Ontario aims to add 2,000 more nurses in long-term care sector
Ontario plans to spend up to $100 million to add 2,000 nurses to the long-term care sector over the next few years as part of a larger plan to beef up staffing levels and improve care for residents.
Long-Term Care Minister Rod Phillips said Wednesday that the plan will support Ontario's commitment to increasing direct care for long-term care residents to four hours a day, on average.
Seniors entering long-term care are older and have more complex needs than a decade ago, Phillips said, and additional staff are needed to support them.
"The level of care those residents need has increased dramatically, but the amount of care they receive each day has not kept up," Phillips said at a news conference in Toronto.
The funding announced Wednesday will go towards several programs over the next four years -- one will provide up to $6,000 a year in tuition for personal support workers to become registered practical nurses, and up to $10,000 a year in tuition to registered practical nurses to become registered nurses.
Participants will have to commit to working in long-term care for the same time period as they receive the tuition supports.
"This support will help address barriers people face when they want to further their education, and it's a win-win scenario," Phillips said. "More staff for long-term care, more educational and career opportunities for staff in long-term care."
The government is also aiming to increase access to nursing programs at publicly funded colleges. One stream through that program will offer up to $6,000 per year for internationally trained nurses to gain required work credentials in Ontario.
Wednesday's announcement is the latest of several leading up to legislation that's set to be introduced on Thursday. Phillips has said the legislation will set standards in long-term care, including the government's pledge that residents will receive four hours of direct care per day by 2025.
Earlier this week, Phillips announced plans to double the number of long-term care inspectors and to return to proactive inspections of homes, which the Progressive Conservative government scaled back on in 2018.
Phillips has also said an announcement will come this week on the future of wages for personal support workers. A temporary pandemic wage increase of $3 per hour is set to expire on Oct. 31.
Unions and other advocates have pointed to low wages as a key factor behind a staffing shortage plaguing the sector that saw widespread COVID-19 infections and deaths during the pandemic.
Premier Doug Ford has said he will make that wage increase permanent but hasn't said how or when that will happen.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.