FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kenora, ON – The majority of the province’s 136 hospitals including those in northwestern Ontario have carried operational deficits since 2022, and this puts an already precarious public system at risk, says new analysis from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
In Failure, By Design: Ontario’s deepening hospital funding crisis, CCPA’s senior researcher Andrew Longhurst found that rising hospital costs of six percent annually and government underfunding are creating a toxic situation that undermines the goal of offering timely access to care for patients. For instance, 90 per cent of patients spent 44 hours in the emergency department awaiting hospital admission in 2024/25 – a 52 per cent increase over five years.
On Thursday, Longhurst will reveal detailed findings from the report during a virtual press conference including data on northwestern Ontario hospitals’ financial situation, and ER wait-times at Lake of the Woods District Hospital.
He will be joined by Sharon Richer, the secretary treasurer of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE) to speak about the report’s recommendations in addressing the staffing and capacity shortfall in the sector.
When: 11:15 a.m. on Thursday, May 21
Where: Zoom
What: Media conference to release findings of new research report about hospital budget deficits
Who: Andrew Longhurst, senior researcher, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Sharon Richer, secretary treasurer, Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE)
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For more information please contact: Zee Noorsumar,
CUPE Communications znoorsumar@cupe.ca
647-995-9859
