In a wide-sweeping report, the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions of CUPE highlighted perceived shortcomings in Ontario’s health-care system, issuing a public call-out for a funding boost

Ontario’s hospital system is vastly underfunded, Ontario Council of Hospital Unions of CUPE told Sudbury.com during a media event at the main branch Greater Sudbury Public Library.

Between Health Sciences North and St. Joseph’s Health Centre of Sudbury, they reported a 94 per cent bed occupancy rate last year.

“Anything above 85 is unsafe because it doesn’t allow time for cleaning a room and leads to backups in the emergency rooms where you can’t find a bed,” CUPE researcher Doug Allan told Sudbury.com during the Aug. 11 media event.

This, the looming threat of layoffs and various statistical changes which point to a degrading health-care system, are all evidence of underfunding, he said, estimating that Ontario’s hospital system is underfunded to the tune of approximately $5 billion compared to the rest of the country.

“For Sudbury, that would mean another $105 million in funding for the hospitals and 1,079 staff,” Allan said.

Allan joined Ontario Council of Hospital Unions of CUPE president Michael Hurley and Francophone vice president Sue Pinel for the media event, at which they presented various numbers to highlight negative impacts which have accompanied funding cuts from the province.

This, despite the province increasing funding year over year.

According to the union’s own numbers, funding for operation of hospitals has increased by 37.6 per cent between 2018/19 and 2023/24, averaging an annual increase of 6.6 per cent.

On this front, the actual expenditure has exceeded the amount budgeted most years, ranging from a low of 99.1 per cent (a 0.9 per cent underexpenditure) in 2022/23 to 127.8 per cent in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020/21. The latest actual expenditure against the total budgeted amount was 101.7 per cent in 2025/26.

So, why claim there have been budget cuts when the province’s gross expenditure has increased every year?

Actual costs have exceeded these increases, which has necessitated cuts to service, the union representatives said.

“We have an aging population,” Hurley said. “As the baby boom population ages, it’s creating a lot of pressure on Ontario hospitals, combined with population growth.”

Although the average annual increase had been 6.6 per cent, recent years have seen more modest increases of 3.1 per cent in 2024/25, followed by 4.05 per cent in 2025/26 and a planned 3.3 per cent increase in 2026/27.

These annual increases need to be at least six per cent, Allan said, just “to maintain the quality of care we have.”

With actual costs outweighing budget increases, hospitals were asked to submit how they intend to balance the books within three years under what the province has called the Hospital Sector Stabilization Plan.

Allan said they have received word of more than 1,300 layoff notices in Ontario so far.

“Things are getting worse, not better, and we think the Ford government has broken their promise to at least maintain hospital services, and much less its earlier promises to improve hospital services and capacity by ending things like hallway medicine.”

Per the union’s reporting, the trickle-down impacts of underfunding throughout the province’s hospital system include such things as increases in hallway medicine and longer wait times for knee and hip replacements and cataract surgeries.

Pinel also pointed to a 23 per cent increase in violence causing harm within Ontario’s hospitals since 2020.

“Nursing staff have experienced violence in the workplace, and it’s a direct consequence of underfunding and long wait times,” she said.

“People are getting frustrated, there aren’t enough nurses to handle a violent incident as well or defuse a situation.”

Sudbury.com has asked Health Sciences North spokespeople whether the numbers shared by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions of CUPE are in keeping with their understanding, including whether a six per cent funding increase is required to retain status-quo service. We also asked whether the Hospital Sector Stabilization Plan will affect Health Sciences North, and if so, what the impact might be.

A response came after this story was originally published, in which the Health Sciences North spokesperson shared the following: 

“HSN was not provided with the methodology behind the figures shared by CUPE and cannot confirm their accuracy. We are following up with CUPE to better understand how they were calculated.

“Like hospitals across Ontario, HSN is managing significant financial pressures related to rising costs, growing demand and increasingly complex patient needs. At the request of the Ontario government, HSN has submitted long-term scenario plans based on an assumption of lower revenue growth. No decisions have been made, and ongoing discussions are required between hospitals, boards, regional partners and government.

“Our priority remains protecting access to safe, high-quality care for our community.”

The Trillium reported last month that the Ford government refused to release hospitals’ cost-cutting measures under the Hospital Sector Stabilization Plan, with a Ministry of Health statement indicating that releasing the plans “could be expected to be injurious to the province’s financial interests or its ability to manage the economy.”

Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.