ALGOMA, ON, September 12, 2025 – Public health nurses in Algoma (Sault Ste. Marie, Wawa, Blind River and Elliot Lake) are heading to conciliation on Monday, September 15 as they seek to negotiate a new contract.
“Our skilled nurses are sounding the alarm about the growing crisis in public health,” says Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. “Chronic understaffing, increased workloads and stagnant wages are pushing the system — and those who rely on it — to the breaking point.
“Nurses working in northern communities are on the front lines of essential public health services, from maternal and child health, chronic disease prevention, vaccinations and infectious disease case management to emergency response. Despite their critical role, these nurses are paid some of the lowest wages in the province,” she says. Ariss notes that “these nurses carried their communities through a global pandemic and a large measles outbreak, yet their work continues to be undervalued. Falling behind other health units makes it impossible to recruit and retain staff – and the public will pay the price.”
There have been three days of negotiations to date, and among the key issues facing the 60 registered nurses and one nurse practitioner are understaffing; the lowest public health nurse wages in the province; burnout due to heavy workloads; and a lack of job security.
During conciliation, the nurses will seek competitive compensation that reflects the unique challenges of northern practice and cost of living; investment in recruitment to reach safer staffing levels that ensure safe, sustainable, and equitable access to health care for all communities; and job protection.
“Public health nurses are the backbone of rural and northern health care,” says Ariss. “Algoma Public Health nurses are stretched so thin that their ability to provide safe, high-quality care is at risk. Communities deserve better, and so do the nurses who serve them.”
ONA is the union representing 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as more than 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics, and industry.
-30-
