Hospital Professionals Division

St. Thomas Elgin spends $550k on new employee monitoring system at a time of cuts

March 18, 2010 St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital is installing a $550,000 biometric scanning device for monitoring their employees at a time the hospital is making cuts to outpatient laboratory testing and diagnostic imaging more...

Cuts to Northumberland Hills Hospital leave residents without access to publicly-funded outpatient rehab services

March 4, 2010 The Northumberland Hills Hospital is making deep cuts to patient services, leaving the county with fewer beds, no publicly-funded outpatient rehab services, and closure of the diabetes education and outreach program. more...

St. Thomas Elgin Hospital cuts diagnostic and lab services - OPSEU

February 19, 2010 ST. THOMAS Despite emerging from its financial deficit, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH) is cutting services that will limit access to outpatient lab testing, increase waits for diagnostic imaging, and impact jobs in the community. Six positions are expected to be eliminated from the lab and diagnostic imaging – this at a time when the Ontario government is spending to stimulate new jobs in the economy. more…

Despite surplus, Rouge Valley announces more layoffs of professional staff

February 5, 2010 Despite running a surplus, Rouge Valley Health System has given notice of layoff this week, claiming the cuts are part of their third-year deficit elimination plan. more...

Stand up for our public hospitals

Board dismisses hospitals’ request to file more evidence

October 23, 2009 Your bargaining team is happy to inform you that the Board of Arbitration has dismissed the hospitals' request to introduce further evidence. Now the Board can focus on our award. We will inform you of the details when it is received.

NUPGE calls for N95 respirators for all health care workers

September 8, 2009 The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) says all health care workers exposed to a pandemic flu virus like H1N1 should be given fit-tested NIOSH approved N95 respirators to protect them on the job. more...

HPD launches sweeping radio blitz today

June 26, 2009 With arbitration heading into its final day next week, Hospitals Professionals have launched a massive radio advertising campaign calling for respect and equality with other health care professionals more...

MAHC dodges public consultations

June 23, 2009 As it prepares to close Burk’s Falls hospital, Muskoka Algonquin Health Care is carefully avoiding any meaningful public consultation more...

Hospital restructuring summit set for Oshawa

The Central East LHIN has developed a plan to reorganize hospital services across the region. On Monday April 20, 2009 a free hospital summit will be held in Oshawa from 10 am to 4 pm, at the Tosca Banquet and Conference Centre: 800 Champlain Ave. Guest speaker John Lister, Director of the London Health Emergency Coalition and author of Health Policy Reform: Driving the Wrong Way, will lead a high-level briefing of the LHIN plan, discuss its implications and cover various strategies for action.

We encourage OPSEU members to attend and show support for their community hospitals. Please register in advance by filling out the following form:

Staff shortages inevitable as HPD heads into arbitration

February 25, 2009 OPSEU negotiators are warning that Ontario hospitals face a shortfall in hospital professionals more...

For additional HPD Bargaining news and information, click here

Muskoka loses local community lab testing today

Company walks away from private physio contract at Kincardine hospital

January 6, 2009 OPSEU has won a battle against a controversial decision to contract out in-patient physiotherapy at the Kincardine hospital. more…

Smitherman a no-show at Hamilton demonstration

December 1, 2008 Deputy premier and former health minister George Smitherman was absent from a ceremony at the Centre for Mountain Health Services in Hamilton on Saturday where more than 100 unionists demonstrated against service and job cuts more...

OPSEU hospital professionals march on Caplan constituency office

November 21, 2008 More than 100 members of the OPSEU Hospital Professionals Division marched to Health Minister David Caplan’s Toronto constituency office November 21 to ask for a halt to the present round of hospital cuts. more…

Ministry will say anything to justify bad lab decision -- Thomas

Ontario hospitals on the brink

Rouge Valley layoffs backfire as Ajax mental health services struggle to continue

August 20, 2008 AJAX – Despite paying out costly severance packages, the Rouge Valley Health System is trying to hire back limited staff on a casual basis to try and keep mental health services going at the Ajax hospital. more...

Massive crowd denounces health care privatization in Bruce County

July 31, 2008 KINCARDINE - More than 250 members of the community picked up OPSEU picket signs this morning to voice a loud protest against privatization of this southwestern Ontario town’s hospital physiotherapy clinic. more...

President Thomas to visit North Bay Aug 5

July 30, 2008 With North Bay's new hospital moving closer to completion, OPSEU is extending its appreciation to dozens of its members who officially changed employer June 30. more...

