Ontario further extends PSW wage increase into 2022

The Ontario government is extending the wage increase for personal support workers until March 31, 2022.

This temporary wage increase includes a $3 per hour wage enhancement for PSWs in Long-Term Care and $2 for support workers in hospitals.

This latest temporary wage increase builds on the government’s previous wage enhancement extension on August 23, which was set to expire at the end of October.

The Ford government says they’re making the wage increase possible by investing an additional $373 million for the extension which will help attract and retain workers in LTC sectors while the province continues to slowly reopen the economy.

However, the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions president Michael Hurley tells CityNews the temporary wage bump doesn’t address the labour problem among healthcare workers on a permanent basis.

“These ongoing temporary measures don’t address the fact that we can’t retain and attract personal support workers because the wages are low, there aren’t enough full time jobs,” Hurley says. “All of the other staff who work in long-term care or hospitals, they’re not receiving this kind of increase.”

Ontario's announcement of a $3 per hour wage enhancement for psw's in LTC and $2 in hospitals is well deserved, but contributes to the demoralization of nurses and other staff whose wages are being held to 1% while inflation surges to 4.4% and for whom there is no recognition.

— MichaelHurleyCUPE (@HurleyOCHUCUPE) October 28, 2021

He says nurses and other staff whose wages are being held to one per cent due to Bill 124, which limits regular annual salary increases for nurses in public sectors, are not included and says their contributions are not being recognized.

Hurley says the Ontario government needs to consider increasing the minimum rate for personal support workers and promising them full time jobs.

“Earlier in the pandemic, you’ll remember there was a $4 wage increase for all healthcare workers who worked directly with patients and that isn’t what the government is doing now.”

The province says they’re continuing to explore a permanent solution to address a range of longstanding recruitment and retention issues among personal support workers and direct support workers.

The province says the extension will affect over 158,000 PSWs and direct support workers who deliver publicly funded support services in home, community care, long-term care, public hospitals, and social services.

Since October 1, 2020, the province has invested over $1.3 billion to temporarily enhance wages for personal support workers and direct support workers because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Throughout the pandemic, personal support workers have provided quality care to our residents,” says LTC Minister Rod Phillips. “They are the backbone of long-term care, and by improving their work experience in the sector, we will meet our commitment to recruit and retain thousands of personal support workers over the next few years.”

The wage increase extension also comes as many doctors, personal support workers and other health-care professionals are retiring or leaving the profession due to burnout from working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phillips says the Ontario government plans to hire 193 long-term care home inspectors by next fall.

He announced Tuesday the province plans to spend $20 million to create a ratio of one inspector for every two long-term care homes and will allow for more proactive visits.

He says the government is following recommendations from the commission that examined conditions in Ontario’s long-term care homes, which saw thousands of COVID-19 deaths and infections during the pandemic.