Thursday, February 26, 2026 Looking Ahead: CLAC’s 2026 Healthcare Advocacy Goals Over the coming months, CLAC representatives will be presenting 10 recommendations for improving Ontario’s long term care system to members and local boards and inviting feedback Ontario Healthcare Healthcare By Aren Plante, Representative, Grimsby Member Centre CLAC continues to champion stronger, safer, and fairer workplaces across Ontario’s healthcare system. Our focus this year is on advancing key policy recommendations that reflect what we continue to hear from members in hospitals, long term care, retirement homes, and homecare. The following 10 recommendations form the heart of CLAC’s healthcare advocacy agenda for 2026. They are practical, evidence-based, and rooted in the daily realities of the people who provide care across the province. 10 Healthcare Policy Recommendations Fix WSIB coverage gaps. Extend mandatory WSIB coverage to workers in retirement homes and residential care facilities, closing the unjustified gap that leaves thousands of healthcare workers unprotected. Ensure fair and consistent compensation. Provide wage parity across healthcare sectors to help stabilize and strengthen the workforce. Increase transparency and accountability in long term care. Require public reporting by facilities of the daily hours of direct care provided by nurses, PSWs, and allied health staff. Strengthen violence prevention in long term care. Make hands-on, nonviolent intervention training mandatory, with regular recertification and live practice led by qualified instructors. Protect workers through proper staffing levels. Support systems and funding that ensure facilities can meet the province’s four-hour minimum care target. Recognize that collaboration works. Preserve and strengthen structures that build respectful, solutions-focused labour relations between unions, employers, and government. Provide fair pay for homecare workers. Bridge the wage gap between homecare and long term care workers so that PSWs and nurses are equally valued across all sectors. Reform the homecare procurement process. Standardize and enforce minimums for mileage, travel time pay, and wages, ensuring workers are not underpaid for the essential service they deliver. Recognize homecare workers as essential. Amend the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act (HLDAA) to include the homecare sector, providing fair, stable collective bargaining rights. Create safer workplaces for all. Invest in training, safety resources, and supportive reporting systems to prevent and respond effectively to workplace violence and injury. Over the coming months, CLAC representatives will be presenting these recommendations to local boards and inviting feedback from member leaders across the province. Your voices and experiences will shape how we move forward together. Every improvement—in fairness, security, and safety—starts with the people who live it every day. Together, we’ll continue to advocate for a healthcare system that values both the caregiver and the care. You might be interested in Why We Work Safely 5 Jun 2026 Standing Your Ground, and Staying Steady on the Job 4 Jun 2026 CLAC Partners with Alberta Government to Advance Skilled Trades Training and Accelerate Certification 4 Jun 2026 Strathcona Mechanical Workers Ratify New Agreement Providing Wage, Scheduling Improvements 3 Jun 2026