Community mobilizes to stop private clinic – picket planned

July 28, 2008 Community protests are growing against a decision to privatize the Kincardine Hospital’s physiotherapy services. A picket is planned for Thursday. more...

Kincardine residents must pay for previously covered services

July 16, 2008 A private for-profit physiotherapy company is moving into the Kincardine Hospital, charging for outpatient services that used to be publicly-funded. more...

First test of LHIN legislation Friday

July 10, 2008 The first test of legislation creating the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) will go before the courts on Friday. more...

HPD Scholarship deadline extended to Sept. 1

July 8, 2008 Your HPD Executive has extended the deadline for the HPD Scholarships to Sept. 1, 2008.
Details of the scholarships

Health care activists to converge at Rouge Valley Hospital Monday to stop

erosion of services

June 23, 2008 Defenders of public health care and front line workers picketed today at the Rouge Valley Hospital System’s Centenary site more...

Central East LHIN threatens jobs in Scarborough and Durham

OPSEU, ONA ask “Why kick Durham region when it is down?”

June 6, 2008 With horrific cuts in the auto industry devastating Durham Region, it’s a fine time to kick the mental health supports out from under the area’s residents, say unions representing the workers in the affected communities. more...

Rouge Valley Health System to cut more than 60 Beds

LHIN runs from criticism over mental health cuts at Ajax-Pickering

June 3, 2008 The Central East Local Health Integration Network is running from criticism over proposed cuts to mental health beds at the Ajax-Pickering site of the Rouge Valley Health System - literally .more...

Rouge Valley: What's going on?

June 2, 2008 Hospital adds more mental health staff as beds are cut in Ajax.. more...

More than 700 attend rally in Ajax to save hospital services

May 5, 2008 Despite a tremendous downpour, more than 700 members of the community attended a rally in Ajax May 3 to save mental health beds at the Ajax-Pickering hospital. OPSEU Vice-President/ Treasurer Patty Rout spoke at the event. View photos.

Ajax Rally

April 28, 2008 Ajax Rally - Saturday May 3rd to save mental health beds at the Ajax-Pickering hospital. Meet at 12:30 Noon at the Ajax Town Hall. Click here to download poster.

HPD Pay Equity Meeting

April 11, 2008 OPSEU and the Participating Hospitals have agreed to hold a day-long information and training session on the roll-out of our central pay equity process on May 29, 2008, in Toronto. More…

HPD Pre-bargaining conference May 30

April 11, 2008 The pre-bargaining conference will be held Friday May 30, 2008. Details and conference documents…

Escalating shortage of lab professionals threatens patient care

April 10, 2008 In the lead-up to National Medical Laboratory Week, Canada’s largest organization of health science professionals is sounding alarm bells that accessible and high quality patient care is threatened by an escalating shortage of medical laboratory technologists across the country. more...

HPD Pay Equity steering committee update

March 26, 2008 The Hospital Professionals Division’s Central Pay Equity Steering Committee has been hard at work. More...

NEWS RELEASE

Diagnostic errors could rise if lab shortages not addressed -- OPSEU

March 17, 2008 Province is sleepwalking on issue of lab shortages -- Patty Rout more...

Fifth anniversary of a great OPSEU victory

February 13, 2008 It was a cold and snowy day across Ontario – minus 38 degrees in Timmins – when OPSEU hospital professionals took a stand in a rousing and successful Day of Action, Feb. 13, 2003. more...

December 11, 2007 Lakeridge Healthcare Corporation and OPSEU Local 348, supplementary award on uniforms. More...

Local interest arbitration hearings done
October 3, 2007 All HPD Local Interest Arbitration hearings for the 2006-2009 round have been completed. More...

Shortage of professionals causes hospital waits
August 16, 2007 OPSEU First Vice-President/Treasurer Patty Rout responds to a Toronto Sun article about MRI wait times more...

August 2, 2007 Rally at Hamilton St. Joseph’s Healthcare About 70 activists rallied Aug. 1 outside Hamilton’s St. Joseph’s Healthcare. Meanwhile inside, the hospital issued layoff notices to staff who work at three lab collection sites. More…

July 9, 2007 St. Joseph's Healthcare closing three lab sites On Oct. 31, 2007, St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton will close the three remaining community labs that it operates. About 20 full and part-time employees will be affected. OPSEU members can sign Local 206’s petition. more...

Workload Forms
HPD Members have the right to bring workload issues to the attention of the employer. Download workload alert forms and explanatory note.