Ontario’s health minister won’t rule out privatization to remedy healthcare crisis

As hospitals across the province continue to deal with unprecedented staffing shortages, health minister Sylvia Jones wouldn’t rule out more privatization to try and fix the crisis.

Jones says all options are on the table, prompting an outcry from opposition leaders. Jones was asked multiple times if the government was looking at more privatization in the health care system, the health minister never said yes but she never said no either.

“I’m saying that all options are on the table, I’m saying there is innovation and opportunities here in Ontario and we will explore them,” Jones said.

Jones says Ontario will continue to have a public healthcare system but says her ministry is looking at unspecified options to improve it, in light of the widespread worker shortages.

Emergency departments across Ontario have had to close their doors in recent months due to healthcare worker shortages.

Yesterday the Ford government reintroduced its budget with no new money for healthcare.

Interim NDP Leader Peter Tabuns says more privatization isn’t the solution, “that would be a disaster for Ontario.”

Worker shortages at hospitals in our region have caused long wait times and have impacted services, but so far no emergency departments have had to shut down.

With many healthcare facilities seeing large numbers of shortages, the possibility of more serious impacts is ever-present.