TORONTO, ON, August 18, 2026 – The latest arbitration decision released for registered nurses (RNs), registered practical nurses (RPNs) and health-care professionals working in Ontario’s for-profit nursing homes is yet more evidence that the system is broken and should be scrapped, says the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA).
“Ontario nurses and health-care professionals working in many sectors of health care routinely see employers fail to negotiate a free collective agreement, relying instead on the arbitration system that continues to let them down,” says ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. “The decision released by Arbitrator William Kaplan for the for-profit Nursing Home sector is a perfect example of why this is failing nurses and health-care professionals and is evidence that the system must be scrapped.”
The decision released by the arbitrator has largely maintained the status quo for more than 4,000 nurses working and health-care professionals who provide care to the vulnerable residents of 210 for-profit nursing homes. Many of these homes, including Extendicare, have reported record profits while also rejecting ONA’s bargaining proposals for fair wage increases.
“While the arbitrator did the right thing in finally providing transfer of responsibility pay for our members who have been expected to work unpaid for part of their shifts, providing isolation pay when they are ordered to self-isolate after exposure to communicable diseases – such as during COVID-19 – and finally improved benefits for nurses and health-care professionals after they remained stagnant for 20 years, the decision lets down these workers in many other ways,” she notes. The arbitrator supported the unreasonable position taken by these employers around wage increases, despite the employees’ ability to pay. Corporate profit remains the main goal of these nursing home owners, not care, nor fair wages for nurses and health-care professionals who continue to be undervalued. The decision does not address workplace health and safety issues and in our view, it is an inferior arbitration decision.”
ONA has lodged a Charter challenge against the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act (HLDAA) in order to remove the barrier to fair negotiating for nurses and health-care professionals who do not have the right to strike.
“Decisions like this one is more proof that striking down HLDAA will be the start of a real change in health care in this province – and the sooner the better,” says Ariss. “The days of accepting less than what they deserve – parity with hospital-sector nurses and health-care professionals – are over. They deserve to have real bargaining power.”
ONA is the union representing 68,000 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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