Tashi Farmilo

Local Journalism Initiative

OUTAOUAIS – In a strategic move to stop the exodus of rural medical imaging technicians to Gatineau and Ontario hospitals, Quebec has announced the expansion of incentive bonuses to all Outaouais healthcare facilities, including the Wakefield and Pontiac hospitals and the Mansfield CLSC.

The announcement, which was shared on social media Thursday by Gatineau MNA Robert Bussière, comes at a critical time for the region. Despite the excitement generated by the news, the Alliance of Professional and Technical Staff in Health and Social Services (APTS) has clarified that the agreement is still under negotiation and has not yet been finalized. The union has refrained from further comment at this time.

Initially, at the end of May, the APTS had reached a tentative agreement with the Quebec government to provide annual bonuses of $22,000 to medical imaging technologists at the Gatineau and Hull hospitals. As a result, many rural technicians applied for a transfer to the city, prompting the government to extend the bonuses to Maniwaki and Buckingham technicians. Maniwaki technicians were only offered $18,000 due to their distance from the city. Wakefield, Shawville, and Mansfield technicians are now also being offered the $18,000 bonus.

Jane Toller, MRC Pontiac Warden, shared her reaction in a recent interview: “I learned about this through the Conférence des Préfets de l’Outaouais (CPO). I was delighted because I was concerned that because the government had broken for the summer, we would see no change until September, which would’ve been too late, resulting in the loss of some of our technicians. Initially, we were not included [in the bonuses], and I think the whole community gave a strong reaction to the government, and they listened. Being offered the same $18,000 bonuses as Maniwaki and Wakefield is good news. The most recent information I received from the Minister responsible for the Outaouais, Mathieu Lacombe, indicates that everything is proceeding well, and they are preparing to sign. I hope that our technicians will stay in the Pontiac, and I will work very hard to address the salary disparities between Quebec and Ontario.”

André Fortin, Pontiac MNA, provided a more critical perspective on the government’s decision. “For months, I have been demanding an equivalent bonus for Shawville’s
medical imaging technologists. The government’s announcement might seem like good news, but after consulting with the technologists themselves, the reality is clear.

“Some of the technologists in Shawville say they will still transfer to Hull or an Ontario hospital because the government is offering them a bonus that is several thousand dollars less than what is provided in the city. Our people deserve no less! The CAQ government must stop being stubborn, fix the mess it created, and offer a full bonus to the workers here. Otherwise, services in the Pontiac will suffer.”

Fortin continued, “Already, in recent weeks, there have been service disruptions in imaging at Pontiac Hospital. If teams are reduced because technologists take positions in the city or in Ontario, the people of Pontiac will bear the brunt. They will have to travel to the city for basic services, which no one should have to do.”