Tashi Farmilo
Local Journalism Initiative
OUTAOUAIS – A wave of budget cuts is hitting the Outaouais healthcare system as the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l’Outaouais (CISSSO) eliminates 727 permanent positions, including 127 currently staffed roles and 600 vacant positions, in an effort to stabilize finances. Of the staffed positions, 25 are managerial roles. While the majority of reductions affect administrative jobs, 30 clinical positions—including nurses, psychologists, and social workers—are also slated for elimination. Clinical staff impacted will be offered alternative positions elsewhere within the healthcare network as part of the workforce restructuring process.
Locally, four administrative positions will be lost in Pontiac, along with two vacant nurse’s aide positions at the Pontiac Hospital.
“These decisions are incredibly difficult, but necessary to secure the future of our services while responsibly
managing public funds,” said Dr. Marc Bilodeau, CISSSO president and CEO, insisting that while the measures may seem severe, they’re essential to maintaining quality care within current budget constraints. “Our priority is to continue offering accessible, high-quality healthcare while adapting to the financial realities we face,” he added. “The decisions were made following a thorough review of our needs and resources to minimize disruptions to service delivery,” Bilodeau explained.
Despite reassurances from CISSSO, many remain unconvinced. SOS Outaouais, a regional healthcare advocacy group, denounced the cuts, calling them another blow to a system already struggling from decades of chronic underfunding.
“The Legault government cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the healthcare crisis in Outaouais,” said Jean Pigeon, SOS spokesperson. “Reducing resources in a system already underfunded by $200 million annually isn’t optimization—it’s negligence. Cutting another $90 million only makes a bad situation worse. A hospital running at 250% capacity isn’t a success story; it’s a failure in leadership.”
The group warns the cuts will further strain an over-burdened network, pushing exhausted healthcare workers closer to burnout and reducing already limited access to care, especially in rural communities like Pontiac.
André Fortin, Pontiac MNA and official opposition health critic, condemned the government’s decision as reckless and damaging for residents. “Slashing $90 million from an already underfinanced region—where people struggle to access basic care, where ER wait times are among the worst in the province, and where surgical delays are unbearable—is an insult to Outaouais residents,” Fortin said.
“Despite what the government claims, the cuts will reduce services for patients. The Federation of Specialist Doctors has already warned these reductions will directly affect patient care, including cancer patients who are waiting too long for critical surgeries,” he added.
Fortin vows to work with advocacy groups like SOS Outaouais to fight back.
“The CAQ MNAs in this region have abandoned their commitments and walked away from their responsibility to improve healthcare. But I won’t stop fighting against these short-sighted and harmful policies,” he concluded.