Funding Private Health Care in Ontario Costs More and Leads to Longer Waits

Funding private health care in Ontario costs more and leads to longer waits

Amid belt-tightening at Sarnia’s hospital, and others in Ontario, provincial investment in for-profit clinics has been on the rise, a new study says.

Ontario’s hospital privatization plan ‘not adding up’ as public funding on for-profit clinics balloons, local hospital capacity is under-utilized and wait-times increase: new CCPA Report | OCHU * CUPE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ontario’s hospital privatization plan ‘not adding up’ as public funding on for-profit clinics balloons, local hospital capacity is under-utilized and wait-times increase: new CCPA Report Sault Ste. Marie, ON – Ontario’s funding of for-profit medical imaging (MRI) and surgical services is increasing wait times and threatening public health care, says a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).  In Not adding up: Surgical and diagnostic privatization in Ontario, CCPA Senior Researcher Andrew Longhurst analyses unpublished data – obtained through Freedom of Information requests – from Ontario’s 918 licensed private centres and two private hospitals offering publicly funded health services and finds that this privatization does not serve the public interest.   The report will be released at a press conference in Sault Ste. Marie on Sunday morning.  Longhurst will be joined by Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE), to speak about the research findings and the unused capacity at the Sault Area Hospital that can be used to reduce wait-times.   When:  10 a.m. on Sunday, October 4 Where: Rhodes Community Centre Pool, 260 Elizabeth St. Sault Ste. Marie, ONWhat:   Media conference to release findings of new CCPA research report about privatization of hospital surgeries and diagnostic tests   Who:   Andrew Longhurst, Senior Researcher, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives            Michael Hurley, President, Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE)   For more information please contact:Zee Noorsumar,  CUPE Communications znoorsumar@cupe.ca 647-995-9859  ← Previous Other Articles Ontario’s hospital privatization plan ‘not adding up’ as public funding on for-profit clinics balloons, local hospital capacity is under-utilized and wait-times increase: new CCPA Report Sep 29, 2026 | Media Releasesread more Ontario’s hospital privatization plan ‘not adding up’ as public funding on for-profit clinics balloons, local hospital capacity is under-utilized and wait-times increase: new CCPA Report Sep 29, 2026 | Media Releasesread more Ontario’s hospital privatization plan ‘not adding up’ as public funding on for-profit clinics balloons, local hospital capacity is under utilized and wait-times increase: new CCPA Report Sep 28, 2026 | Media Releasesread more Ontario’s hospital privatization plan ‘not adding up’ as public funding on for-profit clinics balloons while wait-times increase: new CCPA Report Sep 24, 2026 | Media Releasesread more CUPE to launch major fightback campaign against Hamilton hospital staffing cuts Sep 23, 2026 | Media Releasesread more CUPE to fight 413 job cuts at Hamilton Health Sciences, calls on the province to fully cover hospital’s operational cost Sep 21, 2026 | Media Releasesread more « Older Entries