CUPE, provincial government clash over the state of Niagara’s hospitals and provincial funding

Last week, the Canadian Union of Public Employees’ (CUPE) Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) released a new report highlighting what they say represents “the dire conditions” hospitals are facing under the Ford government. The Ford government, in turn, has dismissed the entire report and claims it entirely misses the mark. 

CUPE’s Report 

Although the Ford government is increasing hospital funding by 3.3 per cent in fiscal year 2026-27, CUPE argues that this funding is not enough. Costs, according to the union, are rising by over six per cent annually. 

“Hospitals need 6 percent annual increases simply to maintain services,” said Michael Hurley, president of OCHU/CUPE. “The Ford government has cut hospital budgets in real terms, year after year, resulting in a loss of beds and staff in the face of significant utilization pressures from an aging population.”

Across the province, CUPE says hospitalizations have increased over the past 10 years, amounting to two million extra hospital inpatient days this year compared to a decade ago. The average length of the typical hospital stay has also increased by 15 per cent, according to CUPE.

CUPE also points to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), which shows that Ontario hospitals receive, per capita, the least amount of provincial funding in the country. 

CUPE claims Niagara hospitals need an immediate injection of $135 million to reduce wait times, add beds, and ultimately meet the average per capita hospital spending of other provinces. This would include hiring 1,441 more full-time staff to match staffing levels in other provinces. 

Niagara’s hospital system, according to CUPE, is currently operating with a $19-million deficit. Hospitals all across the province, the report notes, are operating from a deficit position. 

CUPE also estimates that Niagara’s hospital capacity currently exceeds 100 per cent. At the same time, CUPE says the Ford government’s current funding plans will result in the loss of 270 staff and 75 beds within the Niagara health system by 2027-28. 

The Ford Government’s Response 

Despite CUPE’s claims, the Ford government says its entire report misses the mark. 

The Ford government plans to spend a record $101 billion on healthcare this year, and the government has noted that healthcare spending has increased every year since the Progressive Conservatives formed government back in 2018. 

Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones also told CTV News that the government has added 20,000 doctors and 100,000 nurses into the system since coming to power in 2018. 

Moreover, Jones pointed to the government’s plans to expand the use of community care clinics and private, for-profit clinic delivery for publicly funded surgeries and diagnostic tests as additional ways the government is acting to bring wait times down.