‘Nurses are the backbone of the health care system. Cutting their numbers saves money in the short term but results in poor health outcomes in the long run,’ letter states

Editor’s note: This letter from the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario was sent to the office of Premier Doug Ford and shared with local media.

Dear Premier:

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is concerned with the recent announcements that Registered Nurse positions are being eliminated in hospitals and other parts of the health system in order to help balance the books. This is a flashback to 2018.

Hospital patients are undoubtedly unstable with unpredictable health outcomes and, therefore, need their care provided by registered nurses.

Ontario already has the worst RN-to-population ratio in all of Canada, with an average of 651 RNs per 100,000 people in 2026 (College of Nurses of Ontario), and this ratio has steadily worsened over the years. It is imperative that an appropriate number of RNs, working to their full scope of practice, be available in all sectors of the health-care system.

In many settings, RNs are being replaced by other providers, yet the evidence strongly links RN care to more positive outcomes on numerous indicators, including decreased mortality, increased quality of care, decreased pressure ulcers and decreased infections.

Of late, these announcements have included major hospitals such as Mount Sinai and Sunnybrook, with the most recent being St. Joseph’s Health Care in London, where 85 front-line RNs serving those in mental health crises are being replaced.

RNAO, therefore, urges the provincial government and, specifically, the Ministry of Health, to commit to making RN staffing a health-care priority and further commit to immediately stopping these layoffs.

The RNAO is calling on management of these hospitals not to balance their budgets on the backs of front-line Registered Nurses. Nurses are the backbone of the health care system. Cutting their numbers saves money in the short term but results in poor health outcomes in the long run.

We know that when RN care is cut, patients suffer. Studies show that with fewer RNs to care for patients, the risk of complications such as pneumonia, sepsis, bed sores, urinary tract infections, cardiac failures and even death increases.

We thank you for considering our plea.

Maria Casas

Policy & Political Action Executive Network Officer

Sudbury Chapter

Registered Nurses Association of Ontario