March 2025, Ontario Nurses' Association Local 73 rally for improved nurse-patient ratios - (CJ Goater/Acadia Broadcasting)

The Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) is entering into arbitration with the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA).

The Nurses’ Association is a union representing over 60,000 hospital nurses.

“Once again, contract negotiations with the OHA have failed and are now at arbitration,” says ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss. “Round after round of bargaining for our hospital-sector nurses ends this way, which is both unacceptable and infuriating to ONA and those who are the backbone of patient care.”

Negotiations between ONA and the OHA, broke down in March after more than a week of talks, leading to arbitration.

“Our nurses are becoming increasingly vocal about their treatment by hospital CEOs and the Ford government,” added Ariss. “Thousands of registered nurses (RNs) across the province have held a series of escalating public actions to spotlight their number one bargaining priority: the implementation of RN-to-patient staffing ratios in the province’s hospitals.”

In the region, rallies were held in Thunder Bay and Dryden.

Staffing ratios, or having standards for a maximum number of patients per nurse to care for is one of the main asks of the union.

According to ONA the ratios have been shown to improve the quality of care, reducing the rates of patient complications and death, increasing nurse retention and recruitment rates.

The hearing with Arbitrator Sheri Price got underway on Wednesday and will end on Thursday.

A decision in the matter is expected in the coming months.