Nurses react to Ontario underspending $1.3 billion in healthcare

$5.5 billion. That’s how much the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario has said the province hasn’t spent.

Over the first three quarters of the 2021-22 fiscal year, from April 1 to December 31, Ontario spent $119 billion. That’s $5.5 billion less than expected.

All sectors didn’t see expected spending, but one in particular is under more scrutiny because of the pandemic: health. Only 39% of the province’s expanded budget for health was spent. $1.3 billion was left unaccounted for.

“It shows a complete lack of commitment”

In a written statement, the Ontario Association of Nurses condemned the inaction. President Cathryn Roy listed a number of programs that money could have been used for:

• Repealed Bill 124, wage suppression legislation, in order to improve retention and recruitment of registered nurses (RNs) in Ontario.
• Guaranteed access to N95s or a higher level of protection for all health-care workers, to protect them from airborne transmission of COVID-19.
• Developed retention strategies to keep experienced nurses in their jobs and available for mentorship.
• Implemented 10 permanent paid sick days for all workers, thus slowing the rate of transmission of COVID-19.
• Funded wage parity with hospitals across all health sectors and created more full-time nursing positions to reach a minimum 70 per cent full-time.
• Expanded funding and access to mental health services, focusing on in-person psychological supports.

Ontario’s investment to first-responders

Premier Doug Ford at the Station 3434 announcement (Connor Luczka/ XFM News).

Premier Doug Ford announced an investment of $1 million into a new treatment centre for first-responders. The Runnymede First Responders Post Traumatic Stress Injury Rehabilitation Centre, named Station 3434, is the province’s first and only rehab centre for first responders with PTSI conditions.

The investment was met with a lot of enthusiasm. But, as one twitter user pointed out, that’s only a small percentage of the amount the provincial government is still sitting on.

$1M represents 0.15 per cent of how much Ontario's government underspent on public health, per Wedneday's FAO report. But hey, photo ops!! #VoteFordOut https://t.co/r78lbbSyyt

— Nathan Sager fait un podcast (@N8Sager) March 3, 2022

The Office of the Premier has not commented on the FAO report yet. Some twitter users have suggested that Ford is using the money for late stage announcements in the provincial election on July 3rd.