Today on Free For All Friday: plenty of nurses and retired nurses called in to weigh in on the staffing shortages that hospitals have been forced to grapple with this summer and that have led to the temporary closure of ER departments.

Over the past week, Ontario’s new health minister Sylvia Jones has been facing criticism for downplaying the shortage and refusing to call it a crisis. At the same time, nursing representatives like Cathryn Hoy and Doris Grinspun say the situation is desperate. Some nurses haven’t taken vacations for years and nearly 1 in 4 working nurses in the province are eligible for retirement.

Then there is Minister Jones’ confusing comments about further privatization of Ontario’s healthcare: first saying she is open to everything, then saying no it’s actually innovation she’s open to and not privatization while trying to reassure residents that OHIP will continue to cover healthcare services for Ontario residents.