Personal Support Workers to Protest Ford Government Over Regulatory Oversight
ETOBICOKE, ON — Personal support workers (PSWs), represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), are organizing a protest outside Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s constituency office on May 19 to demand urgent reforms to the province’s primary regulatory body for support staff.
Scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at 823 Albion Road in Etobicoke, the rally coincides with PSW Day. The protest highlights growing tensions between the provincial government and frontline health workers over the structure and authority of the Health and Supportive Care Oversight Authority (HSCPOA). Established by the Ford administration in 2021, the agency was intended to function as a professional registry similar to the College of Nurses of Ontario. However, workers argue it currently operates as a fundamentally flawed regulatory body that strips them of protections afforded to other health care professionals.
The pushback stems from a rising trend among employers requiring HSCPOA membership as a mandatory condition of employment. Workers claim that, unlike other regulatory colleges, the HSCPOA lacks a transparent mechanism for oversight and representation, leaving them vulnerable to arbitrary disciplinary actions.
Key grievances voiced by the union include:
- Arbitrary license revocation: The HSCPOA director reportedly maintains the power to revoke a worker’s license without standard due process protections.
- No right to appeal: Unlike registered nurses who have established appeal processes, PSWs are currently denied the right to contest high-stakes regulatory decisions.
- Lack of professional representation: The oversight committee currently contains no PSWs, ensuring that professional rules are dictated without input from those working in the field.
“We are calling on the government to fix HSCPOA because PSWs deserve the same rights as everyone else,” said Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions. “This is a predominantly female, disproportionately racialized workforce that is heavily exploited and treated with blatant disrespect.”
The demographics of the workforce are a central theme in the upcoming protest. Advocates argue that the current regulatory framework is effectively pushing experienced professionals out of the sector while creating new barriers to entry for those entering the field. As part of a larger push for institutional change, CUPE has also launched a province-wide letter-writing campaign, urging residents to pressure their local Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) to address these systemic issues.
“Without representation on the council for PSWs, all Doug Ford has done is create a new obstacle for providing meaningful support for workers,”
— Debra Maxfield, Chairperson of CUPE’s Healthcare Workers Coordinating Committee
While the Ford government has previously acknowledged that the PSW workforce is overworked and underpaid, no legislative changes have been introduced to address the specific criticisms leveled at the HSCPOA. As the May 19 protest approaches, organizers hope the public action will force a reassessment of how Ontario manages one of its most vital and vulnerable healthcare workforces.
