Canada’s nursing crisis deepens as Ontario cuts spark alarm over staffing shortages, burnout and patient safety

Ontario’s deepening nursing crisis has come into sharper focus after Canada’s largest hospital network cut 28 registered nurse positions, most in a critical kidney care unit, prompting warnings from unions that staffing shortages, burnout and patient safety risks are worsening even as health systems nationwide struggle with rising demand and workplace violence.

Erin Ariss, the president of the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) said, “It results in the potential for life-threatening and life-altering complications for any patient.”

“It’s absurd and quite frankly shocking that when we have the lowest number of registered nurses (RNs) per population in the country, that you would be eliminating these positions further.”


According to CTV News website, Most of the front-line job cuts at the University Health Network (UHN) were concentrated in the hemodialysis unit, where patients with acute kidney injury receive treatment, Ariss said.

Advances in kidney disease treatment have resulted in 30 to 40 fewer in-centre dialysis patients than in previous years.

“We are adjusting our staffing model to reflect these realities, with RPNs (registered practical nurses) taking on a broader care role and our registered nurses focused on our most complex patients and transitioning into roles across UHN where their expertise will have the greatest impact,” said UHN spokesperson Ana Fernandes.

The Ontario Nurses’ Association said last week that 700 front-line nurse and health-care worker positions have been cut since January 2025.

“This government is doing nothing to improve the situation,” said Ariss. “Instead, they’re trying to balance their books on the backs of registered nurses (RNs) in this province.”

BC, Nova Scotia progress, violence persists

The sharp criticism from the ONA comes as nursing unions in other provinces report improved working conditions under their governments, though significant gaps still remain.

According to the CTV News website, in Nova Scotia, the nurses’ union says a program introduced about five years ago, guaranteeing jobs for graduates of provincial nursing programs, has helped put the province on the “right direction.”

Minimum nurse-to-patient ratios have also been negotiated in Nova Scotia, a measure that caps the number of patients per nurse, and has likewise been implemented in British Columbia.

“Nurses in Ontario are graduating from nursing in university and they are unable to get jobs, which is shocking,” said Ariss. “Ontario is also one of the only provinces that is not committed to nurse-to-patient ratios …

Without urgent reforms, Canada’s nursing crisis is set to deepen, with growing risks to both staff and patient care.