Ontario Liberal MPP introduces bill to address ‘price gouging’ by temporary nursing agencies – CBC

Private member’s bill would require mandatory licensing, fee restrictions, constraints on recruitment

Feb 23, 2023

A new private member’s bill tabled at Queen’s Park Thursday would impose strict rules on staffing agencies that recruit and employ nurses for temporary work.

Hospitals, long-term care homes and other health-care facilities have relied for years on private, for-profit agencies to provide nurses, personal support workers and other staff to cover vacancies. However, critics say the model is costly, unfair and lures workers away from permanent jobs.

Liberal MPP Adil Shamji’s bill, the Temporary Nursing Agency Licensing and Regulation Act, includes mandatory licensing for temporary nursing agencies, a ban on “unconscionable pricing,” and restrictions on how they can recruit.

CBC Toronto was provided with an advance copy.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/liberal-bill-temp-nursing-agencies-1.6756253