A few dozen supporters walked up and down Memorial Avenue between Central Avenue and the Harbour Expressway in support of nurses and healthcare workers.

They were showing their support to their counterparts who are protesting outside of the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Toronto for better staffing and better wages.

In the past few years staffing shortages have plagued hospitals across the country, including Ontario.

With Bill 124, wage increases are capped and bargaining rights limited.

Acadia News spoke to one of the protest organizers in Thunder Bay, Chantalle Cloutier.

She told our newsrooms that with the staffing shortages, acute care patient loads are getting high.

…The low staffing ratios are causing us to take in bigger patient loads so we’re looking after double triple the amount of patients, that can be from 8 to 13 or more patients in an acute care setting is extremely unsafe.

And because od that, we cannot provide proper care to our patients who deserve better care…

Talks are being held today at Queens Park with the Registered Nurses Association talking to MPP’s about their priorities.

According to the Ontario Nurses Associations website “ONA is the union representing more than 68,000 nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, industry and clinics.