Action & Advocacy Towards Fair Compensation
Excellent public healthcare depends on a skilled and dedicated team. But right now, there is a serious wage gap in the sector. This gap has caused a staffing crisis, making it harder to provide the care that people need.
The rising cost of living has made things worse. Many healthcare organizations, including Thames Valley Family Health Team (TVFHT), are struggling to hire and keep qualified staff. In 2023, 94% of community health organizations said low pay was the biggest challenge in hiring and retaining staff.
TVFHT focused on two key actions during the 2024/2025 fiscal year:
- Fix the wage gap within the organization to help keep talented staff and attract new team members.
- Speak up at the provincial level to push for more funding for team-based primary care.
Closing the wage gap internally
In 2023, TVFHT started working to close the wage gap within the organization. Last year, the organization continued and improved the strategy.
In 2023, TVFHT started working to close the wage gap within the organization. Last year, the organization continued and improved the strategy.
TVFHT hired an outside agency in December 2024 to review pay for clinical roles. The goal was to set competitive wage rates by comparing them to market rates in the region. After the review was completed, the organization introduced targeted wage increases to close the gaps. This change supports TVFHT’s goal of leading in total compensation, as reflected in employee satisfaction.
TVFHT is now using a modern compensation model as a result of this work over the last two years. These efforts have resulted in an 8% increase on average in total compensation investment across the organization.
These changes helped position TVFHT as one of the most attractive primary care employers in Ontario, and strategically positioned them for successful expansion of team-based care.
Advocating for increased support across the province
It is important to know that these changes were made without any increase to base funding.
Primary care provides 70% of health services in Ontario but only receives 5% of the provincial healthcare budget. In comparison, top-performing health systems around the world invest 11–13% in primary care. TVFHT has only seen a 1.8% investment in overhead funding since 2013 and has seen 0% in funding increases for human resources since 2019.
This was a key message when meeting with all six regional Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Between October and December 2024, meetings were held with:
- Ernie Hardeman (Oxford)
- Teresa Armstrong (London-Fanshawe)
- Peggy Sattler (London West)
- Terence Kernaghan (London North Centre)
- Steve Pinsonneault (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex)
- Rob Flack (Elgin-Middlesex-London)
These meetings helped raise awareness about the importance of team-based care and the need for fair funding. Each MPP showed strong interest and asked thoughtful questions. TVFHT explained how the funding gap makes it harder to reach the government’s goal of connecting every Ontarian with a primary care provider.
Key outcomes of these meetings include:
- Letters of Support: MPPs sent letters to the Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones.
- Legislative Action: MPP Sattler and MPP Armstrong spoke about the issue during Question Period in the Ontario Legislature.
- Site Visit: MPP Sattler visited TVFHT’s 460 Springbank site to meet staff and learn about their work and challenges.
TVFHT Executive Director Mike McMahon was also invited to present at the Pre-Budget Consultations in St. Thomas in January 2025. He shared stories from patients and providers, showing how team-based care improves lives and reduces pressure on emergency departments.
He highlighted the success of the Elgin Community Health Hub , which at that time had helped over 2,300 patients in a community where more than 20,000 people do not have a primary care provider.
These advocacy efforts have strengthened ties with regional MPPs and raised TVFHT’s profile as a leader in advocating for fair compensation in primary care, both locally and provincially.
Future action planned
TVFHT will keep advocating for an increase in base funding, because all primary care organizations should be able to offer fair pay to their staff. They will continue working with government partners to show how properly funded team-based care can ease pressure on other parts of the healthcare system.