Posts published in January 2026

Ontario’s paramedic system is under severe strain as services struggle to recruit and retain workers while frontline paramedics face mounting mental health pressures. Yet some influential voices are once again promoting the creation of a College of Paramedics, an expensive and unnecessary layer of regulation that would do nothing to improve patient care.

“Ontario’s paramedic workforce is in the midst of a crisis driven by chronic understaffing, burnout, and a growing volume of calls for emergency medical care,” said Niko Georgiadis, Chair of the CUPE Ambulance Committee of Ontario which represents roughly 8,000 paramedics and communications officers across 24 services. “We need real, practical policy solutions to address these foundational problems. A regulatory college is a costly bureaucracy and a tax on paramedics, not a solution.”

Paramedics across the province are reporting escalating workloads and deepening mental health impacts. Workers stretched thin by mounting call volumes and short staffing are facing burnout, post-traumatic stress, and moral injury.

The result is a dire recruitment and retention challenge. According to the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs, in 2023 the province needed 1,388 paramedics but only hired 997. The number of paramedics needed has continued to grow as multiple paramedic services have reported record call volumes. At the local level, regional data and union reports show chronic understaffing has left some ambulance services unable to consistently meet service demands, with unfilled shifts and off-road units reducing availability for emergency responses.

Paramedics also face high rates of exhaustion and attrition. A report from the Toronto Auditor General cited substantial increases in overtime and turnover, with paramedics working far beyond scheduled shifts to fill gaps in coverage.

“None of these challenges will be addressed by a college,” said Georgiadis. “Paramedics already operate with extensive oversight that prioritizes patient safety. What we don’t have is sustainable staffing; competitive compensation; and robust mental health supports that allow us to do these demanding jobs. Those are the reforms that would meaningfully help patients and workers.”

A College of Paramedics would force paramedics to pay annual fees and cover costs for mandatory training and examinations, placing additional financial barriers on workers entering the profession.

“This is not a new idea, and it’s not a good one. We went down this road in 2016 with broad, thoughtful consultations with paramedics and employers. The province didn’t move forward because it was clear that a college would not solve any real problems facing paramedic services,” said Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario.

CUPE is calling on provincial leaders to prioritize evidence-based solutions that address the challenges in paramedic services:

• A province-wide staffing strategy
• Expanded mental health supports tailored to the stress and trauma of paramedics
• Competitive compensation
• A commitment to consultation with frontline workers on changes in the sector

“This government says they like to cut red tape while standing up for workers,” said Hahn. “If they really want to strengthen Ontario’s emergency medical system, they’ll listen to workers when they say a college is an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy and a distraction from the real work that needs to be done.”

CUPE Saskatchewan is urging the provincial government to strongly advocate for the continued success and expansion of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) program ahead of upcoming ministerial meetings. In a letter sent to Minister of Education Everett Hindley, CUPE Saskatchewan President Kent Peterson outlined concerns about the uncertainty facing Saskatchewan families, child care workers, and centres.

“Parents and workers in Saskatchewan have seen real benefits from the CWELCC program,” said Peterson. “Reduced fees and tuition‑free training and wage enhancements for early childhood educators have made a meaningful difference. However, without long‑term stability and stronger provincial support, we risk losing the progress we’ve made.”

Saskatchewan continues to fall short of its promised 46,000 child care spaces by March 2026, and CUPE warns that many families remain in child care deserts.

In his letter, Peterson called on the provincial government to:

• Increase provincial funding for early learning and child care beyond the 3% annual federal funding.
• Initiate a bargaining process with child care workers and their unions to create a province‑wide wage grid that improves wages and provides pension and benefits.
• Ensure public funds support public and non‑profit operators, including using public buildings such as schools, hospitals, and universities, to house child care services.

“With ministers from across Canada meeting next week, Saskatchewan has an opportunity to advocate for affordable, accessible, and high-quality child care,” Peterson said. “We’re ready to work with the province to strengthen the system and ensure the program lives up to its original goals.”

