What to know
- Healthcare workers represented by CUPE 5852 will rally at Birchmount Hospital on July 27, calling for increased provincial funding.
- The union says Scarborough Health Network is facing a $36 million funding shortfall while demand for care continues to rise.
- A union survey found 71 per cent of workers believe staffing shortages are compromising patient care, while 42 per cent reported experiencing workplace violence.
- CUPE is urging the Ford government to address funding shortages, arguing they are contributing to burnout, longer wait times and overcrowded hospitals.
Healthcare workers in Scarborough are preparing to rally next week, calling on the Ontario government to increase hospital funding as Scarborough Health Network (SHN) faces a reported $36 million funding shortfall.
According to a media release from CUPE 5852, the union representing approximately 2,500 healthcare workers at SHN, years of chronic underfunding have created a crisis for both frontline staff and the hospital system at a time when demand for care continues to grow.
Union cites staffing shortages and patient care concerns
The union says staffing shortages have become a growing concern, pointing to a 2025 CUPE survey in which 71 per cent of SHN workers said patient care is being compromised because of insufficient staffing levels.
In response, healthcare workers plan to hold a rally at Birchmount Hospital on Monday, July 27, at 11 a.m., urging the Ford government to provide additional funding.
“The people of Scarborough deserve safe, timely and quality healthcare,” said Stacy James, president of CUPE 5852.
“Right now, healthcare workers are doing everything they can to care for patients. But without proper government funding, our hospital system is being pushed beyond its limit.”
James said persistent funding challenges have resulted in longer wait times, increased pressure on healthcare workers and growing burnout among frontline staff.
“Healthcare is not a luxury, it’s a necessity,” she said.
Union raises workplace safety concerns
CUPE 5852 also argues that long wait times and overcrowded hospital units have contributed to safety concerns for healthcare workers.
The union says patients who become frustrated while waiting for care can contribute to incidents of workplace violence in understaffed and overcrowded settings.
According to the union’s survey, 42 per cent of SHN workers reported experiencing workplace violence firsthand, while 20 per cent said they had been physically assaulted.
The union also noted that SHN’s workforce is largely made up of women and racialized employees, groups it says already face systemic barriers in the workplace.
Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, which represents approximately 46,000 hospital workers across the province, said chronic underfunding has made it increasingly difficult for hospitals to meet patients’ needs.
“The Ford government is deliberately destabilizing our hospitals, undermining our public healthcare system to make way for privatization. Hospital staff and patients are collateral damage. We will do everything we can to change that,” Hurley said.
The Ontario government has not publicly responded to CUPE 5852’s latest calls for increased funding.
