Ontario Hospitals Struggle Financially, Despite Provincial Aid

0:00It's April 7th. This is Calgary News today, AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Cory with the story. Ontario hospitals are hurting financially, running deep deficits even with recent cash injections from the province. A review of 23 Eastern Ontario hospital groups over the past three years shows eight state in the red every single year. Many are leaning on high-interest bank loans just to keep lights on, paying out hundreds of thousands in interest. The province dropped $1.1 billion extra into hospitals this year, calling it a big efficiency boost. But groups like the Ontario Hospital Association say it's way short of what's needed to cover rising costs. Advocates and experts of sounding alarms, calling these deficits, destabilizing for patient care, and mid-doctor shortages and emergency room shutdowns. Natalie Mera, from the Ontario Health Coalition, points out taxpayers foot the bill for their private debt interest instead of direct funding. Health economists like Mediammi stressed this is a structural mess, not fixed by one-off

1:03payments, hospitals need steady-based funding, not band-aids. Places like Montfort and CHEO balance daily operations but dip red when counting building where and loan costs. The government now wants three years. Plans to even out by 2028. Rural spots like Perth and Smith's Falls face the worst, with millions in debt and plans for more short-term borrowing. Until base funding ramps up across the board, these money woes could keep squeezing care for everyone in the region.