This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
'From hospitals to property assessment to child support payments, home care and colleges, it all screams of a system that is underfunded and understaffed.' - Warren (Smokey) Thomas.
Toronto (8 Dec. 2010) - The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) says the latest auditor general's report underscores the need for the McGuinty government to stop handing out billions in corporate tax cuts and invest the money in public services.
OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas says Auditor General Jim McCarter covered many areas in his report but his advice boils down to the need for more services and staffing.
“From hospitals to property assessment to child support payments, home care and colleges, it all screams of a system that is underfunded and understaffed,” Thomas says.
“The province is bleeding the coffers dry giving money to huge corporations while thousands wait for hospital beds, quality home care, money for children and accurate property valuations.”
Among the highlights of the report:
- From 2008/09 to 2009/10 there were 400 fewer hospital beds – the equivalent of removing a medium to large urban hospital – which forces hospitals to discharge patients sooner than they otherwise would.
- Inconsistent rates for home care and lack of oversight on the quality of care given.
- Incomplete, overdue and inaccurate property assessments due to chronic understaffing.
- Huge backlogs at the Family Responsibility Office (FRO) causing undue delays in support payment processing.
- Lack of funding to maintain and repair infrastructure at Ontario’s 24 community colleges.
“For months, we have been telling the McGuinty government that the billions of dollars that flow into the pockets of mega-rich corporations should instead be put towards improving the quality of public services in this province,” Thomas says.
“It takes money to maintain the quality of life for all Ontario families. It is time that Queen’s Park stopped kowtowing to big business and shifted its focus to the people who pay hard-earned tax dollars to the government. They have a right to expect better for their money.”
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE