WeRPN welcomes the introduction of the federal nursing retention toolkit, an initiative announced today to improve the working lives of nurses to increase retention across Canada. It is reassuring to see the federal government recognize this urgent ongoing issue and provide resources specifically aimed at retaining dedicated healthcare professionals within the system.
WeRPN is pleased to see that the Appeals Court of Ontario has upheld what nurses have long asserted — that Bill 124 was unconstitutional. Since 2019, this bill has unjustly capped salaries and prevented nurses from bargaining fairly through their unions. Coupled with the continued rise of inflation, Ontario nurses' wages have fallen well below what they rightfully deserve.
The shortage of PSWs has been an ongoing concern for Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) and others across the health system. WeRPN commends new efforts to bolster recruitment of these vital colleagues while acknowledging that in order to recruit and retain the health care professionals to meet the needs of Ontario’s aging population now and into the future, further funding is needed to ensure fair and equitable compensation for RPNs and those who work along side them.
The Bridging Educational Grant in Nursing (BEGIN) program will now provide funding for eligible bridging students to grow their careers in Hospitals, Primary Care, Long-Term Care and Home and Community Care.
WeRPN welcomes the additional $1.25 billion investment to retain and recruit more nurses in Ontario’s long-term care homes. With RPNs representing more than 64 per cent of the nurses in long-term care, this is a critical step to ensure Ontario’s LTC homes have the right balance of staff to meet growing resident needs.
In response to proposed government legislation allowing authorized PSWs to administer medication in LTC homes, WeRPN recommends creating a committee comprised of healthcare experts to ensure resident safety and consider the impact on nurses.
Our province is facing a health human resources (HHR) crisis and meaningful action is needed to recruit and retain nurses to meet the growing needs of Ontario patients. WeRPN welcomes the government’s commitment to growing Ontario’s nursing workforce by increasing the number of spaces in all nursing programs and developing innovative and streamlined approaches to educating nurses faster.
WeRPN is raising the alarm about the government’s recently announced plans to allow nurses and other healthcare professionals to work outside their regular responsibilities, in an effort to address staffing challenges in hospitals.
WeRPN is deeply concerned about the impact of normalizing the use of for-profit care in Ontario. While we recognize the importance of addressing surgical backlogs, Ontario RPNs believe leveraging for-profit businesses to deliver care is the wrong approach and will result in higher costs and substandard care for Ontarians while further worsening the province’s nursing shortage.
As the professional voice of over 60,000 Ontario nurses, WeRPN is urging the government not to appeal the Ontario Superior Court of Justice's decision re. Bill 124.