Widespread Turmoil, Uncertainty, Survey of 1052 Ontario Health atHome Care Coordinators and System Planning Staff Finds: Does a Distracted Doug Ford Care That His Health System Restructuring Is Failing?

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Recent health system restructuring by the Doug Ford government has resulted in chaos, supply chain problems, plummeting staff morale, and widespread job security concerns. Now, a survey (being released tomorrow) of 1052 Ontario Health at Home care coordinators, planners and team assistants, gives a behind-the-scenes look at the uncertainty and workplace challenges impacting them and Ontarians’ access to home and community care.

The survey points to a health system restructuring that is failing to solve care and access gaps while demoralizing health staff and threatening to deepen privatization even more.

With the sceptre of U.S. tariffs looming and an early provincial election imminent is a distracted Doug Ford missing the instability and uncertainty that years of health system restructuring has brought.

Ontario is now on our fifth home care restructuring since the last PC government privatized home care. None of these attempts have ended the basic problems that come with compulsory contracting out: low wages, bad working conditions, high staff turnover, and staffing shortages. This latest restructuring is creating even more problems.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) represents more than 1700 Ontario Health atHome staff working at “restructured” regional home and community care health networks. Tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10:30 a.m., at the Queen’s Park Media studio, three of them from different areas of the province, will share respondents’ frank comments and present the findings of the survey - the first of its kind – of these Ontario health care workers.

WHO:	Ontario Health atHome staff: Brett Geneau (eastern Ontario), Maxine Laing (Mississauga/Halton), Lorna Shipley (Central East)
WHAT:	Release of groundbreaking survey of 1052 Ontario Health atHome staff
WHERE:	Queen’s Park Studio
WHEN:	Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 10:30 a.m.

SY: pp/cope491