CUPE 5430 is calling on the provincial government to abandon plans to develop a new whistleblower hotline to report health care workers and instead focus on fixing Saskatchewan’s health care crisis.

“At a time when short-staffing is forcing health care facilities to close, patients are waiting months or even years for care, and health care workers have gone nearly four years without a raise, investing in a whistleblower hotline is a misplaced priority,” said Bashir Jalloh, President of CUPE 5430. “It is unnecessary, wasteful, and diverts scarce public resources away from urgent front-line needs.”

The proposed anonymous reporting system would duplicate existing process for reporting complaints. Patients, families, and staff can share concerns with unit managers, patient advocates, client representatives, or quality of care coordinators. Formal complaints can be filed through professional regulatory bodies, including the Saskatchewan College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association, the Saskatchewan Association of Licensed Practical Nurses and the Saskatchewan Association of Medical Radiation Technologists.

Beyond concerns about cost and effectiveness, Jalloh says this proposal sends the wrong message to health care workers:

“This initiative is an insult to the health care workers who are making sacrifices every day to keep a broken system running,” said Jalloh. “Instead of investing in another layer of bureaucracy, the province should be focused on retaining staff, improving working conditions, and reducing wait times. They need to focus on our fixing health care system and that starts with supporting the people who deliver it.”

Halifax-based long-term care workers from Melville Lodge, represented by CUPE 3840, voted 100% in a favour of a strike mandate last week, citing wages and retention issues as their main concerns.

“Long-term care is in crisis. We all know that, even the government does, and many of those issues come down to insufficient staffing levels. Long wait times? Insufficient care? Lack of attention? If we had sufficient staff, the beds the government is creating would have people to tend to them. If we had sufficient staff, we wouldn’t have to prioritize the type of care provided. If we had sufficient staff, we would be able to spend more time with each resident,” explained CUPE 3840 President Heather Curry. “And you know what helps retain staff? Paying them properly. We’re the lowest paid in Atlantic Canada and that means people aren’t coming into long-term care. That’s just a fact.”

Long-term care workers in Nova Scotia are the lowest paid in Atlantic Canada, with several classifications, such as cooks and seamstresses, making under $20 an hour. Recent collective agreements in other provinces such as Prince Edward Island have resulted in a nearly $10 an hour wage difference for classifications such as dietary aides.

“Houston and his government seem comfortable leaving Nova Scotians at the bottom,” observed CUPE Long-term Care Coordinator Tammy Martin, “but these workers aren’t. So, they’re going to keep fighting for what they deserve.”

CUPE long-term care members will be rallying at the Canso Causeway on January 28, 2026, between 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM before their conciliation dates to draw attention to their concerns and bargaining issues.

CUPE 5430 is raising serious concerns about the Saskatchewan government’s decision to pursue a third-party, privatized model for the proposed new long-term care homes in Estevan and Watson, warning that this approach risks delays, higher long-term costs, and negative impacts on resident care.

“The government is repeating a failed experiment,” said Bashir Jalloh, President of CUPE 5430. “Previous attempts to privatize long-term care in Saskatchewan and across Canada have shown that private, for-profit companies do not deliver better outcomes for residents, families, or workers. In the Regina area, the Saskatchewan Health Authority is currently taking over private long-term care homes because their pilot project did not work.”

CUPE 5430 warns that the recently announced decision to outsource construction, maintenance, and operations to private companies risks repeating the same mistakes and will introduce additional complexity and delays.

“Long-term care is not a business opportunity – it is a public service,” said Region 4 General Vice-President Arlene Picard. “Community members in Estevan have been fundraising for a new long-term care home for years. It’s insulting to learn the provincial government is now risking further delays by shirking the responsibility for the facility to the private sector.”

CUPE 5430 is calling on the provincial government to reverse course and commit to publicly built, publicly owned, and publicly operated long-term care homes in Watson and Estevan.

“We fully support the need to replace aging facilities and expand capacity,” said Jalloh. “But the best way to do that – while ensuring accountability, stability, and high-quality care – is through public investment and public delivery. Anything less puts residents and workers at risk.”