Ontario Council of Hospital Unions - CUPE

10/02/2026

09/30/2026

Privatization isn't improving surgical and diagnostic wait-times. It's simply draining resources from the public system and hurting the vast majority of us in Ontario.

Private clinics are fast emerging as a lucrative business thanks to government funding.

In 2024-25, the Ford government spent $674 million on for-profit clinics (a 48% increase since 2018). The public has no idea how much of that money is diverted to shareholder profits.

In 2024, a Canadian Medical Association Journal study showed that privatization in Ontario helped improve access to surgeries for the wealthiest Ontarians by 22%. The poorest people in Ontario saw their access decline by 9%.

This isn't surprising. While private clinics perform OHIP-funded surgeries, they routinely engage in extra-billing and price-gouging.

For example, last year, when the Ontario Health Coalition investigated private clinics in 2025, most of them were found to engage in deceptive practices.

A private clinic in Kingston quoted the OHC $3,500 for cataract surgery - which should be free through OHIP. Others have paid up to $8,000 out-of-pocket for surgeries because they were not aware these were covered publicly.

The goal of private investors is not to serve the public. It is to generate profits at any cost. We can't let that happen - our public system is not perfect but it is worth protecting and improving.

09/28/2026

Today at Queen's Park, OCHU-CUPE & the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released a new report on privatization. The research reveals that even as the government pours money into private clinics, wait-times continue to increase as public hospital capacity remains stagnant:

The volume of privatized surgeries (funded by tax dollars) is increasing faster than public hospital surgeries:

- While the volume of surgeries performed in public hospitals increased by 10% between 2017 and 2025, the volume of surgeries in private, mainly for-profit clinics increased by 117%.

For-profit surgeries and medical imaging are a booming business, thanks exclusively to government funding:
- Provincial payments increased from $457 million in 2018 to $674 million by 2025—up by 48%.

Public payments to for-profit facilities are not transparently reported:
- The Ontario Public Accounts report $84.7 million transferred to private clinics in 2024-25, while expenditure reporting obtained by FOI puts payments to private clinics at $659 million.
- This means Public Accounts under-reported payments to ICHSCs by 778 per cent in 2024-25.

Our press release: https://cupe.on.ca/ontario-patient-wait-times-increase-as-government-funding-favours-for-profit-providers/

Full report: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/not-adding-up-surgical-and-diagnostic-privatization-in-ontario/

09/23/2026

Even as more patients require hospital services every year, the North Bay hospital is considering more staffing cuts due to a $14 million budget shortfall (the provincial government is refusing to cover the full operational costs).

The hospital already went through a round of cuts last year.

From the perspective of frontline staff, made up of nurses, PSWs, rehabilitation assistants, pharmacy technicians, and many other patient-facing positions, who are stretched to their limits, there is absolutely no room to eliminate more positions. Patient care is being compromised.

And yet the government continues to find more money for private clinics at the expense of our public hospitals.

09/23/2026

CUPE 7800 & OCHU are fighting back!

Save the date:
12pm on October 13 at Hamilton General Hospital.

Join us to support the fightback campaign to defend our public hospital services!

09/22/2026

Today, we rallied at the Ministry of Health office in Toronto demanding fair treatment for personal support workers.

The Ford government must fix HSCPOA and ensure PSWs have the same right to representation as other health care professionals like nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others.

PSWs care for our communities every day. It’s time the government showed real respect for them ✊

09/21/2026

The cuts in the hospital sector continue due to provincial underfunding. Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) has announced 413 job cuts including nurses and health care aides (equivalent of PSWs) as it faces a $150 million budget deficit.

HHS is already seeing painfully long wait-times - the latest provincial data shows that the average patient waits 24.1 hours for admission (the target is 8 hours).

These job cuts will result in pain and suffering in the form of longer wait-times, overcrowded hospitals, increase in toxicity and workplace violence, and unsafe conditions for patients and workers.

CUPE 7800 and OCHU-CUPE will wage a strong campaign to fight these cuts. Stay tuned for more info.

Our press release: cupe.on.ca/cupe-to-fight-413-job-cuts-at-hamilton-health-sciences-calls-on-the-province-to-fully-cover-hospitals-operational-costs/

09/10/2026

Over 1,400 workers & community members signed CUPE 4540's petition to Bruyere Health management urging the hospital to Stop the Cuts! The petition was presented to management by a delegation of workers after a rally outside the hospital this morning.

55 frontline jobs are being eliminated at Bruyere: 9 registered practical nurses and 46 personal care aides. This is part of a wave of about 2,000 job cuts in Ontario's hospitals since Oct. 2025 due to government underfunding.

Bruyere staff are anxious about the decline in quality of working conditions and patient care due to these cuts. Staffing levels were already insufficient, as 67% of workers said they routinely work through their scheduled breaks in a Dec. 2025 survey.

As one PCA said, "With less staff it is going to become difficult to impossible to provide safe, timely, and compassionate care that each patient deserves. These cuts not only place added pressure on frontline workers but also directly impact patient care through longer wait-times, reduced assistance and greater risk of unmet care needs, and increased risk of staff injury.”

The Ford government must be held to account for the consequences of their hospital funding cutbacks.

09/09/2026

Stand with Personal Support Workers on September 22!

PSWs deserve the same fundamental rights and protections as other regulated professionals in Ontario.

We’re rallying to call on the Ford government to change the legislation governing the Health and Supportive Care Providers Oversight Authority (HSCPOA) and ensure PSWs have the right to representation and fair due process in disciplinary matters.

Where: Ministry of Health, 777 Bay St., Toronto
When: Tuesday, September 22 at 12 PM

Join us and stand with PSWs. Fair representation. Fair process.