its seventh week, the 50 nurses and their union – the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) – is filing a Freedom of Information request to obtain transparency in the board of health’s finances.

ONA President Erin Ariss, RN, says, “Board of health chair Jan O’Neill, vice-chair and councilor Michael Kotsovos, councilors Sean Kelly, David McCue, Garnet Thompson, Paul Carr and provincial appointees Dr. Jeffrey Alline and Dr. Craig Ervine sit on the board to ensure reliable public health care and services for the counties’ 200,000 residents. They have not done so, and have clearly failed to plan financially to provide reasonable wages and benefit increases for the dedicated professionals who provide those services. In their resignations from the board of health earlier this week, both John Hirsch and Kate MacNaughton cited concerns related to a lack of transparency.

“ONA is putting the board of health on notice that we are proceeding to seek full transparency through every avenue possible. It is disgraceful that elected officials would prefer to put the health and safety of their 200,000 county residents at risk to deny a fair and respectful contract to the very nurses who have shown such dedication to their constituents. Clearly, the health and well-being of the residents they are tasked with caring for is not their priority.”

Public support has been overwhelming for the nurses – now joined on the picket lines by public health workers from CUPE – over the course of the strike. With the strike by CUPE workers, there are virtually no public health services available for the foreseeable future.

ONA is the union representing 68,000 ONA registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

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