"How can [this government] continue to pat themselves on the back when there are news stories across this province every other day about hospital closures and staffing shortages?" said Shaw. "This ongoing crisis is a testament to the failure of this government's approach to healthcare - leaving sick Canadians to pay the price for their mismanagement. This system is in dire need of repair. The well-being of Hamiltonians is hanging in the balance." 

Nurses in Hamilton have joined healthcare professionals around the province to raise their voices against unconstitutional wage restraint, insufficient recruitment efforts, and a persistently high turnover rate among hospital staff - labelling these challenges as "morally destroying for the healthcare workforce." This has led to patients receiving treatment on stretchers, and individuals facing extended wait times, being turned away, or prematurely discharged.

"The fact that the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) reported the need for thousands of new staff members and hundreds of beds in Hamilton's hospitals is a reflection of a lousy government failing to meet the needs of Hamiltonians," said Taylor. "Minister Jones' optimism that new hospital construction will miraculously generate an influx of 3,500 medical workers is naive at best. Our focus should be on the recruitment, retention, and reintegration of healthcare professionals. That is the only way out of this mess." 

“Health is a fundamental human right, and too many Hamiltonians aren’t getting the care they need,” said Jama. “We have a government that is outright refusing to help ordinary people. Instead, they’re just helping themselves and a few of their well-connected donors get even richer. Hamilton deserves so much better than this.”