The recent auditor general’s report provided another sober reminder of the intensification of Ontario’s hospital crisis, as this government’s health care management sinks to new lows. Emergency room shutdowns were unheard of in Ontario until last year, when an alarming 145 closures caused much pain and misery for patients seeking urgent care.
That unfortunately failed to jolt the government into action, setting the stage for an ignominious record of ERs and other hospital services shuttering nearly 1,200 times in 2023. As the auditor general noted, these closures are predominantly happening due to staffing shortages.
