You might not realize that Ontario’s more than 200,000 community health sector workers are paid significantly less than their colleagues who do similar work in hospitals and schools. The wage gap has grown to an astounding $2 billion making it harder than ever to recruit and retain skilled staff. The rising cost of living only compounds this challenge. Put into perspective, the sector saw only a 1.53% average salary increase in 2023; their peers in other sectors received up to 11%.
On a local level, this wage disparity directly impacts the staff at Seaway Valley Community Health Centre (SVCHC): your doctors, nurse-practitioners, nurses, dietitians, social workers, health educators, respiratory therapists, physiotherapists, and other frontline health care workers.
Our staff at SVCHC receive significantly less compensation compared to their peers in the hospital. They are equally as passionate and dedicated to their work—and to their community—as their counterparts but we know that this wage gap, paired with inflation, causes real hardship for our staff and the sector as a whole.
Why This Matters to Us All
Last year, 94% of community health organizations across the province reported that wage disparities were the primary barrier to hiring and keeping staff. For SVCHC, that results in reduced services due to vacancies in positions, longer wait times, and increasing pressure on the already stretched health system.
This problem isn’t abstract—it’s personal. When a friend can’t access mental health support, when a parent struggles to find care for their child’s chronic condition, when an adult with a disability cannot get the support they need, or when an elderly neighbor faces delays in treatment, it affects all of us. We are seeing this play out in real time: longer wait times for appointments, strained families and caregivers, and overcrowded hospital emergency departments.
Time to Take Action
The Ontario government has made some promising investments in primary care. That’s a start. Now we need to call upon them to address the wage disparities.
We can’t afford to let this go unaddressed. Without immediate action to make wages competitive, the SVCHC—and Ontario’s community health sector—won’t be able to continue fulfilling its critical role. Services will shrink, wait times will grow, and our region’s residents will be left without the support they need.
As a community, it’s time for us to speak up and we invite you to show your support of SVCHC and all community health workers—and a healthy future for our community—by signing the petition at: https://chng.it/RysWwg74yv With your signature, you’ll help us advocate for fair wages and keeping essential health services available to everyone.
Let’s make sure the SVCHC can continue to be there for us all. Together, we can build a stronger, healthier community.
Respectfully,
Cindy Drouin, President, SVCHC Board of Directors
Erin Killoran, Executive Director, SVCHC
