Ontario unlikely to meet health-care goals due to underspending and staffing, report finds
CTV
The challenges facing Ontario’s strained health-care system are “expected to persist” as a result of underfunding and a shortage of front-line workers, a new report from the province’s fiscal watchdog suggests.
The challenges facing Ontario’s strained health-care system are “expected to persist” as a result of underfunding and a shortage of frontline workers, a new report from the province’s fiscal watchdog suggests.
In a report released Wednesday, the Financial Accountability Office (FAO) found that Ontario will be short about $21.3 billion in health spending by 2027-2028. As a result, it is “unlikely” the province will achieve its goals of adding enough beds and hiring enough staff to keep up with demand.
According to the FAO, the government has allocated about $87.8 billion to be spent on health care by 2027-2028. Spending, however, is expected to grow to about $93.8 billion.
“We found that the province is making significant investments to expand capacity hospitals, home care and long term care. But the overall spending plan is not enough to meet its commitments, let alone increases in demand from Ontario and growing an aging population,” Financial Accountability Officer Peter Weltman told reporters on Wednesday.
“Even with current expansion plans by 2027, Ontario will have less capacity in hospitals and long term care than it did in 2019.”
The projections also don’t take into account a court challenge loss on Bill 124—legislation that capped public sector workers’ salaries at one per cent for three years. The government is appealing a ruling that found the bill infringes on the applicants' rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
If it loses, the province will be on the hook for an additional $3.6 billion in wages.
