Ontario’s hospital crisis has hit a boiling point, according to a new report issued by CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions.
Representatives of OCHU-CUPE were in Belleville Thursday to present their latest findings, underlining the consistent underfunding of hospitals across the province, including BGH.
They noted in the past six years, Ontario hospitals have seen a massive drop in their working capital, the funds available to cover daily expenses, including payroll and medical supplies. This figure has plummeted from $2 billion in 2020, to negative $280 million at the end of last year.
Belleville’s working capital is negative $20.5 million. As a result, many hospitals have been forced to borrow cash to make ends meet.
Additionally, they stated hospital operating deficits reached over $400 million in 2025. Despite dramatically lower staffing levels than the rest of the country, Ontario hospitals are managing their shortfalls by actively cutting workers. This has resulted in the loss of over 1,300 jobs in the past year alone.
The union also claimed Quinte Health needs 296 more full-time staff to match the capacity seen in other provinces.
Despite rising costs of over six percent annually, the Ford government will only increase hospital funding by 3.3 percent for 2026/2027.
“Hospitals need 6 percent annual increases simply to maintain services,” says Michael Hurley, the president of OCHU/CUPE, which represents 40,000 hospital workers across the province. “The Ford government has cut hospital budgets in real terms, year after year, resulting in a loss of beds and staff in the face of significant utilization pressures from an aging population.”
Meanwhile, cost pressures and demand are rising. Hospitalizations have increased significantly over the last decade, amounting to 2 million extra hospital inpatient days. The average length of stay per patient has also risen 15 percent.
According to Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) data, Ontario hospitals receive the least provincial funding in the country. Belleville hospitals need $96 million in order to reduce wait-times, add beds and meet the average spending per capita of other provinces.
CUPE is calling for a commitment of $5 billion in funding to the Ontario hospital sector in order to make up for the growing lack of capacity and capital to adequately staff facilities and treat patients.
Multi-year funding, a halt to privatization and the implementation of nurse-to-patient ratios are also cited as solutions to the deepening crisis.
