Ontario hospitals warn that labour disruption risks patient care

TORONTO, May 11, 2026 /CNW/ - The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) is deeply concerned by recent statements from the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) suggesting it may challenge long‑standing protections against any labour disruptions in hospitals -- a move that would introduce the risk of patient care disruption.

In Ontario, labour disputes involving hospital unions are resolved through neutral interest arbitration. The Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act was enacted following hospital strikes that caused serious harm to patients. The legislation supports meaningful collective bargaining while protecting the public interest by ensuring hospital care continues without disruption.

"Patients do not choose when they need care, and hospitals must always be there for them," said Kirk LeMessurier, Chief of Communications and Public Affairs at the OHA. "Any action that opens the door to labour disruption, of any magnitude, in hospitals puts patients at risk."

Hospitals are fundamentally different from other workplaces. Access to hospital care -- including urgent and life‑saving services -- cannot be interrupted. For that reason, labour relations in the hospital sector have long operated under a distinct framework that reflects the unique risks to patients.

"Ontario's hospitals value nurses and recognize the critical role they play in delivering high‑quality care across the province. Nurses are integral members of hospital care teams, and their dedication to patients is fundamental to Ontario's health system," said LeMessurier.

That is why the OHA supports the current framework, which provides a fair, neutral dispute‑resolution process while safeguarding the public. Under this legislation, the OHA has successfully negotiated multiple collective agreements with every other major hospital union over the past 15 years. Unfortunately, that same outcome has not been achieved with ONA.

Ontario's hospitals believe the existing framework appropriately balances meaningful collective bargaining with the responsibility to protect patients and the public.

"Our goal is to value nurses, respect collective bargaining, and ensure patients are never put at risk," said LeMessurier. "That balance matters to Ontarians."

The OHA urges ONA to abandon this reckless challenge to legislation that protects patients from unnecessary risk.

Ontario Hospital Association 
Established in 1924, the OHA serves as the voice of the province's public hospitals, supporting them through advocacy, knowledge translation and member engagement, labour relations, and data and analytics with the goal of helping hospitals build a better health system. The OHA is also attuned to the broader strategic questions facing the future of the province's health care system and we work to ensure Ontario's hospitals have a voice in shaping this longer-term vision.

SOURCE Ontario Hospital Association

For more information, please contact: Chantalle Aubertin, Media and Public Affairs Advisor, Ontario Hospital Association, [email protected]