The leader of Ontario’s hospital unions says the NDP and Progressive Conservative parties are misleading the public about problems at the province’s hospitals. Michael Hurley, the president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, says high hydro rates are not the only reason why hospitals are cutting staff and care. And Hurley says it’s unfair when the opposition parties say expensive electricity are a major factor for the cuts. Hurley says the provincial Liberal government has cut hospital budgets for the past eight years and this under-funding is the real culprit behind staff cuts and care. Hurley says simply “tweaking hydro costs” won’t solve the funding problem. His challenge to the New Democrats and Tories is how would they fix the funding issues hospitals face beyond the question of high hydro costs.
Hurley also says both opposition parties are silent that the hospital in North Bay is run as a private-public partnership which has higher maintenance and infrastructure costs. He says across Ontario, the Wynne Liberals are looking at creating similar private-public partnerships at about 20 more hospitals. Hurley says as these future scenarios play out, he wants to know if the New Democrats and Tories would support giving hospitals more money to offset higher infrastructure costs. As a result of constant under-funding, Hurley says a recent report by the Financial Accountability Office reveals hospitals need about a 5.3 percent regular annual increase just to meet current basic costs. The Ontario Hospital Association is calling on the province to increase hospital budgets by 4.9 percent in next month’s budget to improve services while Hurley’s council of hospital unions is looking for a five percent increase.