Hospital Nurses and Health-Care Professionals Deliver Petitions to Provincial Election Candidates Across Ontario to Call for Nursing Ratios

TORONTO, Feb. 24, 2025 /CNW/ - Beginning today, Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) members are delivering petition banners containing thousands of signatures to provincial election candidates, demanding registered nurse (RN)-to-patient staffing ratios. This action is part of the campaign to bargain a new collective agreement with the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA).

"Nurses will be delivering the petitions to election candidates in 26 locations today through to February 27," explains ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. "We are calling on provincial candidates to support nursing ratios and join us in calling on hospital CEOs to mandate them in our next contract, so Ontarians can get the care they need and deserve."

Implementing RN staffing ratios means mandating a minimum number of nurses needed to safely care for patients, depending on the unit. Nursing ratios are the number-one bargaining demand for ONA's 60,000 hospital members in this round of contact negotiations.  

"When introduced in British Columbia and many American states, nursing ratios have resulted in better health outcomes for patients, staff retention, easier recruitment and health care cost savings," notes Ariss. "Bringing in nursing ratios in Ontario will help ease our nursing shortage, which is the worst in Canada."

Negotiations with the Ontario Hospital Association, which represents most hospital CEOs, broke down after more than a week of talks. It now goes before Arbitrator Sheri Price in April. ONA members, labour leaders and other supporters are holding a series of escalating collective actions to draw attention to the need for a respectful contract that includes mandated RN-to-patient ratios.

"We need hospital CEOs and our future Members of Provincial Parliament to be true leaders that take real action to fix public health care for Ontarians and improve working conditions for nurses. Nursing ratios will benefit everyone," says Ariss.

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.

SOURCE Ontario Nurses' Association

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