OntarioBill 19First Reading
Bill 19: Patient-to-Nurse Ratios for Hospitals Act, 2025
Sponsor: Gélinas, FranceIntroduced May 13, 2025Last checked August 28, 2026
Read the official text on ola.orgOfficial version — Legislative Assembly of Ontario
What this bill does
This Ontario bill amends the Health Protection and Promotion Act to establish mandatory maximum patient-to-nurse ratios in hospitals, ranging from 1:1 for ventilator patients to 7:1 for rehabilitative night-shift care, with the Ministry of Health responsible for enforcement.
Plain-language summary by Legisail.
Business impact
EmploymentCompliance
This bill directly affects hospitals and healthcare facilities in Ontario — including public hospitals, rehabilitation centres, palliative care units, and mental health inpatient facilities. Administrators running these facilities would need to hire and schedule significantly more nurses (nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and registered practical nurses) to meet the prescribed ratios across critical care, inpatient, palliative, specialized, and rehabilitative units. Day-to-day staffing, shift scheduling, and workforce recruitment would be heavily impacted. Both large hospital networks and smaller community hospitals would be affected, though smaller facilities with tighter budgets may face proportionally greater challenges in meeting the mandated staffing levels.
Does this apply to you?
Your own business or clients you watch for — tell Legisail what matters and it checks every bill and regulation against it.
Where this bill is
First ReadingMay 13, 2025
Next: Second Reading debate
Legisail watches this for you
Tell Legisail about your business and it checks every new bill and regulation against it — you only hear about the ones that matter.
Create a free accountFree · 30 seconds · No credit card