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Aug 16 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
#StarInvestigation: Spending on temporary agency nurses has soared by millions of dollars at some of Ontario’s largest hospitals grappling with severe staffing shortages.

One paid over 550% more in its last fiscal year compared to pre-pandemic years.
thestar.com/news/investiga…
Critics say hospitals turning to nursing agencies is a dangerous symptom of deeper dysfunction in hospitals, where exhausted nurses are leaving permanent jobs for flexible gigs at privately owned temp agencies that pay more. thestar.com/news/investiga…
“Agency nursing is a form of privatization,” said Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario. “And really, the ones who are making the mega money are the agencies.”
thestar.com/news/investiga…
In its last fiscal year ending March 2022, the University Health Network, Canada’s largest research and teaching hospital network, has already spent $6.7 million on agency nurses — a significant jump compared to 2018, when it spent $1.035 million.
thestar.com/news/investiga…
“There’s no transparency and these are public dollars going to private agencies that we hear are charging two, three and four times the salary of a nurse for each shift," said Linda Silas, president of the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions.
thestar.com/news/investiga…
A morale-crushing confluence of factors — from stagnant wages and pandemic burnout to soaring living costs — has pushed some nurses into agencies’ arms.

But the trend is "going to bankrupt health care,” said the Ontario Nurses’ Association president. thestar.com/news/investiga…
The Star requested a breakdown of agency staffing expenditure over the past four years at 23 of the province’s largest acute care hospitals and regional health centres. thestar.com/news/investiga…

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More from @TorontoStar

Toronto Star Profile picture
Aug 17
#StarExclusive: Toronto voters won’t know the outcome of a conflict of interest complaint against Mayor John Tory before the upcoming election.

The Integrity Commissioner said there isn’t enough time to complete an investigation before Aug. 19. torstar.co/qbZq50Km8na
Integrity Commissioner Jonathan Batty has determined there’s not enough time to complete his investigation into the matter, which centres on the mayor’s ties to the Rogers corporation, before a provincially mandated deadline Friday. thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
In a statement to the Star, complainant Adam Chaleff said he would ask the commissioner to relaunch his investigation after election day.

According to Chaleff, Batty has not yet interviewed him for the investigation. thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
Read 5 tweets
Toronto Star Profile picture
Aug 17
In a battle against Biway, Future Shop and Grand & Toy, Zellers was your favourite Canadian department store.

Now it's coming back.

What's your favourite Zellers memory? thestar.com/news/gta/2021/…
The return of Zellers comes as soaring inflation drives consumers to discount retailers in search of lower prices and fierce competition from existing stores like Walmart, Dollarama and Giant Tiger.
thestar.com/business/2022/…
There's also an ongoing lawsuit over a Quebec family’s use of the Zellers brand.

Retail analyst Bruce Winder said the reintroduction of Zellers likely stems in part from the lawsuit.
thestar.com/business/2022/… Image
Read 4 tweets
Toronto Star Profile picture
Aug 17
#StarExclusive: Ambulatory care shut down. Patients on stretchers for hours. No functional resuscitation area. A sick child unmonitored.

This is the picture of chaos over a weekend painted by 40 physicians at St. Joseph’s ER — one of Toronto’s busiest. thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
In a letter to hospital management and the heads of Unity Health, emergency doctors describe a system teetering on the brink as they express their “grave concern” with a lack of nurses and beds while pleading for help from Unity’s leadership.
thestar.com/news/gta/2022/… Image
“The situation is a threat to patient safety, patient quality of medical care, and patient experience. We witness a demoralized, frustrated and burned-out staff. The department is routinely an unsafe space for professional practice as well.”
thestar.com/news/gta/2022/…
Read 5 tweets
Toronto Star Profile picture
Aug 17
More criticism flowed Tuesday over what some past and present CTV News employees are describing as a “culture of fear” within the organization, a day after it emerged that the network had ended Lisa LaFlamme's contract.
thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Several CTV News employees who spoke to the Star said the end of LaFlamme’s 35 years with the company marked the loss of another female role model, referring to the recent exit of "barrier-breaker" Wendy Freeman.
thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Several CTV employees have told the Star they lay blame for what they describe as a difficult climate at the feet of Michael Melling, the head of news, while one said the issues in the organization predate him, but have been “amplified” during his tenure.
thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Read 8 tweets
Toronto Star Profile picture
Aug 15
Josepha Mukagatare, 75, saved for three years for a trip to Rwanda to watch her grandson graduate.

But then a boarding agent wouldn’t let the dual Rwandan Canadian fly home without a visa.

“When I was told I was not going, I was sad." torstar.co/2q4p50Kkp2h
Mukagatare showed up at Toronto’s Pearson Airport on July 14 only to be denied boarding as a result of a snafu on Air Canada’s part over Rwanda’s visa requirement. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
According to Rwanda’s Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration, travellers from Commonwealth countries including Canada can get visa upon arrival in Rwanda, and have visa fees waived for a stay of 30 days. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Read 6 tweets
Toronto Star Profile picture
Aug 15
#Breaking: Lisa LaFlamme out at CTV news.

Bell Media announces it part ways with longtime news anchor. thestar.com/news/2022/08/1…
LaFlamme has been a journalist at CTV for 35 years and says the “business decision” by Bell Media to terminate her contract was sudden.

thestar.com/news/2022/08/1… Image
LaFlamme covered some of the most important stories during her tenure with the company, including the war in Afghanistan, federal elections, natural disasters, the global pandemic and most recently the papal visit in Canada. thestar.com/news/2022/08/1…
Read 4 tweets

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