Ontario Nurses’ Association pleads for Ford government to repeal Bill 124

The head of the Ontario Nurses’ Association, Catherine Hoy joined the NDP at Queen’s Park to call for more action from the Ford government, while the health minister Sylvia Jones still won’t explicitly say more privatization is off the table.

“We’re putting patient care at risk every single day because of the lack of nurses and healthcare professionals,” Hoy said.

Hoy says the shortage of nurses is the worst it’s been in decades. Hoy is once again pleading for the Ford government to repeal Bill 124, which limits public sector wage increases.

Hoy says the wage limit is driving nurses to take work with private agencies that pay much higher.

Hoy made the comments as part of an NDP press conference calling for the passing of an emergency motion the party put forward asking the Ford government to create a plan to recruit and retain more nurses.

The motion didn’t pass but NDP interim leader Peter Tabuns asked the health minister about her comments yesterday, where she would not rule out more privatization in health care.

Sylvia Jones promises health care services will continue to be publically funded and no one will have to pay any user fees, but wouldn’t clarify if her ministry is looking at private companies delivering any of those services. “I am not afraid of innovation, and we will continue to do that innovation,” Jones said.

Hoy says some nurses are being asked to stay after their shifts, with some nurses working twenty-four hours and others sleeping at their hospitals, just in case they are needed.