A recent report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) indicates that long wait times and overcrowding in emergency departments reflect a healthcare system that’s having trouble meeting patient care demands.
“Emergency departments with long wait times are a canary in the coal mine for the health system performance,” said Andrew Longhurst, author of the report and CCPA senior researcher, at a recent news conference in Barrie.
Using provincial data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the report shows that indicators for Ontario’s emergency departments are trending negatively.
“The emergency department wait time for patients to receive an initial physician assessment has significantly increased over the last five years,” Longhurst explained.
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The maximum wait for 90 per cent of patients was 2.7 hours in 2021, but it rose to 4.5 hours by 2024-25, marking a 67 per cent increase.
Longhurst also mentioned that wait times for ER patients needing admission into inpatient beds have risen over the last five years.
This region includes hospitals like Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) in Barrie, Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital, and Georgian Bay General Hospital in Midland.
Source: Centre for Policy Alternatives
“So the title of this study, Failure, By Design, is really drawing attention to the fact that there is a situation of underfunding that is creating these conditions and shrinking the size of the hospital system,” Longhurst said.
According to Longhurst, the provincial government has promised up to four percent in targeted and base funding for hospitals.
“We know that falls short of the six percent annually that is required.”
This six percent figure comes from the Ontario Hospital Association, which tells the provincial government that four percent isn’t enough to deal with cost pressures like aging populations and rising expenses due to inflation.
The report recommends several actions including providing an additional $3.2 billion in funding to stabilize hospital finances throughout Ontario.
“And that’s just to maintain service levels from 2025,” Longhurst noted. “If we’re talking about expanding beds and staffing beyond that point, it would require more than this amount. But this $3.2 billion is a conservative estimate needed just to stabilize hospital finances across the province.”
The report urges quick action on a provincial health workforce strategy.
“One major issue we’re seeing is when there’s a system unable to cope with demand for care; it causes moral distress among frontline healthcare workers which leads to retention challenges.”
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Sharon Richer, secretary-treasurer of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions-part of Canadian Union of Public Employees-says frontline workers are feeling overwhelmed due to underfunding and cuts within public healthcare systems.
“Many workers come in each day only being asked to do more because hospitals haven’t replaced jobs-they’ve been eliminated due to lack of funds.”
Richer emphasized how this puts pressure not just on workers but also on their patients who need care.
“You can imagine if you’re lying on a stretcher in emergency for 15 hours-anyone who’s laid on one knows it’s incredibly uncomfortable.”
Over three years now, hospitals in Barrie and Orillia have managed surpluses while Midland reported a deficit-the latest being $3.6 million during 2024-25 according to Longhurst’s findings.
He pointed out that by 2024-25 fifty-five percent of Ontario hospitals faced deficits; projections indicate this could rise as high as seventy percent by end-of-year fiscal reports in 2025-26.
Barrie 360 contacted RVH last month before CCPA’s public report release regarding budget situations at their facilities.
“The expectation from government always remains: balance budgets yearly. This has become increasingly tough given rising financial strains tied into population growth along with increasingly complex patient needs,” stated Gail Hunt RVH president & CEO via email correspondence with Barrie 360 dated April twenty-eighth. “We continue navigating within frameworks provided by province focused upon ensuring safe quality care delivery while striving towards efficiency improvements without compromising patient services.”
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Barrie 360 reached out again seeking comments from Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones concerning CCP reports; however no response was received.
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