10/25/2025
Ontario’s $9 Billion Staffing Spend: What It Means for Continuity of Care
Over the past decade, Ontario hospitals alone have spent more than $9.2 billion on for-profit staffing agencies. This staggering figure continues to grow as health systems across Canada struggle to fill critical shifts and retain full-time staff — challenges shared in every province and territory.
Across the country, the story is the same: increasing agency costs, staff burnout, and widening care gaps. In some regions, agency usage has more than tripled since 2020, while vacancy rates in nursing and allied health remain at historic highs.
This approach — while necessary in moments of crisis — isn’t sustainable. Short-term fixes have become long-term dependencies, and the result is a workforce stretched thin, patients facing inconsistent care, and organizations losing control of their budgets.
A Smarter Way Forward
At carelynk, we’re helping health systems rethink workforce stability from the ground up. Our AI-enabled digital workforce solution is already connecting long-term care homes, home-care agencies, and retirement communities across Canada.
By matching qualified local professionals directly with organizations in need, carelynk helps:
1. Reduce agency reliance and overtime costs by up to 40–42%
2. Improve continuity of care and team morale
3. Enable data-driven workforce planning that aligns with each province’s staffing priorities
4. Strengthen community-based healthcare delivery — keeping more care local
Building a Sustainable National Model
Senior Leaders - you have a unique opportunity to lead in creating a sustainable, technology-driven staffing framework. One that balances flexibility with long-term workforce retention and financial accountability.
carelynk’s national approach is already proving that when you empower local professionals and give facilities the right tools, everyone benefits — staff, patients, and the system as a whole.
