The Ontario government has a new plan to offer all nurses incentive pay to encourage job retention. On Monday, Health Minister Christine Elliott announced a 763-million-dollar plan to give eligible full-time nurses a lump-sum payment and eligible part-time and casual nursing staff a prorated payment of up to five-thousand-dollars per person in two installments.
A group of healthcare unions called the retention payment a “temporary fix” that they said won’t help retain nurses who want long-term support.
Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca accused Premier Doug Ford of trying to buy nurses’ votes ahead of the provincial election expected on June 2nd.
Meanwhile, the C-E-O of Home Care Ontario said her association applauds the move to offer retention payments, but called on the government to spend more money on stabilizing the home care workforce and a tax credit for family-funded home care.
(Canadian Press)