Ella SinghONA Collective Agreement for Ontario Nurses 2024–2026 — Complete Guide to Your Rights and Pay
Ontario's registered nurses and allied health professionals stand at the heart of the province's healthcare system, and the collective agreement between the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) and the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) is the document that protects their livelihoods. Covering the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2026, this agreement defines wages, shift premiums, overtime entitlements, vacation, pension contributions, and dozens of other provisions that shape life on the wards each day.
This guide explains what the ONA–OHA Central Agreement means for you in plain language. Whether you are a new graduate RN stepping onto a hospital floor for the first time, or an experienced charge nurse planning for retirement, understanding your collective agreement is the first step to claiming what you have earned. Use the free calculator on this page to estimate your take-home pay, overtime earnings, vacation entitlement, and termination notice.
Who Is Covered by the ONA–OHA Agreement?
The ONA represents approximately 68,000 registered nurses (RNs) and allied health professionals across Ontario. The hospital sector central agreement, negotiated between ONA and the OHA, covers RNs working in acute-care hospitals, rehabilitation centres, and complex-continuing-care settings that belong to the OHA bargaining group.
Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) are generally covered under separate bargaining units, often represented by CUPE or other unions, though some ONA locals include RPNs in their scope. The central agreement sets minimum standards; individual hospital locals may bargain local terms on top of the central provisions through their own local agreements.
Allied health professionals — nurse practitioners, clinical instructors, occupational health nurses — may fall under separate ONA agreements specific to their employer or region. If you are unsure which agreement covers your position, contact your local ONA bargaining unit president.
Current Wage Rates and Pay Grid (2024–2026)
The ONA hospital wage grid uses a step-based progression tied to months of service as an RN. The grid rewards experience: nurses advance through steps as they accumulate working time, reaching the top (maximum) step after approximately 30 months of eligible service.
Following the Ontario Court of Appeal's November 2023 ruling that Bill 124 was unconstitutional, nurses became entitled to retroactive pay adjustments for the period during which their wages had been artificially capped at a 1% annual increase. The 2024–2026 central agreement incorporates a restored pay scale that reflects the wage levels nurses should have reached absent Bill 124, plus additional negotiated increases.
Approximate RN hourly rates under the 2024–2026 central agreement:
| Grid Step | Months of Service | Approx. Hourly Rate (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Step 1 | Start | ~$39.50/hr |
| Step 2 | 6 months | ~$41.90/hr |
| Step 3 | 12 months | ~$44.30/hr |
| Step 4 | 18 months | ~$46.40/hr |
| Step 5 | 24 months | ~$49.60/hr |
| Step 6 | 30 months | ~$53.00/hr |
| Step 7 | 36 months | ~$55.40/hr |
| Step 8 (Max) | 48 months | ~$58.50/hr |
Note: These figures are indicative. The binding wage schedule is set out in Appendix 1 of the collective agreement. Additional increases apply effective 1 April 2025 under the second year of the agreement.
Retroactive pay: Nurses who were employed during the Bill 124 period (2019–2023) were entitled to retroactive payments once the restoration was agreed. Lump-sum retroactive amounts were calculated based on the difference between the capped wage and the restored wage for each year of service affected.
Nurse Practitioner (NP) rates are negotiated separately and typically sit above the RN grid, reflecting expanded scope of practice and prescriptive authority.
Overtime Rules and Shift Premiums
Overtime Entitlements
The ONA–OHA central agreement provides overtime protection that exceeds the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) minimums, making it a key benefit of union coverage.
Under the central agreement:
- Overtime begins after 8 hours worked in a single shift. Overtime hours are paid at 1.5× (time-and-a-half) your regular hourly rate.
- Double-time (2×) applies after 12 consecutive hours worked in a shift, and for all hours worked on a statutory holiday.
- Overtime must not be required to be taken as time off in lieu unless the nurse agrees in writing.
By comparison, Ontario's ESA requires overtime pay only after 44 hours per week — a much weaker standard. The collective agreement's daily-hour trigger provides nurses substantially better protection given 12-hour shift scheduling common in hospitals.
