Meanwhile, Health Sciences North as issued a statement saying its working on a plan to grow the hospital’s bed count to more than 800 by 2043
In light of a new report from Ontario’s largest health care union predicting staff and bed shortages that will hit the Nickel City hard in the coming years, Sudbury MPP Jamie West and Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas are calling for action on what they are calling “calculated choices” by the Ford government.
Meanwhile, Health Sciences North, which was featured prominently in the report, disputes the projections by the health care union and says it’s working with the Ministry of Health to grow the hospital’s bed count to 800 over the next 17 years.
What did the report say
“When hospitals are forced to cut staff and beds, we see longer waits, hallway health care and communities losing the care they count on,” Gélinas said in a press release. “Once again, Ford is turning his back on Northern Ontario and Sudbury.”
The report, “Driven to the brink: projected cuts to intensify hospital crisis” was authored by the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE/OCHU) and was released to the public on Feb. 10.
In addition to long wait times being exacerbated by staff shortages, Sudbury has a high rate of readmission, said the CUPE/OCHU representatives who visited Sudbury. That means people are heading back to the hospital after being discharged, sometimes with worsened symptoms or treatment needs.
The report contains warnings of longer wait-times, rushed care, preventable mistakes and overcrowded hallways sharpened with data from Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office. The report estimates Health Sciences North could lose about 35 staffed beds by 2027-28 and CUPE estimates that the hospital must add about 25 beds just to maintain existing service levels. It also predicts the city could lose 135 nurses and PSWs.
“What’s happening in Sudbury is a symptom of a much bigger problem,” said Gélinas. “Ford and his government are starving our health-care system of the funding it desperately needs and the North is feeling the deepest impacts of those choices.”
The report also states the government’s plan would bring the loss of more than 9,000 nurses and personal support worker positions across the Ontario health care sector by 2027-28 and from there.
“These aren’t just numbers on a page, these are the hard-working frontline health care workers who provide care and support to our loved ones”, said West in the release. “Northern communities are already stretched thin. We’re tired of being forgotten and forced to pick up the pieces of a system that needs more support not cuts.”
West said in the press release that hospital staff and workers “deserve better from this Conservative government as they continue to worsen hallway medicine and allow layoffs like the Liberals before them,” stated West. “Northern Ontario deserves better and cannot afford further erosion to our health care services.”
You can find the full report here.
What does the hospital say
In a statement issued Friday afternoon and one that made clear no interviews would be granted this week, but “we can look at availability next week”, HSN rejected the conclusions of the report and highlighted an expansion plan it unveiled in 2025.
The statement says the hospital wants to provide “clarity” on the CUPE report.
“While we recognize the concerns being raised, the projections referenced do not reflect HSN’s current operational plans,” the statement reads. “We continue to work closely with Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health to ensure the long-term sustainability of healthcare (sic) services in Northeastern Ontario.”
The hospital then highlight the high patient demand it continues to experience, pointing to it operating at 123-per-cent capacity on Feb. 13, the day the statement was issued. Operating over-capacity is common at HSN, the statement added.
“Our hospital routinely operates at 120-per-cent capacity, and between 120 and 130 patients receive care in hallways, tub rooms, the Emergency Department, or in temporary placements such as retirement homes each day,” HSN said.
The hospital then highlighted a plan it unveiled in 2025 towards its expansion, saying the Ministry of Health is aware of the hospital’s capacity challenges.
The statement says HSN’s current bed count is 528 at the Ramsey Lake Health Centre and Kirkwood sites, with a plan to expand in Phase 1 to 750 beds by 2034 and by more than 800 by 2043 in Phase 2.
