Ontario Investing $180 Million to Boost Nursing in Long-Term Care

The Ontario government is delivering on its plan to protect the province’s long-term care system by investing more than $180 million to launch new programs that will attract and retain close to 8,000 highly-skilled nurses, enhancing the care residents receive.

“Our government is improving long-term care by training, hiring and retaining thousands of health-care workers,” said Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Minister of Long-Term Care. “As a registered nurse, I know how important bringing more nurses into Ontario’s long-term care homes is to helping ensure residents receive the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve.”

In August, the Ontario government announced $56.8 million to expand the number of nursing training and education seats at publicly assisted colleges and universities across the province, with the goal of training 2,200 additional nurses into the health-care system. Building on this work, Ontario is now launching a new suite of initiatives to bring more nurses to long-term care:

• Nursing Partnership for Learning, Employment, Development, Growth, and Experience (Nursing PLEDGE) – Ontario will invest $110 million over three years to help homes establish nursing mentorship programs that will help people build careers and skills, supporting close to 4,000 mentors and their mentees by 2027-28.
• Jumpstart Opportunities in Nursing in Long-Term Care (JOIN LTC) – Ontario will invest $70 million over three years in JOIN LTC, which allows eligible nurses who commit to working in long-term care for two years to receive an incentive of $25,000, with an additional $10,000 available for those who commit to a rural, remote or northern home, plus $10,000 more to help with relocation costs. This program aims to bring 4,000 new nurses to long-term care by 2027-28.
• Externship pilot program – Ontario is investing $665,000 in 2026-27 in a pilot that will enable up to 40 nursing students to work at long-term care homes and gain valuable experience as they work towards graduation.

Building a strong, resilient long-term care workforce is one more way the government is ensuring Ontarians get the quality of care and quality of life they need and deserve. The plan to improve long-term care is built on four pillars: staffing and care; quality and enforcement; building modern, safe, and comfortable homes; and connecting seniors with faster, more convenient access to the services they need.

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