Shift Premiums
The collective agreement provides hourly premium payments for working outside standard daytime hours:
| Shift Type | Premium (per hour) |
|---|---|
| Evening shift | +$1.40/hr |
| Night shift | +$1.80/hr |
| Weekend | +$2.25/hr |
These premiums are additive — a nurse working a weekend night shift earns both the night premium and the weekend premium simultaneously. Premiums are calculated on top of the regular hourly rate for those hours worked and are included in earnings for purposes of overtime calculation.
On-call and callback pay provisions also apply; nurses recalled to work outside scheduled hours are entitled to a minimum number of hours' pay at overtime rates, ensuring that callbacks are compensated fairly.
Vacation and Leave Entitlements
Vacation Entitlement
The ONA–OHA agreement provides vacation entitlement on a length-of-service basis that meets or exceeds Ontario ESA minimums:
| Years of Service | Vacation Entitlement | Vacation Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 5 years | 3 weeks | 6% of annual earnings |
| 5 to 9 years | 4 weeks | 8% of annual earnings |
| 10 to 19 years | 5 weeks | 10% of annual earnings |
| 20+ years | 6 weeks | 12% of annual earnings |
For comparison, Ontario's ESA requires only 2 weeks (4% pay) for workers with under 5 years, and 3 weeks (6% pay) thereafter — demonstrating the significant advantage of ONA bargaining.
Vacation scheduling is governed by seniority: more senior nurses have first pick of vacation periods during the scheduling windows. Local agreements may specify the scheduling process and maximum number of nurses absent simultaneously.
Other Leave Provisions
- Sick leave / Short-term disability: Nurses accumulate sick leave credits or access a short-term income protection plan (STIP) administered through the agreement, providing income replacement during illness.
- Pregnancy and parental leave: Aligned with Ontario ESA minimums, with top-up provisions that supplement Employment Insurance benefits for a defined period.
- Bereavement leave: Paid leave for the death of immediate family members.
- Professional development leave: Paid or unpaid leave to attend nursing education, conferences, or pursue advanced certifications.
- Family responsibility leave: Unpaid leave as per Ontario ESA s.50.0.1 for urgent family matters.
Notice Period and Severance Pay
Ontario ESA Statutory Notice (s.57–64)
Although ONA nurses are regulated under Ontario provincial jurisdiction (not the federal Canada Labour Code), the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 sets the statutory floor for termination notice and severance.
Statutory notice (ESA s.57):
| Years of Employment | Minimum Notice |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 1 week |
| 1 to 3 years | 2 weeks |
| 3 to 4 years | 3 weeks |
| 4 to 5 years | 4 weeks |
| 5 to 6 years | 5 weeks |
| 6 to 7 years | 6 weeks |
| 7 to 8 years | 7 weeks |
| 8+ years | 8 weeks (maximum statutory) |
Severance pay (ESA s.64) applies separately when:
- An employee has at least 5 years of service, and
- The employer has a total Ontario payroll of $2.5 million or more (hospitals virtually always qualify).
Severance is calculated at 1 week of regular wages per completed year of employment, capped at 26 weeks. Note that notice and severance are separate entitlements — an employee dismissed without cause may be entitled to both.
Common law notice: Courts may award substantially greater damages — often one month per year of service for professional employees — where the collective agreement or ESA minimums do not apply. ONA's grievance process provides an additional layer of protection beyond individual common law claims.
The collective agreement itself may contain specific provisions on notice, layoffs, recall rights, and bumping (displacement of junior nurses by senior nurses facing layoff), which often provide stronger protection than the statutory minimum.
CPP, EI, and Your HOOPP Pension
Canada Pension Plan (CPP) Contributions — 2025
As Ontario hospital nurses are provincially regulated employees, CPP contributions apply to all earnings. Current 2025 rates:
- Employee CPP rate: 5.95% on earnings between the basic exemption ($3,500) and the Year's Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YMPE, ~$71,300)
- Maximum CPP contribution (employee): approximately $4,034/year
- CPP2 enhanced contribution: an additional 4% on earnings between YMPE and the Year's Additional Maximum Pensionable Earnings (YAMPE, ~$81,900)
- Maximum CPP2 (employee): approximately $426/year
Employment Insurance (EI) Premiums — 2025
- Employee EI rate: 1.64% of insurable earnings
- Maximum insurable earnings: approximately $65,700
- Maximum employee premium: approximately $1,078/year
- Employer premium: employee premium × 1.4
HOOPP — Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan
ONA hospital nurses are enrolled in HOOPP, one of Canada's strongest defined-benefit pension plans. Unlike defined-contribution plans, HOOPP guarantees a specific monthly benefit based on your earnings and years of service, providing predictable retirement income.
