-

Rally at Doug Ford’s office: Health care workers to protest on Monday morning as staffing cuts take toll on workers, patients

More than 9,000 nurses and PSW jobs could be lost by 2027-28 if government does not increase funding

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Health care workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees will hold a rally outside local Premier Doug Ford’s office in Etobicoke in response to funding cuts by the provincial government.

The government’s fall economic statement shows a plan to cut hospital funding by 10 per cent in real terms over three years by 2027-28 as projected spending fails to cover the six per cent annual cost inflation for hospitals, says CUPE.

The consequences of fiscal restraint are already being felt by staff and patients in hospitals across Ontario, as hundreds of jobs are being eliminated in the GTA, North Bay, Hamilton, Ottawa, and Niagara.

“This government promised to clear surgical waiting lists and to end hallway medicine. 200,000 people are waiting for surgeries, and 73,000 patients are waiting longer than clinically recommended. 2,000 are on hallway stretchers waiting for beds and the government has now announced it will no longer report those numbers,” said Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE), which represents 45,000 health care workers. “The PC funding plan through to 2027-28 will have devastating consequences for many people needing hospital treatment in Ontario.”

Based on projections by the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario, about 2,450 hospital beds could be lost across the province along with 9,000 nursing and PSW positions.

Who: Health care workers and community allies

What: CUPE rally against health care cuts

When: 10 a.m., Monday, March 2

Where: Doug Ford’s constituency office, 964 Albion Road, Etobicoke

-30-

:gv/cope491

Contacts

For more information contact:
Zee Noorsumar
CUPE Communications
647-995-9859
znoorsumar@cupe.ca

Industry:

Canadian Union of Public Employees

Release Versions
English

Contacts

For more information contact:
Zee Noorsumar
CUPE Communications
647-995-9859
znoorsumar@cupe.ca

More News From Canadian Union of Public Employees

Unionbusting and safety concerns continue at Rockcliffe Flying Club as CIRB delays certification

Ottawa, ON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Workers at the Rockcliffe Flying Club filed to join CUPE in December 2025 after raising concerns about workplace culture and aircraft safety. Instead of respecting those concerns and letting workers exercise their right to join a union, the employer has responded with delay, pressure, and retaliation. What should have been the straightforward certification process is still not finished, nearly four months later. In that time, workers say the employer has used the de...

TCDSB Ends Beloved Language Program After 50 Years, 77 Jobs Lost

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Thursday the Toronto Catholic District School Board announced that they will completely eliminate its long-standing International Languages Program, resulting in 77 dedicated language instructors losing their jobs. “This is a devastating and short-sighted decision,” said Val Di Gregorio, President of CUPE 3155, representing the language instructors. “For decades, this program has enriched students’ lives, strengthened communities and supported cultural connections....

“Cold-blooded decision on hospital funding,” says CUPE in response to Ford government’s 2026 budget

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The real dollar hospital funding cut announced in the 2026 provincial budget will intensify the crisis in Ontario’s hospitals, which are already funded at the lowest rate in the country, says the Canadian Union of Public Employees. “The government increased hospital funding by four per cent - a real cut of two per cent when measured against the six per cent increase in costs related to an ageing and growing population. This funding shortfall compounds a two per cent cu...
Back to Newsroom