Hospital cuts could cost 1,000 jobs as health workers rally in Brockville

The rally is set for 10 a.m. at 9 Broad St

Health-care workers with the Canadian Union of Public Employees will rally today outside the office of Steve Clark to protest planned hospital funding cuts.

The union says the province’s fall economic statement outlines a 10 per cent real funding reduction over three years by 2027-28. CUPE warns more than 1,000 nursing and personal support worker jobs could be lost across Ontario if funding is not increased.

CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions says about 45 positions could disappear in Brockville alone. The union cites projections from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario that estimate 2,450 hospital beds and 9,000 health-care jobs could be cut provincewide.

At Brockville General Hospital, patients admitted through the emergency room wait an average of 17 hours for a bed.

The rally is set for 10 a.m. at 9 Broad St.

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