TORONTO, ON, May 12, 2025 – Reports from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives showing that Ontario hospitals spent $9 billion on nursing agencies in the past decade show the extent of privatization and the false economy that has resulted from underfunding the province’s publicly funded and delivered health-care system, says the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA).

ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN, says the unregulated private staffing agencies operating in Ontario are “making off like thieves with tax dollars meant to provide Ontarians with high-quality, non-profit health-care services. As Doug Ford and his government along with hospital CEOs continue to nickel and dime undervalued registered nurses working the public system, they are handing over billions in tax dollars to private, for-profit agencies charging exorbitant fees to fill gaps in staffing.”

ONA is calling for mandatory minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios – a straightforward way to guarantee there are enough nurses in our public health-care system to safely and economically care for patients. They have been shown to help retain and recruit staff, including attracting back nurses who have left the profession. Nursing ratios have worked around the world, saving health-care dollars by improving patient outcomes.

She adds that this government and hospital CEOs continue to expand the range of private, for-profit providers and services in Ontario, moving us closer and closer towards American-style private care. She urges Ontarians to speak out against privatization before it’s too late.

ONA is the union representing more than 68,000 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.

-30-