GUELPH, ON, September 15, 2026 – Registered nurses (RNs) and nurse practitioners (NPs) who are members of the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) are entering conciliation talks tomorrow to try to reach a fair new contract with their employer, Guelph Community Health Centre (CHC), so they can continue providing primary care services to thousands of patients in their community.
“Nurse practitioners and registered nurses at Guelph CHC are essential to ensuring primary care for thousands of patients, yet their compensation is far below what nurses earn in other sectors – and they simply can’t afford to continue without a fair new contract,” says ONA Provincial President, Erin Ariss, RN. “Millions of Ontarians are already without a primary care provider because low wages and unreasonable workloads are driving skilled workers to other health sectors that pay better.”
At Guelph CHC, NPs alone provide excellent primary care services to more than 3,000 patients, while RNs see approximately 500 patients per month. The nurses provide care and services to patients with complex health issues and see many vulnerable patients including new immigrants, low-income and homeless individuals and many struggling with mental health and addictions.
Ariss says there have been three days of negotiations, and she expects Guelph CHC’s bargaining team to come to conciliation talks prepared to reach a new contract.
“Residents from Guelph-Wellington, Waterloo, Cambridge, Kitchener, Grey Bruce and Dufferin need the primary care services nurses provide,” she says. “ONA members are ready to negotiate a fair contract with this employer, so there is no interruption in primary care services. Nurses are fighting for a fair, respectful deal that addresses the wage gap in primary care and improves working conditions so they can stay where they belong: providing care for their community.”
ONA is the union representing 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.
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