Ontario's legislature is set to resume this week for the first time since the re-election of Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives
TORONTO — , with politicians returning amid a health-care staffing crisis and skyrocketing inflation.
"The mainstays of the agenda are the same as they were before and during the election campaign, including rebuilding Ontario’s economy, getting more people into the skilled trades, and getting shovels in the ground to build more homes, roads, highways, transit and other key infrastructure," a senior government source said.
Nursing groups, hospital executives, other health-care professionals and advocates have said that burnout after being on the COVID-19 front lines for more than two years and not being properly compensated have caused people to leave the profession in droves. A key demand they have is the repeal of Bill 124, legislation from 2019 that capped wage increases for public sector workers – including nurses – at one per cent a year for three years. Nursing groups say some nurses could be enticed out of retirement if the bill was gone.
"I think that's part of the problem we have with retention right now, as well as recruitment," Tabuns said at a press conference Friday. Rates have been frozen since 2018, with a single person on ODSP able to receive up to $1,169 a month for basic needs and shelter. Advocates say that is far too low, and the payments should instead be doubled, especially given that inflation is running at around eight per cent.
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