Trudeau, Ford to sign Ontario health-care deal on Friday

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford will sign a new federal-provincial health care agreement in the GTA today.
The announcement comes almost a year after the two governments reached a 10-year agreement in principle to pay for health care in Ontario.
At the time, Ottawa said its deal with the province included $8.4 billion in new money and a one-time increase of $776 million to address "urgent needs" at pediatric and emergency hospitals.
     Although details of the agreement signed Friday have not yet been released, Ford has previously said the deal is a good "down payment" for the province.

The budget announcement will likely come as welcome news to hospital workers battling what one Ontario union recently called a staffing crisis.

The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions CUPE said last month that a survey found two in five workers in the province are considering leaving their jobs, and the same number are worried about returning to work because of labor shortages.

Trudeau and Ford will sign the agreement in King City, Ont. They are joined by federal Health Minister Mark Holland and Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones.



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