Premier Doug Ford is poised to introduce changes that would allow Canadian health care workers registered or licensed in other provinces to begin practicing immediately in Ontario.
Currently, health professionals must be registered with one of Ontario's health regulatory colleges before working in the province. However, in an effort to "overcome bureaucratic delays," Ontario is prepared to relax those rules.
The Ford government said it will introduce these legislative changes in February.
We must be bold, innovative and creative and today we are doing just that. In February our government will introduce new legislation that, if passed, will allow Canadian health care workers who are registered or licensed in other provinces or territories to practice in Ontario immediately, without having to re-register. We have called this new rule "as of right" and with it Ontario will be the first province in Canada to implement it. So, to nurses, doctors and health care workers across Canada: if you have been thinking about making Ontario your new home, now is the time to make it happen, we are here waiting for you with open arms and jobs to fill.
This announcement comes just days after Ford announced the province's plan to invest in private clinics to perform more procedures. Critics have expressed concern about how health care staff might be inclined to leave the public sector for better pay and hours, resulting in more severe staffing shortages.
The premier said the province offers no financial incentives for health care staff considering coming to Ontario.
Building on its effort to increase staffing levels, the government said it is also prepared to allow health care professionals, including nurses, paramedics, respiratory therapists and others, to work outside their usual responsibilities or settings. "Provided they have the knowledge skill and judgment to do so," the statement said.