TASHI FARMILO

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

OUTAOUAIS – A number of imaging technicians at the Pontiac and Wakefield hospitals are requesting transfers to other hospitals in the region following the announcement that they will not receive the $20,000 bonuses offered to staff at other hospitals. Nearly half of the local technicians have applied for jobs elsewhere, raising concerns about potential service interruptions.

Nicole Boucher-Larivière, CISSSO’s director of local services for Pontiac, confirmed on June 20 to CHIP 101.9 that four of the eight imaging technicians at the Pontiac Community Hospital (PCH) have applied for positions at the Hull Hospital, with another considering a move to Deep River. She underscored the critical role of imaging technicians in keeping emergency rooms operational and warned of potential service interruptions.

“Without full staffing, the risk of service interruptions is now very real,” Boucher- Larivière said, adding that while transfer requests could take months and aren’t guaranteed, she hopes a solution will be negotiated between the Provincial Treasury Board and the union representing the technicians, the APTS.

Pontiac MNA André Fortin blamed the situation on the government, which initially offered higher bonuses and paid leave to technicians at the Hull and Gatineau hospitals at the end of April, extending these benefits to the Buckingham and Maniwaki hospitals last week. Fortin criticized the approach, stating it would have been easier to offer a region-wide solution with equivalent salaries.

During the monthly meeting of the MRC Pontiac on June 19, council adopted a resolution urging Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel and Health Minister Christian Dubé to extend the bonuses to all hospitals in the Outaouais.