ONA President, CEO of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute Jointly Call for the Repeal of Bill 124

TORONTO, ON, AUGUST 16, 2022 – Today, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada’s largest and foremost heart health centre – the University of Ottawa Heart Institute – joined Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) President Cathryn Hoy, RN, in calling for the Ford government to immediately repeal its wage suppression legislation, Bill 124.

Dr. Thierry Mesana, MD, PhD, President and CEO, joined Hoy today in calling for the repeal of the Bill that has symbolized the government’s deep disrespect for nurses and health-care professionals on the front lines. The Bill, passed just prior to the pandemic, suppresses the wages and benefits of tens of thousands of nurses and health-care professionals, holding them to a maximum of one per cent per year in each of three years.

Hoy notes, “Bill 124 makes it impossible for hospitals to keep the nurses they have and recruit new nurses because their wages are being cut by this terrible law that targets female-dominated professions. Repealing this Bill is the first step in giving nurses and health-care professionals hope – hope that they will be respected, hope that they will get some relief and hope that they will begin to be fairly compensated for the overwhelming and stressful work that they face during every shift. I urge Premier Ford to contact me immediately so we can discuss meaningful solutions to solve the nursing crisis now.”

Dr. Mesana adds, “Recruiting and retaining our health-care professionals and nursing staff in particular is a most urgent matter for health care in Canada and Ontario. It is a competitive process. Recruiting nurses outside the country is neither fast nor easy, and Bill 124 is a threat to both recruitment and retention.”

ONA is the union representing more than 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

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For more information: 

Katherine Russo katheriner@ona.org