Unpaid labour by immigrants propping up key area in Ontario industry

If our healthcare system was showing cracks before, they're full-on fractures now.

A harrowing new report shows that unpaid work by immigrant personal support workers is subsidizing Ontario's home care system.

Social Planning Toronto and TMU's Dr. Naomi Lightman released an in-depth report examining the working conditions of 25 immigrant women employed as personal support workers (PSWs). Inadequate compensation and unmanageable workloads were just two of the biggest challenges.

While sometimes confused for a caregiver, PSWs have the formal medical training that the former does not, and often work in hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes, and group homes. Tasks include but are not limited to health monitoring, personal care, medication reminders and mobility assistance.

One could even argue that PSWs are the backbone of home care. 

It's noted that PSWs put in roughly 36.7 million hours of care to Ontario residents from 2023-2024, but, as report author Beth Wilson points out, much unpaid personal time was used as compensation.

Many PSWs flagged a lack of guaranteed work hours, inadequate and unreliable incomes, and insufficient reimbursement of travel time and costs despite being required to travel between client homes as part of their work.

Those working in private homes without on-site support recounted numerous health and safety issues, exposure to infectious disease, and unsafe and unsanitary work conditions. They also cited violence, harassment, and anti-Black racism.

Labour shortages in Ontario's home care sector have been ongoing for years, but accelerated this year due to the hiring freeze brought on by the Ford government.

"Going forward, we need an end to private profit in the publicly funded home care system to ensure that every public dollar supports high-quality care and good working conditions for home care workers," says Dr. Naomi Lightman, one of the report's authors.

Being valued and compensated fairly isn't a hard ask, according to community activist ConnieNdlovu, who is a home care PSW herself.

"There will be enough workers if you give us full-time jobs, decent wages, job security, and value our work," she says.

The full report can be accessed online.