In 2024, Ontario’s health care crisis reached new lows: the number of patients in hospital hallways hit a record high; ER closures broke a new threshold; the waitlist for long-term care beds peaked at 48,000, 250,000 people languished on the surgical waitlist and 2.5 million people did not have a family doctor. In Hamilton, the city’s largest hospital put a pause on hiring in the face of a $112 projected budget deficit. And yet, advocates say, instead of addressing this crisis the government is needlessly focused on an early election campaign.

 

 

In an effort to publicize the need for additional beds and staff and funding for our hospitals and long-term care facilities, OCHU is traveling across the province to 30 communities, with a number of hospital stretchers, along with pull-up banners with stats, which we use as a backdrop for media conferences calling on all parties to address the crisis in health care.