As snow began to blanket Stratford and area, members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)\u2019s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) held a rally outside of Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae\u2019s office. Kevin Cook, first vice-president of OCHU-CUPE, said they were there for one simple reason. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe care,\u201d Cook told the rally members, who numbered just over a dozen. \u201cWe care about our patients, we care about our co-workers and we care about the future of public health care.\u201d <\/p>\n
More specifically, the Feb. 3 rally was in opposition to media reports that hospitals should expect annual funding increases of two per cent, half of what the sector has received in recent years and a third of what is needed to cover rising costs. <\/p>\n
In a mid-January release, Anthony Dale, president and CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA), warned its members that \u201cthere are no easy choices ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, many hospitals are also grappling with significant challenges,\u201d said Dale. \u201cMany are projecting year-end deficits, have eroded their working capital, and in the absence of certainty about their revenues, cannot properly plan for the future. Costs for the sector have been rising by about six per cent per year, primarily due to Ontario\u2019s growing population, its aging population and inflation, in general. In recent years, the sector has received annual increases of approximately four per cent, leaving the sector with a persistent and deepening structural deficit of approximately $1 billion.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Michael Hurley, president of OCHU-CUPE, said, the status quo is not enough. <\/p>\n
\u201cSix per cent a year just to do what we\u2019re doing now,\u201d he said to gathering members on Feb. 3. \u201cSix per cent keeps 2,000 people on stretchers, 75,000 people waiting for surgeries. We\u2019re saying none of that is good enough. Clear the backlog of surgeries, get people into hospital beds, open the ERs, add staff. That\u2019s what we\u2019re here for.\u201d<\/p>\n
CUPE is asking the provincial government to add 6,200 staffed beds, an increase of $3.2 billion for core hospital funding to clear deficits and hire additional staff, to increase funding for hospitals at the predicted six per cent annual growth and to institute a multi-year funding commitment. <\/p>\n
In response to the rally, MPP Rae said that local health care is a priority. <\/p>\n
\u201cRural hospitals and healthcare workers are essential to keeping our communities safe and healthy, and I continue to support the important work they do,\u201d said Rae in an emailed statement. \u201cThrough Budget 2025, Ontario increased base hospital funding by four per cent, and locally, since 2022 we\u2019ve secured more than $181 million in net new healthcare funding for Perth-Wellington. I will continue to advocate for Perth-Wellington\u2019s fair share of provincial healthcare funding.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2026 Ontario budget has not been released and is expected to be tabled this spring. Last year\u2019s budget came mid-May. <\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2026.<\/p>\n
Connor Luczka, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n
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