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Gélinas asking auditor to investigate hospital payroll problems

Nurses union files grievances after Sudbury hospital employees are given "inaccurate" T4 statements
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Health Sciences North.

At the same time that unionized nurses are upset about getting inaccurate T4 statements from Health Sciences North (HSN), Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas said she is asking Ontario's auditor general to investigate the alleged problems with the hospital's payroll system.

The Ontario Nurses Association (ONA), representing registered nurses at HSN, has filed grievances alleging that the hospital has deliberately provided inaccurate T4 statements that are required for filing income tax returns; something the union said can result in legal difficulties for the nurses. 

"In some cases, the T4s issued by this employer incorrectly report earnings of front-line RNs of up to $40,000 more than is accurate, resulting in a host of financial implications by those affected," said an email statement from ONA Interim Provincial President Bernie Robinson.

"ONA is outraged and is filing grievances against HSN, working to hold this unapologetic employer to account."

The T4 statement is a document provided by employers to advise the Canada Revenue Agency how much income an employee has earned and how much taxes were paid.

Gélinas has also expressed her concern for nurses and other health care workers who have complained to her office about the many inconsistencies in HSN's newer payroll system. Gélinas, who at one time worked at the hospital, said she still has many friends there who have contacted her with their stories and concerns.

"I can tell you that I've had many employees of HSN reach out to me about the payroll errors, about not getting the pay stub, about working a full week and they end up with a pay stub that says they owe money," she said. 

Gélinas said she has forwarded the stories to Ontario Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk.

"So I share those with the auditor general, in her office to see if she could investigate and make sure that everybody and everything gets solved. But it still makes it hard on many people to not get their pay, after they've put in two weeks of work."

For its part, the hospital said it was aware of the problem and is working to follow up with the employees who are affected.

“HSN launched a new human resources system that integrates scheduling and payroll as part of our commitment to be Digitally Enabled. There have been implementation issues as part of this introduction, this includes discrepancies for some T4 statements," said an email from the office of communications director Jason Turnbull. 

"We sincerely apologize for the frustration this has caused our employees," the note continued. 

"HSN is aware of these issues and has dedicated resources following up with impacted employees directly.”


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Len Gillis

About the Author: Len Gillis

Graduating from the Journalism program at Canadore College in the 1970s, Gillis has spent most of his career reporting on news events across Northern Ontario with several radio, television and newspaper companies. He also spent time as a hardrock miner.
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