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Longueuil – As part of its 2026 Agenda campaign A strong public system: What if we dared to do it?, the APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) has announced the campaign’s theme for August: “Make care available in every locality: what if we dared to do it?”. Labour shortages are jeopardizing care and services in a number of remote regions. The APTS argues it’s time to stop viewing this situation as unavoidable and finally tackle the issues making it difficult to attract and retain personnel.

“Too often, we’ve learned to cope, wait for our turn and do more with less,” said Kevin Newbury, APTS provincial representative in Côte-Nord. “Remote regions tend to be forgotten, and yet they’re keeping Québec alive as they provide food and heat. We want services, choices, and infrastructure. We’ve been resilient long enough – now it’s time to be ambitious.”

The obstacles are real
Lack of housing, lack of access to childcare spaces, higher costs associated with living in Québec’s regions, and lack of efficient collective transit systems are some of the factors that make it more difficult for health and social services professionals to settle in remote regions. Positions remain unfilled, reliance on independent workers becomes more significant, and in the end, Quebecers’ access to care and services becomes more limited.

In the Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Côte-Nord and Abitibi-Témiscamingue regions, the housing rental market remains remarkably tight and child care services are insufficient. Together, these four regions account for 25% of the deficit in child care spaces, while representing only 12.4% of the people living in regions affected by the shortage. In addition, because there is no efficient system of collective transit, the cost of travel is higher in these regions, and reliance on independent workers is greater that elsewhere in Québec.

“When recruitment fails, members of existing teams are the ones who pay the price,” said Claudie Beaudoin APTS provincial representative in Abitibi-Témiscamingue. “Their workload gets heavier as positions go unfilled, and they struggle to respond to a continuously rising demand. In the end, everyone has to wait longer before getting the care and services that should be theirs by right.”

August: Provide Québec’s regions with the resources that will make them attractive
To ensure better access to care and services in remote regions, the APTS proposes the following:

·       Build temporary housing for health and social services employees in order to make it easier for newly recruited staff to settle in the region.

·       Develop childcare facilities as part of health care institutions in order to support families that choose to settle in the region.

·       Increase remoteness and isolation premiums, and extend them to other regions, in order to better acknowledge the higher costs associated with living in remote regions.

“We know what the solutions are, and they don’t cost that much,” said APTS president Robert Comeau “What’s really expensive is leaving positions unfilled, always having to rely on independent workers, and depriving whole communities of locally available care and services. It’s time to give our regions the resources they need to attract, welcome and retain their employees.”

The APTS

The APTS (Alliance du personnel professionnel et technique de la santé et des services sociaux) represents more than 68,000 members who play a key role in ensuring that health and social services institutions run smoothly. Our members provide a wide range of services for all Quebecers, including diagnostic, rehabilitation, nutrition, psychosocial intervention, clinical support, and prevention services.