Ontario health minister's denial of nurses' 'mass exodus' feels 'painful' for some
Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the province has “not seen a mass exodus of nurses” leaving the profession – a remark some nurses say is “dismissive” and “painful” to hear.
“In fact, we have not seen a mass exodus of nurses leaving the system,” Jones said while speaking to reporters at Queen’s Park on Wednesday.
“What we have are nurses and health-care practitioners who have a lot of options to choose when they want to practice nursing in the province of Ontario.”
A day earlier, a court deemed Bill 124, which capped public sector workers’ wages, including nurses, unconstitutional. Soon after, the Ontario government released a statement expressing their intention to appeal the decision.
Ever since the Ford government put forward Bill 124 in 2019 to help eliminate Ontario’s deficit, nursing unions have argued that limiting workers’ wages to a maximum of one per cent for three years has contributed to nurses leaving the industry in droves.
“It was heartbreaking,” Marida Etherington told CTV News Toronto, nodding to her own departure from the sector. For nearly 30 years, she worked as a nurse, most recently at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto.
Just a couple weeks after pandemic lockdowns were enforced, she said she saw signals of how the health-care sector was being handled and decided she needed to leave and start her own business as a RN psychotherapist.
“I had planned on staying at St Joe’s until I retired, that was my plan, at least 12 years,” she said.
But instead, she began seeing nurses as clients. “This past year, I’ve had emails from at least 25 nurses who want to change the kind of work that they are doing. I’d say we’re in the hundreds of nurses who are looking for options,” Etherington said.
“If we haven’t had a total collapse, it’s because of the dedication of the people that are still here,” she added.
Birgit Umaigba, a RN in the Greater Toronto Area, said she’s witnessed her colleagues leaving the profession firsthand, some taking administrative roles, others heading south of the border where nurses are paid higher wages.
“Just a few weeks ago, I was on a unit with my student and there was only two nurses for 27 patients,” she said. “That’s dangerous.”
Umaigba said hearing the minister of health deny that nurses are leaving the sector was “painful” for her.
“I don't understand who she is talking to and why she is being so dismissive of our reality,” she said. “Has the minister visited an ER recently or ever?”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to be safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday in the hush money trial of former U.S. president Donald Trump, prepared to testify about a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.