With the release of the Ontario government’s 2026 budget, WeRPN welcomes investments in nursing, such as the $124.2 million allocated over three years for clinical training and education, which will add 1,000 registered practical nurse seats at publicly assisted colleges and universities. This is a needed and important step to continue to grow our nursing workforce to meet the needs of Ontarians into the future.
We are pleased to see the ongoing investments in home and community care – a sector where RPNs are invaluable – with an additional $1.1 billion over three years to support patients access the services they need, which includes care from RPNs.
Additional annual funding to maintain existing services for residents of long-term care, where majority of the nursing staff are RPNs, will also help retain nursing positions within this sector.
While WeRPN appreciates the government’s efforts to recruit more nurses and invest in healthcare infrastructure, it remains essential to take further steps to address the retention of experienced nurses across the health system.
Ontario’s rapidly aging population demands more nursing expertise, and the loss of experienced RPNs poses a significant risk to patient care and system stability.
We continue to call on government to invest more in solutions like accessible education funding, fair compensation for nurses and more transparent data for safer staffing. We look forward to continuing collaborating with the government to strengthen our nursing workforce and provide the best possible quality of care to Ontarians.