State of Ontario's health-care system not unprecedented, health minister says
Ontario's health minister said Monday that six hospitals had to close departments -- including ERs -- over the weekend, but argued that the situation wasn't unprecedented.
Sylvia Jones made the comments as the legislature sat for the first time following the Progressive Conservatives' re-election in June, and said individual hospitals work with Ontario Health to try to reassign staff and avoid such closures when they loom, but it happens "occasionally."
She disagreed with a reporter characterizing the closures as "unprecedented."
"No, I'm sorry, it is not," Jones said. "So when there are ebbs and flows of a high incidence of people who are taking vacation -- appropriately so -- then we need to make sure that we have the systems in place."
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Jones said the situation Ontario is facing is not unique. Jurisdictions across the country have reported similar staffing challenges and closures.
In Ontario, two Ottawa-area hospitals and one in Grey County were among those that closed their emergency departments for periods of time over the weekend.
The hospitals redirected patients to nearby emergency departments during the temporary closures.
"My message to the people of Ontario is, you have a government who is actively engaged and making sure that you have a local hospital that is available, that is sufficiently staffed," Jones said.
Solicitor General Sylvia Jones, responds to a question during a press conference regarding COVID-19 vaccine distribution, at Queen's Park in Toronto on Friday, December 11, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin
The president and CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association said the organization understands that many Ontario hospitals are experiencing "an unprecedented escalation of staffing pressures right now" and are working to develop temporary measures to help maintain services.
Anthony Dale said in a written statement that the OHA is working closely with the provincial government and Ontario Health to implement both short- and long-term solutions to address the "urgent" health-worker staffing challenges in the province and to ensure that hospitals and other health provider organizations "have as much support as possible during this historic time."
"Hospitals are here to serve and will continue to do everything possible to meet the needs of the people of Ontario," Dale added.
"At this critical time, it is essential that everyone stand together and work to have a 'Team Ontario' approach to address the very challenging issues facing the health-care system."
Hospitals have said severe staff shortages, along with COVID-19 infections and burnout among health-care workers are to blame for the temporary closures.
Cathryn Hoy, president of the Ontario Nurses' Association, said Jones' comments that suggested nurse vacations are responsible are "disrespectful."
"That is such an insult to my members, I can't believe it," she said in an interview Monday.
Nurses have taken vacations during the summer in previous years and it has not led to ER closures, Hoy added.
The ONA and other nursing groups have urged the government to repeal legislation that capped wage increases for public sector workers -- including nurses -- for three years, saying it would help with recruitment and retention.
Last week, an executive with Ontario Health, which oversees the province's health system, said Ontario hospitals were experiencing staff shortages at an "unprecedented" level.
With files from Liam Casey.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976926.1721883767!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
DEVELOPING Alberta's request for federal assistance approved after fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta's request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.
Loblaw, George Weston to settle class action over bread price-fixing for $500 million
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500-million to settle a class-action lawsuit regarding their involvement in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme.
EXCLUSIVE One address, 76 foreign currency dealers: Inside Canada's money service business 'clusters'
An IJF and CTV News investigation has found dozens of cases across Canada where multiple money services businesses (MSBs) are incorporated at the same address, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of the location's actual occupant. One money laundering expert calls it an 'abuse of the system.'
U.K. police officer suspended after video appears to show a man being kicked in head
A British police officer was suspended from all duties Thursday after a video was posted on social media that appeared to show an officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man lying on the floor of a terminal at Manchester Airport.
'I'm so broke': Two Toronto women speak out after losing $76,000 in romance scam
Two women from the Toronto area are speaking out after losing thousands of dollars to a romance scam, including a single mother who lost $62,000.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jasper mayor says alert system to be reviewed after message 'glitch'
More than 25,000 people have been displaced from Jasper National Park since wildfires started to threaten the picturesque corner of Alberta Rockies on Monday, but the mayor of its namesake municipality says not everyone received an evacuation alert when it was sent out.