Home care nurses across Ontario are calling for pay equity, saying they deserve the same wages as their hospital-based colleagues as bargaining begins on a new contract.
The Ontario Nurses’ Association, which represents about 230 nurses working in home care with the Victorian Order of Nurses, argues that the wage gap has grown too wide and is creating a crisis in the sector.
Home care nurses can make up to $20 less per hour than hospital nurses, even though they share the same education, licensing requirements, and often face greater risks on the job.
The union says the pay disparity became especially clear during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many nurses left home care positions for higher-paying jobs in hospitals.
Safety concerns are also driving the push for better compensation, with data from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board showing more than 2,100 violent incidents against nurses working in homes in just the last two years.
According to the union, home care nurses face five times the rate of workplace violence compared to hospital nurses, while also enduring long drives between patients and caring for heavy caseloads.