“This is the reality of Doug Ford’s Ontario” London NDP MPPs react to hundreds of RN cuts at LHSC

LONDON – NDP MPPs Teresa Armstrong (London—Fanshawe), Peggy Sattler (London West), and Terence Kernaghan (London North Centre), say the reported plan to eliminate nearly 290 registered nursing positions at London Health Sciences Centre exposes the harsh reality of living in Doug Ford’s Ontario.

“This government keeps talking about ‘record investments’ and saying patient care won’t be impacted, but people in London can see what’s really going on,” said Armstrong. “Fewer nurses means longer waits, less care, and more pressure on a system that’s already stretched thin.”

“Doug Ford tells students to follow careers in nursing and health care, but his government is failing to invest in both the education system that trains them and the hospitals that employ them,” said Sattler. “Now we’re seeing hundreds of positions cut across Ontario. You can’t build a stronger system while dismantling it at every stage.”

“Nurses are truly the backbone of our health care system and cutting them means cutting care. It’s that simple,” said Kernaghan. “You can’t spin your way out of this. Hospitals are being pushed past the breaking point, and patients will, and have been, paying the price.”

The London MPPs are calling on the Ford government to stop forcing hospitals to cut care and take responsibility for the crisis it has created, by properly funding front-line services and implementing safe nurse-to-patient ratios now.