Ontario’s debt-laden hospitals have been told to come up with proposals to balance their budgets over the next three years by finding efficiencies, the Ottawa Citizen has learned.

That direction from the provincial government comes at a time when many hospitals are facing structural deficits that “have been years in the making,” according to the Ontario Hospital Association. More than half of the hospitals across the eastern region of the province, especially those in rural areas, are projecting deficits this year, according to documents viewed by the Citizen. The overall Ontario hospital deficit for 2024-25 was $360 million.

Recommended Videos

Even significant provincial investments — including an additional $1.1 billion in hospital funding for 2025-2026 — have not been enough to close

See Full Page