Pay dispute between Ontario optometrists and government nears two month mark
The dispute between optometrists and the province is nearing the two-month mark, meaning almost four million people in Ontario still have no access to eye tests.
“Normally I have my eyes tested every year, because my mother had a history of glaucoma and macular degeneration," said Don Brooks of Caledon, Ont.
Brooks is 66 years old and anyone who is over the age of 65, under the age of 20 or has certain eye conditions are currently not able to get an eye exam in Ontario due to a pay dispute between optometrists and the Ontario government.
As the work stoppage drags on, some Ontario patients are traveling to Quebec and the United States to have their eyes tested.
Brooks, a snowbird who winters in Florida, said he wants to get his eyes checked and if he can’t get an eye exam in this province he will get one when he goes to Florida next month.
“When I said I might have to go to the United States to get my eyes tested, they said well if you have to - you have to," said Brooks.
Optometrists in Quebec said they are also getting calls from people in Ontario who want travel there to gets their eyes tested.
Optometrists in Ontario say they're the lowest paid in Canada and that the province pays about $44 for an eye exam, which the group said only covers about half the cost.
The province did give optometrists $39 million and offered an 8.48 per cent raise, but the Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) said that doesn’t allow the profession to catch up from years of underfunding.
OAO President Dr. Sheldon Salaba said the association is disappointed the dispute has not been resolved yet and blames the government for the stalemate.
"We are sitting here and waiting for them to come back to us and establish some terms of engagement which will allow us to enter a robust negotiating process” said Salaba.
But on Friday Ontario Premier Doug Ford said it was the optometrists who needed to get back to the negotiating table.
“You can’t negotiate by yourself,” said Ford. “As premier I’m asking you please come to the table. The only people you are hurting are the people of Ontario, so I want a deal done."
Salaba said Ford saying he wants a deal done offered a “glimmer of hope” that one can be reached.
“It's the first time we have heard from him in 12 months. I’m glad he is finally acknowledging that this is an issue for him and his government” said Salaba.
The province has said it is willing to give optometrists more funding to help cover their operating costs, but said it won't hand over a blank cheque.
Some patients say they're willing to pay for their eye exams, but that's not allowed in Ontario as patients can't pay for a service that is covered by OHIP.
Following our report Alexandra Hilkene, Press Secretary to Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christiane Elliott wrote "To be clear, any decision to withdraw optometry services is the decision of individual optometrists. Our government continues to fund OHIP-insured optometry services and that funding continues to increase year-over-year with utilization.”
"The College of Optometrists of Ontario has made clear that if an individual optometrist decides to withhold care from their patient, they are expected to take steps to ensure patients can continue to receive appropriate care, such as referrals."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
For the first time in report's history, Canada's air quality worse than U.S.
Air quality in Canada is now worse than in the U.S., according to the 6th Annual World Air Quality Report. Of the 15 most polluted cities in the two countries, 14 were in Canada.
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
WATCH LIVE As former prime minister Mulroney lies in state, public tributes in Ottawa begin
Members of the public who wish to pay tribute to Brian Mulroney can visit his casket in Ottawa starting this afternoon.
BREAKING Roy McMurtry, former Ontario attorney general, dies at 91
CTV News has confirmed that former Ontario attorney general Roy McMurtry has died.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Images taken deep inside melted Fukushima reactor show damage, but leave many questions unanswered
Images taken by miniature drones from deep inside a badly damaged reactor at the Fukushima nuclear plant show displaced control equipment and misshapen materials but leave many questions unanswered, underscoring the daunting task of decommissioning the plant.
DEVELOPING February inflation rate slows to 2.8% as price growth unexpectedly eases
Canada's annual inflation rate unexpectedly fell to 2.8 per cent last month, amid sharp declines in cellular and internet services as well as slower grocery price growth.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.