Home care workers with Bayshore Home Care Solutions are holding a rally in Thunder Bay, calling for better pay, stronger benefits, and improved staffing levels.

The event, organized by OPSEU/SEFPO Local 745, aims to draw attention to what the union calls a growing crisis in the sector. Workers say they’re struggling to deliver quality care due to low wages and short staffing — and that patients are the ones paying the price.

The rally is taking place on Thursday, April 17, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 1260 Golf Links Rd.

“We are the people who care for your loved ones at home,” said Kathleen Moore, a registered nurse and president of Local 745. “We are committed to delivering quality care, but we can’t do that without a fair contract and fair treatment.”

According to the union, many Bayshore employees haven’t received a raise in nearly 10 years. Nurses and personal support workers are also paid significantly less than their counterparts in hospitals, with wage gaps ranging from $10 to $20 per hour. Unlike hospital staff, they receive no pension and limited benefits.

Moore said the problem goes beyond fairness to workers — it’s about the integrity of care. “Thousands of home care visits go unstaffed every year due to short staffing – care that families are promised, but never receive,” she said. “We want to know, does Bayshore still get paid for these missed visits?”

Bayshore is a private, for-profit provider that receives public funding to deliver essential care. The union says that while the company reports high revenues — estimated at $387,000 per employee — frontline staff are being left behind.

“As a taxpayer, as a nurse, and as an employee of Bayshore, I want to make sure our tax dollars are providing the highest quality care,” Moore said. “In order to do this, we need to make sure the people providing the care are paid and treated fairly.”