More than a third of young nurses in Canada do not renew licences, says think tank
A new report says more than a third of the registered nurses in Canada under the age of 35 in 2023 did not renew their licences the next year.
The Montreal Economic Institute compiled the numbers in the report using the latest data available from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
The health information organization's numbers are based on licence applications from provincial and territorial nursing regulatory bodies.
It reveals that for every 100 nurses under the age of 35 who were registered to practise in Canada in 2023, 34 did not renew their registration in 2024.
The numbers suggest an improvement from the previous year, when 40 per cent of nurses did not renew their licences.
The Montreal-based think tank has promoted more private sector involvement in the health care system to improve services.
Gabriel Giguère, a public policy analyst at the think tank and co-author of the report, said the report shows Canada still has work to do to persuade nurses to remain in the profession.
“This sends a very clear message about the retention rate of young nurses, and it's a bad one,” he told The Canadian Press.
The report notes how recent survey responses suggest factors such as excessive overtime, poor working conditions, high stress and the risk of extreme fatigue on the job may be contributing to the exodus of some nurses.
The think tank also suggests in the report that provinces could help encourage more nurses to remain in the profession if they had additional opportunities in the private sector that offered more flexibility, such as in travel nurse agencies, private clinics or telehealth companies.
It also notes how some provinces such as Quebec have programs that pair novice nurses with colleagues who have more experience.
"British Columbia has job swapping pools, which allow nurses to trade shifts without needing approval from administrators," the report said. "Union contracts should also be renegotiated to reward skills and competence over seniority."
The report also highlights that, countrywide, the proportion of nurses under the age of 35 rose from 27.7 per cent in 2014 to over 30 per cent in 2017 and has remained between 30 per cent and 31 per cent since then.
The number of unfilled positions — which stood at more than 27,000 in 2025 — has declined from its peak of approximately 41,000 unfilled positions in 2023.
“When you look at it year by year, it’s obviously a good thing to have fewer job openings,” said Giguère, nuancing that the 10-year trend is not moving in the same direction.
In 2016, there were just over 9,000 job openings, three times fewer than today.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
By Katrine Desautels | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Second career college court challenge reveals concerns about 'bona fide studies'
Ontario's colleges and universities ministry is alleging it could not "reliably determine bona fide studies" at two of the career colleges it barred from student financial aid — a decision those schools are now challenging in court.
Two campuses of Citi College of Canadian Careers are among six schools the province blocked from the Ontario Student Assistance Program in May for the 2026-27 year, alleging "high-risk admissions" practices and other concerns.
They have filed an application in Divisional Court asking for a judicial review of that decision, similar to a court challenge by three Academy of Learning locations affected by the May order.
Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn did not base his decision on a "rational chain of analysis" connecting evidence to the ministry's conclusions, and the order does not refer to any specific instances of alleged non-compliance, Citi College wrote in its court challenge.
"In making the decision, the minister reached findings regarding 'compromised participation,' 'inadequate attendance tracking,' and 'inability to reliably determine bona fide studies' that are not justified, transparent, or intelligible, having regard to the ministry’s own prior approvals ... and the systems and safeguards Citi College had previously implemented," the school wrote.
Citi College had been approved to administer OSAP in each of the preceding 20 years, they wrote, and two audits by the ministry last year "concluded without adverse findings." The ministry's allegations have not been tested or proven in court.
Quinn's decisions to bar the six schools from receiving OSAP this year come after Career Colleges Ontario had been warning for years about possible "suspicious" OSAP activity at a small number of schools.
The minister announced last week that KPMG started an audit in August of OSAP at career colleges and he referred the matter to the Ontario Provincial Police based on "serious concerns" uncovered in the audit's preliminary findings. He did not name the colleges that were the subject of the concerns referred to police.
Citi College is not aware of being subject to any issues raised by KPMG or the OPP referral, its lawyer said.
A January 2025 letter from Career Colleges Ontario to the government highlights what it calls concerning increases in OSAP usage at 10 schools, including one school that saw a nearly 2,700 per cent increase in two years. The letter was filed as part of the Academy of Learning court challenge, and all of the schools listed except for Academy of Learning are redacted, so it is not known if Citi College was included.
Data obtained by The Canadian Press through a freedom-of-information request earlier this year shows that Citi College's two campuses had about 133 people on OSAP in 2021-22, and three years later that rose to 1,754 students, an increase of about 1,200 per cent.
A lawyer for Citi College said in a statement Wednesday to The Canadian Press about the judicial review application that the school "continues to maintain compliance with its regulatory obligations and support its existing students in completing their programs."
Harris Rosen also wrote in a previous statement about the OSAP increases that a more accurate calculation would use a pre-pandemic figure and rely on a compound annual growth rate, in which case Citi College would have been at about 38 per cent per year.
"The percentage increase you've cited appears substantial largely because it is calculated from a relatively low 2021–22 base," Rosen wrote.
