More money is coming for two hospitals in Ontario’s Nipissing District aimed at getting them on Cthe path to balance and so patients can continue to have access to high-quality health care services. The announcement, made by local MPP Vic Fedeli on Friday, totals $11.2 million, with $10.7 million allocated to the North Bay Regional Health Centre and $500,000 directed to the Mattawa Hospital. Relief for hospital administration amid fiscal pressure The regional health centre’s president and CEO Paul Heinrich expressed relief at the provincial funding for the hospital, which serves a catchment area of more than 180,000 people in northeastern Ontario. “All hospitals are expected to be fiscally accountable and constantly work on opportunities to improve the cost,” he told media during the announcement’s press conference. Robert Alexander, the board chair for Mattawa Hospital, emphasized the broader significance of the support. “Support like this is not just about dollars. It’s about ensuring that residents can access the care close to home, that our health care professionals feel supported in their work and that our hospital remains a cornerstone of the community for generations to come,” he said. Funding context and provincial rationale This funding is an add-on to the $15 million Fedeli announced in December, where a third of it ($4.6 million) represented a two per cent increase in hospital operational funding. Fedeli told CTV News that the province is responding to northern needs. “The Ministry of Health reports in and says, ‘We’ve heard you Vic, George Pirie and Timmins and others, we’ve heard you’ that northern Ontario and rural Ontario need additional funds,” he said. The North Bay Regional Health Centre’s total budget is about $330 million a year. While Fedeli maintains the funding is “all designed to help the patients,” the announcement comes against a backdrop of significant operational challenges. Union raises concerns over staffing, care impact The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), which represents 1,000 workers at the North Bay hospital, questions the funding’s impact on frontline care. “In the long run, it’s not going to shorten wait times,” CUPE Local 139 President Mike Turgeon said. “It’s not going to get more staff on the unit for providing care.” These concerns are heightened by the hospital’s plan to eliminate 40 positions, a move heavily criticized by union leaders. Heinrich has promised the job cuts, in the headlines for months, won’t impact patient care. “We’ve just improved the way we deliver it,” he said. However, the union reports staff mental health claims have skyrocketed by nearly 85 per cent from Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025. “The shortage in the hospital is causing very real strain on our members and they continue to show up to work to provide the best care that they can,” Turgeon said. Heinrich acknowledged ongoing challenges, particularly in the emergency department where wait times are long due to a lack of robust community resources. “We do have some issues with health human resources. Emergency physicians, we’re recruiting as hard as we can as far afield as we can and we are starting to see some successes,” he said. According to the hospital’s website, there are currently over 100 vacant positions at the centre. Regarding the 40 job eliminations, Turgeon said the impact remains ‘unknown’. “In the next two to three weeks, we should have more clarity as to whether anyone will end up, indeed, unemployed,” he said. The hospital anticipates the number of staff members impacted could be much lower based on new positions, retirements, attrition and transition to other positions. Hospital officials said that the organization always tries to find the right balance between being a business and a vital health care link.
