Local officials decry imagery tech bonuses that exclude Pontiac Hospital

Local officials decry imagery tech bonuses that exclude Pontiac Hospital

Pontiac’s representative in the National Assembly, André Fortin, held a press conference with other elected officials this afternoon (June 13) outside the Pontiac Hospital calling on the provincial government to offer bonuses to employees at all the region’s hospitals. As reported in Le Droit yesterday, the province announced that bonuses they had been paying to imagery technicians in Hull and Gatineau would be expanded to techs at the Papineau and Maniwaki Hospitals, leaving out those in Pontiac and Wakefield. The initial bonuses were meant to stem the tide of employees leaving for work in Ontario, where starting salaries for many positions are much higher, however Outaouais officials expressed concern back in May that bonuses exclusive to the city would drain employees from peripheral hospitals.

Fortin said that while the situation for imagery techs is currently stable at the Pontiac Hospital, the province needs to do more to address the overall interprovincial pay disparity.

Local health authority representative Nicole Boucher-Larivière told CHIP 101.9 earlier this week that the Pontiac Hospital is most in need of nurses, with only 15% of general care positions being filled locally. While private agency nurses have filled some gaps, they are pricier than those employed by the CISSS de l’Outaouais.

Pontiac Warden Jane Toller spoke about a recent virtual meeting she had with Quebec’s Health Minister Christian Dubé regarding the situation, who she said had assured her that it would be addressed. She called the decision to exclude the Pontiac and Wakefield Hospitals from the bonus structure “a slap in the face”.

Toller was especially critical of CAQ MNA Mathieu Lacombe, who serves as the government’s minister for the Outaouais. She said that the MRC council would be tabling a resolution in support equalizing the bonuses at their next public meeting on June 19.