“Stop the cuts at Bruyere Health:” CUPE to present worker-community petition to hospital management at rally on September 10

Skip to Content News Archives Economy Energy Oil & Gas Renewables Electric Vehicles Mining Commodities Agriculture Real Estate Mortgages Mortgage Rates Finance Banking Insurance Fintech Cryptocurrency Work Wealth Smart Money Wealth Management Investor Personal Finance Family Finance Retirement Taxes High Net Worth FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials More Innovation Information Technology FP500 Podcasts Small Business Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Financial Post Store Obituaries Place a Notice Advertising Advertising With Us Advertising Solutions Postmedia Ad Manager Sponsorship Requests Classifieds Place a Classifieds ad Working Profile Settings My Subscriptions My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ News Economy Energy Mining Real Estate Finance Work Wealth Investor FP Comment Executive Women Puzzmo Newsletters Financial Times Business Essentials This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.HomeBusiness Wire News ReleasesPMN Press ReleasesThis section is The content in this section is supplied by Business Wire for the purposes of distributing press releases on behalf of its clients. Postmedia has not reviewed the content. by Business Wire "Stop the cuts at Bruyere Health:" CUPE to present worker-community petition to hospital management at rally on September 10Author of the article:CUPE has collected 1,400 petition signatures from hospital workers and community supporters in defense of frontline careTHIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLYSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman, and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESSubscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Exclusive articles from Barbara Shecter, Joe O'Connor, Gabriel Friedman and others.Daily content from Financial Times, the world's leading global business publication.Unlimited online access to read articles from Financial Post, National Post and 15 news sites across Canada with one account.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountOTTAWA — The workers at Bruyere Health have found strong community support in their campaign to stop the degradation of care at their hospital, where 55 frontline jobs are being axed.Over the past few weeks, 1,400 people have signed a petition imploring hospital management to “Stop the Cuts.” On September 10, CUPE 4540 leaders will be holding a rally and presenting a blown-up version of the petition to management.In March, the hospital announced it will be eliminating 9 registered practical nurses (RPN) and 46 personal care aide (PCA) positions. The PCA cuts represent 30 per cent of the workers assisting patients with activities of daily living including walking, toileting, and bathing.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againDouglas Currier, the president of CUPE 4540, representing 875 staff at Bruyere, says these drastic measures take away from the goal of providing safe patient care. He said the PCA cuts shift the burden of providing personal care to RPNs, who are already stretched thin due to their own workload issues. In a Dec. 2025 CUPE survey, 67 per cent staff reported working through their scheduled breaks.The cuts at Bruyere are part of a broader trend of about 2,000 layoffs in the hospital sector because of provincial austerity policies. While hospitals say costs are rising by 6 per cent annually, the Ford government has merely allocated a 3.3 per cent funding increase for 2026-27 – a real dollar funding cut accounting for inflation.“The Ford government has taken a wrecking ball to our health care system that we condemn in the strongest terms,” said Douglas Currier, president of CUPE 4540 at Bruyere and a registered practical nurse with over 30 years of experience.“I have spoken with hundreds of frontline staff, and they are beyond exasperated by these unconscionable decisions. These changes are intensifying workloads and will lead to more injuries and workplace violence, and poorer quality of care,” he said.Currier said that while government funding cuts are the main problem, the hospital management should have explored other avenues to reduce its fiscal deficit.Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE), said that the government’s constant drive to reduce health care spending was badly hurting communities that desperately rely on local hospitals like Bruyere. Ontario has the lowest per-person hospital spending in Canada.“The population in this community is growing and aging, but their local hospitals are being choked of funding in the face of rising demand,” he said. “The cuts at Elisabeth-Bruyere hit a particularly vulnerable patient population. These cuts withdraw thousands of hours of personal and nursing care from patients with very complex medical conditions, many of whom are permanently bedridden. The Ford government must be held to account for the consequences of their hospital funding cutbacks.”The successful petition drive shows that the community and workers are united in this fight, and they will continue campaigning to improve services at Bruyere, Currier said.Who:Bruyere Health staff (represented by CUPE 4540) & community allies Douglas Currier, president, CUPE 4540, representing staff at Bruyere Health Michael Hurley, president, CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE)Sharon Richer, secretary-treasurer, OCHU-CUPESuzanne Pinel-Asselin, Francophone vice president, OCHU-CUPEWhat:CUPE 4540 rally against staffing cuts at BruyereWhen:11:30 a.m., Thursday, September 10Where:Bruyère Health Saint-Vincent Hospital, 60 Cambridge St. N., OttawaView source version on businesswire.com: For more information, contact: Zee Noorsumar, CUPE CommunicationsThis advertisement has not loaded yet.Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.