The Ontario Nurses’ Association will sit on Canada’s first national council on nurse-to-patient ratios, formed to address nursing shortages and high turnover rates across the country.
The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions is forming the council, which was announced on Oct. 27. The body will include government representatives, employers, academics and nursing union representatives.
The council will provide guidance and recommendations to governments on implementing nurse-to-patient ratios. According to ONA, the council’s creation was the top recommendation from a National Nurse-to-Patient Ratio Summit held in fall 2024.
Ratios as bargaining priority
Nurse-to-patient ratios were the top bargaining demand for Ontario’s 60,000 hospital nurses during recent contract negotiations, according to ONA.
“There is a reason that nurse-to-patient ratios were the top bargaining demand for Ontario’s 60,000 hospital nurses during contract negotiations – because ratios mean safer work for us and better care for our patients,” said Erin Ariss, ONA provincial president. “If British Columbia and Nova Scotia can move ahead with ratios, there is no reason that Ontario, and every other jurisdiction in Canada, can’t.”
British Columbia and Nova Scotia are currently moving ahead with nurse-to-patient ratio policies.
Evidence supporting staffing standards
According to ONA, research shows increased nurse staffing improves safety and reduces burnout among healthcare professionals. The union said ratios also create a more cost-effective system by improving patient care and reducing complications.
Ariss said the focus must shift from debate to implementation. “We’ve been highlighting the clear evidence supporting nurse-to-patient ratios for years,” she said. “The time to debate nursing ratios is over. Now it is time to develop a practical plan for making them a reality in our hospitals and health-care systems, in Ontario and across the country. Nurses – and our patients – say no more excuses.”
ONA represents more than 68,000 registered nurses and healthcare professionals, plus 18,000 nursing student affiliates, working in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, community settings, clinics and industry.
