Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
Published Tuesday, March 26, 2024 4:21PM EDT
Last Updated Tuesday, March 26, 2024 4:50PM EDT
TORONTO – Ontario is set to inject billions of new dollars into health care, the budget for the upcoming fiscal year shows.
The province said it is investing $2 billion over three years in home care services, nearly $1 billion more for hospitals and hundreds of millions to expand primary care coverage.
“Ontarians are also counting on us to maintain a strong health-care system now and for future generations,” said Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy as he released the budget on Tuesday.
The province previously committed $1 billion over three years as part of its reforms for home and community care, which sees care providedat home or in a community setting by nurses, personal support workers and others.
“I don’t know many people who don’t want to age at home with their loved ones in familiar surroundings,” Bethlenfalvy said.
The finance minister said the new money for home care will be spent on increasing compensation for nurses, personal support workers and other front-line home care providers.
“A big chunk of this money is going to supporting the wages and recruiting and retaining more health-care workers so they can take care of people where they want to be taken care of,” Bethlenfalvy said.
Home care agencies have struggled to attract and retain nurses and personal support workers because there is more pay for those professions in hospitals and long-term care homes.
Home Care Ontario, which represents agencies that provide about 28,000 health-care workers who are sent to people’s homes, applauded the new funding.
“Today’s historic investment in the province’s home care system is great news for