2025 HOOPP contribution rates (unchanged through 2027):
| Earnings Range | Employee Contribution Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to YMPE | 6.9% of earnings |
| Above YMPE | 9.2% of earnings |
Employer contribution: For every dollar you contribute, your employer contributes $1.26 — providing an exceptional employer match.
Benefit formula: For each year of service, you earn:
- 1.5% of your best five-year average earnings up to the average YMPE, plus
- 2.0% of your best five-year average earnings above the average YMPE
HOOPP's investment performance means that 80 cents of every pension dollar paid comes from investment returns — your contributions go further than a savings account. For a nurse working 30 years at an average of $55,000 annually, HOOPP may provide approximately $22,500–$25,000 per year in indexed retirement income.
Key Changes in This Agreement (2024–2026)
The 2024–2026 agreement is notable for several significant departures from its predecessor:
Bill 124 wage restoration: The most significant change. After the Ontario Court of Appeal struck down Bill 124 in November 2023, ONA negotiated the restoration of wages that had been suppressed, along with retroactive lump-sum payments for affected nurses.
Enhanced wage increases: In addition to restoration, the agreement includes negotiated annual wage increases for 2024 and 2025, helping to address both inflation and the severe nursing retention crisis in Ontario's hospitals.
Nurse-to-patient ratio provisions: The agreement includes strengthened language around staffing levels, workload tools, and nurse-to-patient ratios — acknowledging that unsafe staffing is a patient safety issue as well as a worker protection issue.
Mental health supports: Expanded Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) coverage with improved access to mental health professionals, reflecting the widespread burnout and psychological injury experienced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scheduling improvements: New provisions addressing equitable distribution of weekends, premium pay for short-notice schedule changes, and enhanced protections against mandatory overtime.
How to Use This Free Calculator
The ONA Nurses Ontario Free Calculator on this page helps you estimate:
- Wages & Tax (Tab 1): Enter your hourly rate and hours worked to see gross pay, CPP, EI, and estimated federal income tax deductions — and your approximate net pay.
- Overtime & Premiums (Tab 2): Calculate the value of shift premiums (evening, night, weekend) and overtime hours at 1.5× or 2×.
- Vacation Pay (Tab 3): Estimate your vacation pay entitlement based on years of service and annual earnings, under both the collective agreement and Ontario ESA minimums.
- Notice & Severance (Tab 4): Enter your years of service to see statutory notice and severance obligations under Ontario ESA.
- CPP & EI (Tab 5): Calculate annual CPP, CPP2, and EI contributions — and what your employer pays on your behalf.
- Statutory Holidays (Tab 6): See the value of each statutory holiday at your rate, and calculate premium pay if you work on a stat holiday.
All calculations use 2025 rates and are updated for the current collective agreement period. The calculator covers federal income tax only — Ontario provincial income tax is additional and not shown.
Conclusion
The ONA Collective Agreement for Ontario Nurses 2024–2026 represents one of the most significant advances in nursing compensation in Ontario in decades — correcting years of wage suppression under Bill 124 and establishing a foundation for fair, sustainable pay for the province's nursing workforce. Understanding your rights under this agreement, from your step on the wage grid to your HOOPP pension entitlement, empowers you to advocate for yourself and your patients.
Use the free calculator above to see what your collective agreement means in dollar terms. And if you have any questions about your specific situation, contact your ONA local bargaining unit representative or call the ONA Member Experience Centre.
Calculations are indicative only and do not constitute legal advice. Employment standards vary by province and whether you are federally regulated. For specific advice, contact the Canada Labour Program (1-800-641-4049), your Ontario Employment Standards office (1-800-531-5551), or a labour lawyer. HOOPP contribution data sourced from hoopp.com. Ontario ESA provisions per the Employment Standards Act, 2000, S.O. 2000, c.41.
