NDP will add 336 nurses in Kingston, so people get care faster

KINGSTON – Andrea Horwath and the Ontario NDP will fix the nursing shortage in Kingston by filling 57 nursing vacancies and adding 279 new nurses in the NDP’s first term.

“When your little one is sick, we can make sure there’s a health professional there to take a look right away. We can end the long waits in ER waiting rooms. And with more nurses, we can end the long, painful waits for surgeries sooner,” said Horwath, who stopped in Kingston again on Tuesday.

The NDP has a plan to add 30,000 nurses in Ontario with a powerful strategy to recruit, retain and return nurses. The NDP’s plan includes:

• Scrapping Ford’s low wage policy, Bill 124, and increasing wages.
• Creating new jobs for late-career and recently retired nurses to mentor and supervise new hires.
• Addressing violence against health care workers.
• Expediting recognition of nursing credentials of 15,000 internationally trained nurses so they can get to work in their field faster.

Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal government, which included Steven Del Duca, froze hospitals budgets and cut 1,600 nurses. Doug Ford’s budget shows he’ll make at least $2.7 billion more in cuts if he gets the chance, on top of the cuts he’s already made.

Ontario has lost over 7,300 nurses in the last decade, and now has the lowest ratio of RNs to people in Canada.

“Together we can stop the cuts and fix health care,” said Horwath. “On June 2, let’s come together, vote NDP, and choose health care where and when you need it.”

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