Ontario is introducing A Plan to Stay Open, which includes legislation that, if passed, will expand on policies and measures already in place to ensure the province is able to stay open by building a stronger, more resilient health care system that is better able to respond to crisis.
A Plan to Stay Open, which includes the Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Act, 2022, will, if passed, recruit and retain more doctors, nurses and personal support workers, further expand domestic production of critical supplies like masks and vaccines and will continue building health care infrastructure so hospitals have the capacity to delver high-quality care to treat more patients.
Among the proposed measures to recruit more doctors, nurses and personal support workers to the province’s health system are:
- launching a new “Learn and Stay” program offering grants to cover education costs, including for tuition and books, for eligible graduates and students in exchange for committing to practice for two years in an underserved community.
Recognized for commitment to excellence in nursing education, Brock University has the highest level of accreditation granted by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing.
- Making it easier and quicker for foreign-credentialed health workers to begin practicing in Ontario by reducing barriers to registering with and being recognized by health regulatory colleges.
- Training more doctors through expanding medical school education by adding 160 undergraduate seats and 295 postgraduate positions over the next five years.
- investing to support the clinical education component in Ontario’s nursing education programs enabling publicly assisted colleges and universities to expand laboratory capacity supports and hands-on learning for students.
A Plan to Stay Open, if passed, will also help shore up domestic production of critical supplies such, as PPE, with a number of measures, including launch a strategy to support early-stage companies, attract new investment and encourage early adoption of Ontario-made innovations in our hospitals and health system. If passed, the plan will also add 3,000 critical care unit hospital beds to Ontario capacity over 10 years.