West urges Ford to pay nurses fairly

150 nursing jobs are posted in Sudbury, as nurses leave sector in droves

QUEEN’S PARK – NDP MPP Jamie West (Sudbury) said Doug Ford needs to invest in a massive health care worker retention strategy, one that includes paying nurses fair wages.

During question period Tuesday, West pointed out that Sudbury currently has 150 jobs posted for nurses.

“**Tara is a local community nurse with three decades of experience, but Tara is quitting, as are many other senior nurses that she knows, because their out-of-pocket expenses are going up but their mileage and wages never keep pace,” West said. “Doug Ford needs to admit that life-long nurses like Tara are leaving the profession because they haven’t been sufficiently supported and valued by this government.”

West also raised concerns about the use of temporary staffing agencies to address the hospital staffing crisis.

“**Jan, a full-time long-term care employee who works alongside temp agency staff told me contract nurses can make up to $150 per hour more than she does. These costs are obliterating nursing home budgets and resulting in more forced cuts to frontline staff.”

West said temp agencies require nurses to sign contracts that prevent them from being hired as full-time workers in the workplaces they are contracted to.

“With little to no oversight, staffing agencies are slowly draining the nursing pool and the money intended for patient care. What is the Ford government doing to stop these agencies from taking advantage and profiteering from the pandemic and our current health care crisis?”

**Not their real names.