No Excuse for VON Not to Pay Fair for Home Care, Says Ontario Nurses’ Association as Province Provides $1 Billion in Extra Funding

TORONTO, Nov. 12, 2025 /CNW/ – The Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) is returning to the bargaining table with the Victoria Order of Nurses (VON) tomorrow and says it expects VON to come to the table ready to pay fair for home care.

“Since the first round of bargaining between ONA and VON in September, the province has announced an additional $1 billion in funding for this sector,” says ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. “Registered nurses (RNs) working in home care are the lowest-paid nurses in the province, despite facing among the worst working conditions and highest rates of workplace violence. Home care is understaffed and unsafe, leading many RNs to leave their jobs for work elsewhere, where they perform the same work but are paid more respectfully.”

She adds that “VON nurses are currently paid 14 per cent less in real wages than 10 years ago and are not always compensated for all their expenses or all of their time. This new funding means these nurses can and should be fully compensated for their time and expenses incurred for the work they do.”

ONA VON bargaining team chair Lorna Thompson, RN, says “there is no longer any excuse for the VON to not step up and recognize the high-quality, high-value work we are doing to care for people at home. Respectful wages will help stem the tide of RNs who are leaving home-care work. Many of us working in home care have had to take on second jobs or visit food banks. This is unacceptable for anyone, let alone nurses with extensive education and expertise, whose work saves the health-care system money overall, and who are in high demand.”

“We expect the VON bargaining team to come prepared to reach an agreement in this round of talks,” says Ariss. “Home-care clients rely on their skills and the RNs providing care deserve respect from their employer.”

ONA is the union representing over 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care, public health, the community, clinics, and industry. 

SOURCE Ontario Nurses’ Association