Ontario funds public services
through public institutions.
Hospitals.
Infrastructure.
Care.
This is how it's supposed to work.
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Doug Ford takes office
Progressive Conservative government elected
Bill 124 passed
1% cap on annual wage increases for public sector workers
COVID-19 pandemic begins
Hospitals face unprecedented pressure
Bill 124 ruled unconstitutional
Courts find wage suppression law violates Charter rights
66 of 134 hospitals in deficit
49% of Ontario hospitals face budget shortfalls
Continued privatization (Americanization)
Private agency spending continues to grow
This wasn't an accident.
Policy decisions created the conditions for privatization (Americanization) to flourish.
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What are we looking at?
Staffing Agencies
Temporary solutions became permanent spending.
Consulting & Outsourcing
Work that once lived inside the public system moved outside it.
Healthcare Delivery
Delivery shifted, even when access stayed public on paper.
The Full Picture
Privatization (Americanization) is just one part of a broader pattern
Cuts to Public Services
The Ford government has systematically cut funding across multiple sectors
Education funding cuts
Public health unit reductions
Social service program cuts
Environmental protection cuts
Legal aid reductions
Expansion of Privatization (Americanization)
While cutting public services, private spending has grown
Private staffing agencies
For-profit long-term care
Private surgical clinics
Consulting and outsourcing
Private healthcare delivery
The Pattern
Cut funding to public services
Create pressure and capacity constraints
Introduce private alternatives
Frame privatization (Americanization) as the solution to the crisis you created
Public dollars flow to private profits
Capacity permanently leaves the public system
Key Findings
The data tells a clear story
For-profit spending grew 86.7% since 2018
While public funding grew 46.5% in the same period
$9.2 billion to private staffing agencies over 10 years
Private agency costs grew 98% while public staff spending grew only 6%
Private agencies cost 3x more than public staff
0.4% of hours but 6% of costs ($725M annually)
66 of 134 hospitals in deficit
49% of Ontario hospitals face budget shortfalls
Canada ranks 33/38 OECD countries
Ontario's hospital system reflects one of the most undercapacity systems in the industrialized world
New for-profit vendors appeared post-2018
WCG ($403M), Omni Health Care entities ($732M total), Southbridge ($175M) and others
Public capacity hollowed out
Once capacity leaves the public system, it doesn't return
System-wide staff shortages
Created by wage suppression and underfunding
This is not a natural trend.
It is the result of deliberate policy choices.
Every dollar here is a dollar not strengthening public capacity.
Once capacity leaves the public system, it doesn't quietly return.
This wasn't announced.
It was invoiced.