ONA will Join the First National Council on Nurse-to-Patient Ratios

TORONTO, Oct. 27, 2025 /CNW/ - The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) is announcing that it will sit on the country's first national council on nurse-to-patient ratios. The council is being formed by the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) amidst ongoing and widespread nursing shortages and high levels of nurse turnover, particularly among younger nurses.

"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," says ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. "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."

ONA will be taking a leadership role by joining the council alongside government representatives, employers, academics and other nurses' union representatives. The council will provide guidance and recommendations to governments on how to implement nurse-to-patient ratios and evidence-based research on their importance. The creation of the council was the top recommendation following the National Nurse-to-Patient Ratio Summit held in the fall of 2024.

There is significant evidence to support increasing nurse staffing as a crucial measure to improve safety and decrease the burnout driving skilled health-care professionals out of their jobs. It also means a more cost-effective system because patients receive better care and decrease their risk of complications.

"We've been highlighting the clear evidence supporting nurse-to-patient ratios for years," says Ariss. "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 is the union representing more than 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry. 

SOURCE Ontario Nurses' Association

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