288 registered nursing (RN) positions will be cut across several units at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). The Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) says this will negatively impact patient care and increase workloads for nurses, as well as increasing wait times. “It’s unacceptable that a hospital like LHSC, which serves thousands of acute patients, is cutting the registered nurses who provide front-line care,” said ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. “At a time when public trust in hospital administration is already low, these new cuts make nurses question who is being prioritized: patients or budgets?” LHSC was the subject of an investigation beginning in 2025 as several senior management members were fired for “allegedly knowing about a fraudulent money scheme, but not acting on it.” “LHSC is part of the Ontario Hospital Association, which lobbied four per cent funding increases to maintain hospital operations,” Ariss continued. “That was announced as part of the provincial budget last week, so they have no excuse to move forward with these cuts.” ONA says it will continue to demand mandatory safe staffing ratios from the Ontario government and hold healthcare employers accountable. “Mandatory staffing ratios are the best way to ensure safe working conditions for frontline staff and timely, high-quality patient care.” Arliss says that LHSC is one of Canada’s largest teaching hospitals, and in 2025 came under investigation due to alleged fraud that led to the resignation of multiple members of senior management. In light of the investigation, she says, “Nurses, health-care professionals and their patients deserve accountability for public money and subsequent decisions that put patients’ lives at risk.” Statement from LHSC Meanwhile, the provincially appointed supervisor for London Health Sciences Centre says the changes do not amount to layoffs. “It’s going to take over three years — and in some cases up to five years — for this to be fully implemented through attrition,” said David Musyj. “Attrition means a staff member has to resign or retire before changes take effect. Nobody is going to be walked out of the organization, and this is going to take time.” LHSC officials also say the operational changes stem from a review process that began in 2024. They say the goal was to better align staffing levels and care models with those at similar hospitals across Ontario.
