Southlake hospital looks to fill 450 staff positions
Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket is looking to fill 450 positions.
On Wednesday, the hospital held a job fair to attract potential employees to help fill gaps brought on by the pandemic.
"We're looking for multiple positions; nursing, allied health, which includes physio, occupational therapy, etc.," said Barbara Steed, the executive vice-president of clinical services at Southlake.
Over 200 people arrived to meet hospital staff and apply for various positions.
According to Steed, the hospital hired 650 new employees over the last year but needs another 450, many of which are nurses.
"I've never seen it like this in all my years of health care," said Steed.
"This is a bit of a long-term problem. It will take four years or longer depending on the programs and disciplines that people are graduating from."
The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) reports the province's supply of registered nurses (RNs) is below the national average.
Numbers attributed to the Canadian Institute of Health Information reveal the Canadian average is 830.5 RNs per 100,000 people.
In Ontario, that number is 668 per 100,000.
"The staffing across the province is absolutely horrific," said Angela Preocanin, ONA's first vice president. "We would need 25,000 just to fill the gap."
Preocanin said an increased wage would attract more candidates and retain current staff.
Anyone interested in joining the Southlake team, who may have missed the job fair, can still apply on its website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.