By Isaac Callan & Colin D'Mello Global News
Posted April 24, 2024
The Ford government has won a privacy battle to keep the extent of its nursing, personal support worker and physician shortage secret after Ontario’s privacy watchdog ruled that revealing them could be economically damaging.
In September 2022, Global News filed and subsequently appealed a freedom of information request with the Ministry of Health that included its projections for the number of PSWs, nurses and physicians the province would need in future years.
The government withheld the details, arguing that disclosing them could allow health unions to negotiate for higher salaries and private nursing agencies to squeeze hospitals harder for extra with inflated rates for temporary staff.
More than a year and a half after the request was launched, following a protracted battle in front of the Information and Privacy Commission of Ontario (IPC), the government has won the right to continue to shield the information.
The adjudicator, Alec Fadel, agreed with the government that the information could be used by both public and private interests to “advocate for higher rates” in an April 16 decision.