The CAQ government announced yesterday that they would be offering bonuses of up to $18,000 to nursing staff in the province who work full-time. A payment of $12,000 will be given to nursing staff who retired or moved to the private sector to return to the public system on a full schedule. Full-time nurses as well as part-time nurses who switch to full-time are eligible for payments of $15,000. In five regions that have been deemed hard hit, which include the Outaouais, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Nunavik/Terres-Cries-de-la-Baie-James, there will be an additional $3,000 will be added to each.

The payments will be available for the next year and will extend to new hires. One third of the bonus will be paid in the next few weeks, or whenever the employee moves to full-time, with the remainder being doled out next October.

Pontiac Warden Jane Toller reacted positively to the news, noting that an MRC committee had been meeting with regional health authority CISSSO regularly regarding the closure of the Pontiac Hospital’s obstetrics department, which was primarily caused by a lack of nursing staff. She praised the latest announcement, specifically the attention paid to the Outaouais.

“We are in direct competition with Ontario where they have been able to pay $10 more per hour,” she said. “We thought that we could try a pilot [program] which would address just the needs of Pontiac, but knowing that there is a collective agreement in the works, I believe that the steps taken today by the premier are very wise because rather than waiting until next summer to have that ratified, instead we can move forward with a hiring bonus.”

However not all groups in the health care field are pleased with the move. As CTV reports, members of the union representing imaging and laboratory techs, as well as youth centre workers across the province have halted their negotiations with the government and are contemplating a strike action over the bonuses, as they were not included.