Health: 1)RVH president addresses addresses growing healthcare pressures in Barrie as patient visits climb; 2)Ontario to allow over-the-counter hearing aids for sale in the province; 3)Pause on OSAP at private post-secondary institutions to stay in effect until new year

1)RVH president addresses growing healthcare pressures in Barrie as patient visits climb

Courtesy Barrie360.com

By Ian MacLennan, October 21, 2026

Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre president and CEO Gail Hunt says the hospital is facing growing pressure as Simcoe Muskoka’s population increases, is aging, and healthcare needs become more complex

In a letter to the community issued Wednesday, Hunt acknowledged that patients and families are waiting longer than they should, with crowded emergency departments and full hospital beds adding to the strain.

“We see it every day, and we understand the impact it has on patients and families,” Hunt wrote.

RVH’s Emergency Department sees more than 96,000 visits each year, despite being designed to handle approximately 67,500.

Hunt says rising patient volumes are creating financial pressures as the hospital works to meet demand with the resources available.

She says patient safety and quality of care remain the hospital’s top priorities, with staff working to improve patient flow and reduce wait times where possible.

Hunt also praised RVH’s staff, physicians, volunteers and learners for their dedication to patients and the community.

She says additional healthcare capacity and infrastructure are needed to meet the region’s needs.

RVH is working with government, healthcare partners and the community to secure investments to expand services and create more space for patient care.

“Our commitment is simple: we will continue doing everything we can to provide excellent care today while working relentlessly to build the hospital our region needs for tomorrow,” Hunt wrote.

2)Ontario to allow over-the-counter hearing aids for sale in the province

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Allison Jones, Oct. 20, 2026.

Ontario is planning to make over-the-counter hearing aids available in the province for people with mild hearing loss.

The government says a legislative change set to be included in the fall economic update later this year will enable the devices to be used in Ontario.

Health Minister Sylvia Jones says it will give Ontarians more choice and flexibility to get the hearing support they need, when and where they need it.

Health Canada has issued medical device licences for some wireless earbuds that have built-in hearing aid capabilities, but Ontario law currently bans selling a hearing aid unless it is prescribed by a doctor or audiologist.

Following an update to the law and some regulatory changes, manufacturers of in-ear headphones and earbuds with built-in hearing aid capabilities will be able to turn on these features in devices for sale in Ontario.

The government says the new measure doesn’t replace or impact existing hearing aid prescriptions and coverage.

3)Pause on OSAP at private post-secondary institutions to stay in effect until new year

Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press

By Allison Jones, October 20, 2026

A pause on student financial assistance payments across all private post-secondary institutions in Ontario will stay in effect until at least the new year, the province’s colleges and universities minister announced Tuesday.

Nolan Quinn said in a late afternoon statement that the government intends to strengthen the approval process for career colleges and other private post-secondary institutions under the Ontario Student Assistance Program, but that work is not yet done.

“Proposed measures will include caps on OSAP-funded enrolment, the exclusion of predominantly online-only programs, and strengthened student identification and verification controls,” he wrote.

“While necessary to protect the integrity of OSAP and to protect Ontario taxpayers from abuse, we understand the impact that this work is having on students and families across the province. This impact is not lost on us as we work to restore integrity to the system and provide students with greater certainty and stability as quickly as possible.”

The new validation system is expected to be implemented in the new year, he wrote, and OSAP payments will not resume until that time.

Quinn tasked KPMG with an audit of the sector in August and said earlier this month that preliminary findings raised serious enough concerns that he has referred the matter to the Ontario Provincial Police.

Ministry investigators launched in-person inspections last week at eight career colleges, he said. That is on top of six institutions the government cut off from OSAP eligibility earlier this year.

Career Colleges Ontario, students and institutions including a divinity school and Canada’s National Ballet School have decried the government’s broad approach of pausing OSAP at all private post-secondary schools, but Quinn’s office has said there is evidence of systemic issues.

Angele Proulx, a student at Trillium College in St. Catharines, called Quinn’s statement outrageous.

“That does not seem to me that they are looking out for the students’ best interest,” said Proulx, in the college’s community development support worker program.

“We are due to graduate Feb. 4, 2027, just after the new year. If they don’t do something about it from now until then, we will not graduate, but they will expect full payment. So that is not taking into consideration the students that are innocent in all of this.”

Trillium College announced late last week that it was suspending its academic operations as a result of the pause. It is offering interest-free payment arrangements, but many students have said they cannot make those payments without OSAP funding, the school said in a notice to students.