Ford Government Unveils Plan to Stay Open

The Ford Government has released its Plan to Stay Open and officials say it will help build a stronger and more resilient health care system.

ONTARIO - As the province prepares to drop the remaining COVID-19 safety measures on April 27th, the Ford Government has unveils it's Plan to Stay Open.

Treasury Board President Prabmeet Sarkaria says the plan includes legislation that would help build a stronger and more resilient health care system.

“We can never go back to previous governments’ chronic underfunding of health care and inadequate emergency preparedness that brought our health care system to the brink and caused so much disruption in our daily lives. Our hardworking families, dedicated health care workers and job-creating businesses deserve a plan that will keep Ontario open, safe and prepared.”

If passed in the legislature, the Pandemic and Emergency Prepardeness Act will call for a provincial emergency management plan that will be publicly available and will reviewed every five years. It will also establish accountability and governance frameworks for emergencies and enhance dentification, assessment and planning requirements for potential emergency threats.

The Ford Government's Plan to Stay Open also includes three separate parts; Expanding Ontario’s Health Workforce, Shoring-up Domestic Production of Critical Supplies and Building More Hospital Beds. You can read the highlights from each part of the plan below.

Expanding Ontario's Workforce

- Invest $142 million to launch the new “Learn and Stay” grant. The program will start with $81 million over the next two years to expand the Community Commitment Program for Nurses for up to 1,500 nurse graduates each year to receive full tuition reimbursement in exchange for committing to practice for two years in an underserved community. Starting in Spring 2023, applications will open for up to 2,500 eligible students each year who commit to stay in their region working in an underserved community for up to two years after graduating. Students will be eligible to receive full, upfront funding for tuition, books and other direct educational costs.

- Make it easier and quicker for foreign-credentialled health workers to begin practicing in Ontario by reducing barriers to registering with and being recognized by health regulatory colleges. The legislation would prohibit regulatory colleges from requiring Canadian work experience as a qualification for registration, subject to any exemptions provided for in accompanying regulation. Proposed legislative amendments would also require regulatory colleges to certify potential applicants in a timely manner so that internationally trained health care workers can start work as soon as possible.

- Make the temporary wage enhancement for personal support (PSWs) and direct support workers (DSWs) permanent. Since October 1, 2020, over 158,000 PSWs and DSWs providing publicly funded services in hospitals, long-term care, home and community care and social services have been receiving a wage enhancement of $3/hour or $2/hour. The permanent wage enhancement will help to stabilize, attract and retain the workforce needed to provide a high level of care during the COVID-19 pandemic and to continue these important supports in the long-term recovery from the pandemic.

- Train more doctors through the largest expansion of medical school education in over 10 years. Ontario is adding 160 undergraduate seats and 295 postgraduate positions over the next five years, including at the Ryerson School of Medicine in Brampton, the first new medical school to be created in the province since the Northern Ontario School of Medicine was established in 2005.

- To further support the next generation of health care workers, the government is also investing an additional $41.4 million annually to support the clinical education component in Ontario’s nursing education programs. This investment will enable publicly assisted colleges and universities to expand laboratory capacity supports and hands-on learning for students, providing opportunities for learners to demonstrate their knowledge of theories and principles in actual practical settings.

Shoring-up Domestic Production of Critical Supplies

- Launch a life sciences strategy that will support early-stage companies, attract new investment and encourage early adoption of Ontario-made innovations in our hospitals and health system.

- Leverage the province’s extensive manufacturing capability wherever possible to maintain a healthy stockpile of quality PPE and CSE, which could help strengthen PPE and CSE supply chains and ensure the preparedness and the safety and security of Ontarians in non-emergency times and in time of crisis.

- Ensure a safe and stable food supply by requiring regular reports on the province’s security of food supply and contingency planning, including surge capacity for food inspection in an emergency. The changes would also allow for the creation of a temporary location(s) for part or all of the Ontario Food Terminal operations during an emergency.

- Prohibit the offer to sell or the sale of government-provided PPE and CSE that has been provided without charge or payment of a fee, preventing hoarding and protecting consumers from bad actors.

Building More Hospital Beds

- Add 3,000 new hospital beds over the next 10 years.

- Invests in the continuation of over 3,100 acute and post-acute beds in hospitals and alternate health care facilities, and hundreds of new adult, paediatric and neonatal critical care beds.