Robin Lennox MPP, Hamilton Centre

Join us on Sunday, February 22nd to speak with our friends and neighbours about the future of healthcare.
We know that now is the time for the provincial government to invest in healthcare for our seniors, our children, and our families.

What we know:

• In November 2024, the Ontario government announced funding to redevelop the Special Care Nursery at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. However, due to funding shortfalls, this project has been cancelled.
• The delay of the NICU expansion is happening at the same time the hospital is moving forward with a $9.1‑million cost‑cutting plan announced in November.
• St. Joseph’s is currently facing a $25‑million deficit on its approximately $800‑million budget for the fiscal year ending March 31.
• On January 22nd, MPP Lennox joined healthcare workers and community members outside St. Joseph’s as it was announced that 62 hospital jobs were being cut.
• At least 1,000 hospital jobs are being cut across Ontario, including in North Bay, Hamilton, Ottawa, Niagara, and the GTA.
• More than 60% of Ontario hospitals ended the 2025 fiscal year in deficit, and many, including major hospitals, have had to borrow from banks, spending millions on interest payments.
• As of March 2025, Ontario hospitals owed more than $66 million to banks. Hamilton Health Sciences alone owed $40 million on two lines of credit, and paid almost $2 million in interest in the 2024–25 fiscal year.
• The Financial Accountability Office has projected that Ontario could lose more than 7,000 nurses by 2028 due to underfunding.
• 73,000 patients waited longer than medically recommended for surgery-double the number from 2019.
• About 2,000 patients each day receive care in hallways, storage rooms, and other unsuitable spaces because hospitals do not have enough capacity.