Thibeault won't be at his office during health-care protest

At the same time protesters gather outside of his constituency office today, Sudbury MPP Glenn Thibeault will be making a funding announcement across town.

The Ontario Health Coalition plans to stage a protest outside of Thibeault's Barrydowne Road office at 12 p.m. to draw attention to recent hospital cuts in Northern Ontario.

Meanwhile, Thibeault will be at Dynamic Earth at 12 p.m., announcing funding on behalf of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation. Following the press conference, Thibeault will be heading back to his office to meet with the demonstrators.

In late March, Health Sciences North announced it would need to cut $5.2 million in spending to balances its budget for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.

The cut in spending, the hospital said, will result a reduction of just over 35 full-time equivalent non-management positions, or about one per cent of unionized positions at the hospital.

Health Sciences North will also cut 6.4 full-time equivalent management positions, or around three per cent of total management employees.

The hospital said it could achieve the cuts without any nurse layoffs.

“Already, many hospitals are operating at full capacity, often with patients lined up in stretchers in hallways waiting for hospital beds,” the Ontario Health Coalition said in a press release.

“After decades of downsizing, Ontario’s hospitals have been cut more deeply than anywhere in Canada, and now have the fewest beds left of any province in the country.

"The massive cuts to programs, services, departments all across the hospitals and hundreds of nurses, front-line personal support workers, and support and clerical staff put patients at risk.”