The Health Human Resource Crisis: Will Bill 60 in Ontario Help?

We have a pervasive human health resource crisis on our hands. Labour mobility of regulated healthcare professionals has been a long-standing barrier to the delivery of care across Canada. Substantive changes need to be made to help transform the ways in which we recruit and retain healthcare staff however, important legal and regulatory considerations need to be thought through. In particular, the public protection mandate through registration promotes access to information about the healthcare professional providing care and connection with the appropriate regulatory body as needed.

In February 2023, the government introduced Bill 60, Your Health Act, 2023, to build on the initiatives laid out in Your Health: Plan for Connected and Convenient Care. Through this plan, the Government of Ontario is proposing on making legislative amendments that if passed will allow Canadian healthcare workers that are already registered in another Canadian jurisdiction to practice in Ontario, without having to register with one of Ontario's health regulatory Colleges.

Inherent in this approach is the need to ensure that the public remains protected. Effective regulation will be imperative to the success of the introduction of Bill 60.

We will continue to monitor the evolving landscape and share details as they become available.