Retention bonus renewed as Outaouais fights to keep cancer care workers

Tashi Farmilo

A labour agreement that helps keep cancer care workers in the Outaouais region has been renewed, the union representing them said March 5.

The Alliance of Professional and Technical Staff in Health and Social Services, known by its French acronym APTS, confirmed it has reached a renewed deal with the province's health and social services employers' committee on a temporary financial bonus for staff providing radiation oncology services at the CISSS de l'Outaouais, the regional health authority responsible for health and social services across the Outaouais.

Radiation oncology is the branch of cancer care that uses radiation to treat tumours. The technologists who operate the equipment and carry out treatments are highly trained and, in the Outaouais, chronically hard to recruit and keep. The region has long struggled to fill its radiation oncology positions, and the staffing shortage has at times forced the health authority to redirect patients elsewhere for treatment.

The root of the problem is geography. Living and working on the Ontario border means health professionals have easy access to jobs across the river, in a province that has historically offered higher pay. The original bonus agreement, first reached in early 2023, was designed as a targeted measure to make staying in the public Quebec system more financially viable for these workers.

The renewal extends those measures, which the union says have helped stabilize staffing levels and maintain continuity of care for patients. APTS president Robert Comeau said the renewal is proof that results are possible when the provincial government engages seriously. "When there is genuine political will on the part of the government, we are able to find, together, concrete solutions to meet the needs of workers and the public," he said.

APTS national representative for the Outaouais, Stéphanie Léger-Roussel, welcomed the news but cautioned that the agreement alone is not enough. "Our members play a vital role in access to specialized care, and team stability is a major issue in a region made more vulnerable by its border location. This agreement helps improve the situation, but we must continue our efforts to implement sustainable and structural solutions for our region."

APTS president Robert Comeau says the union has renewed a financial bonus agreement aimed at keeping radiation oncology staff from leaving the Outaouais region for better-paying jobs in neighbouring Ontario. Photo: Courtesy of the Syndicat APTS Facebook page