"When that figure is considered alongside the expansion of online education, broader geographic accessibility, and the relatively short duration of my client's programs, Citi does not believe the growth is as unusual as the percentage alone may suggest."
In the court application, Citi College argues that the minister unfairly assessed the school based on new "technological and monitoring expectations" that weren't previously communicated to them.
Those included continuous webcam participation, long-term IP retention, forensic IP analytics, and VPN prohibitions, Citi College wrote.
When Quinn announced last week that he had referred concerns to the OPP, he said many had centred around online-only programs. This fall, the government will introduce legislation to exclude predominantly online programs at private career colleges from OSAP eligibility.
In the meantime, Quinn has also paused OSAP payments at all private post-secondary institutions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2026.
By Allison Jones | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Molson et les Canadiens transportent l'ambiance du Centre Bell dans les bars cette saison lors des matchs à l'extérieur
Chaque match à l'extérieur sera diffusé en direct dans un bar différent!
Lorsque les Canadiens quittent la ville, le Centre Bell s'éteint, mais cela ne signifie pas pour autant que les soirées de match doivent s'arrêter. Cette saison, Molson invite les fans à profiter de l'action en venant assister aux matchs à l'extérieur des Habs, avec des lots à gagner et la présence d'anciens joueurs des Canadiens.
Les Party Zone Molson se dérouleront tout au long de la saison dans différents bars à travers le Québec. Lors de chaque événement, le match sera diffusé en direct sur grand écran, et tu ne manqueras rien de l'action, des arrêts spectaculaires aux jeux de puissance, entouré.e de fans aussi passionné.e.s que toi.
Il y a une grande différence entre assister à un match depuis ton canapé et le suivre dans une salle bondée : tout est une question d’ambiance. Les passes manquées suscitent des grognements collectifs, les buts provoquent des rugissements, et une troisième période serrée tient tout le monde en haleine.

Canadiens de Montréal | Courtoisie
Et puis, il y a les invités. D’anciens joueurs des Canadiens feront des apparitions lors de ces événements, t'offrant ainsi l’occasion de voir en chair et en os ceux qui ont autrefois porté le maillot bleu-blanc-rouge.
Pour les partisan.ne.s de longue date, cela signifie rencontrer ceux qu’iels ont encouragés depuis leur enfance, tandis que les nouveaux.elles fans profiteront d'un accès direct à l’histoire de l’équipe.
Des lots seront également à gagner tout au long de la saison, ce qui signifie qu’une soirée de match ordinaire pourrait se terminer par bien plus qu’une simple victoire au classement.
Où et quand auront lieu les prochains Party Zone Molson?
Les festivités feront escale dans plusieurs bars de Montréal et d'autres villes du Québec, d'octobre 2026 à avril 2027.
Lieux en 2026
- 3 octobre, 19 h : Brasserie du Boulevard - 505, rue Celanese, Drummondville, QC
- 23 octobre, 14 h : Taverne des Loisirs - 588, rue Saint-Charles S., Granby, QC
- 7 novembre, 19 h : Lord William Pub - 265, rue des Seigneurs, Montréal, QC
- 12 novembre, 19 h : Chez Miller MTL - 1840, rue Atataken, Montréal, QC
- 19 novembre, 19 h : Resto-Bar La Maisonnée - 5385, av. Gatineau, Montréal, QC
- 28 novembre, 18 h : Bar Café Le Mondial - 150, chemin Duplessis, Sherbrooke, QC
- 18 décembre, 16 h : La Cage - 1212, avenue des Canadiens de Montréal, Montréal, QC
Lieux en 2027
- 16 janvier, 19 h : Centre Sportif DHG - 1139, rue Principale, Granby, QC
- 30 janvier, 19 h : L'Étoile du Match - 1629, QC-132, Varennes, QC
- 18 février, 19 h : Resto-Pub 100 Génies - 530, rue Peel, Montréal, QC
- 27 février, 18 h : Bistro Bar Notre-Dame - 4750, rue Notre-Dame O., Montréal, QC
- 13 mars, 19 h : Chez Miller St-Jean - 290, rue Champlain, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC
- 20 mars, 19 h : Peel Pub - 1196, rue Peel, Montréal, QC
- 10 avril, heure à confirmer : Double's - 5171, av. du Parc, Montréal, QC
Comme chaque soirée se déroule dans un bar différent, toi et tes ami.e.s pouvez en faire une sortie ou suivre la série à travers le Québec tout au long de la saison.
Grâce à Molson, les matchs à l'extérieur des Canadiens seront diffusés en direct dans des bars, avec des lots à gagner et la présence d'anciens joueurs. De quoi retrouver une véritable ambiance de match sans même avoir à te rendre au Centre Bell!

Verglas : Hydro-Québec se prépare à des pannes de courant et émet des recommandations
Les prochaines heures s’annoncent intenses!
Ce mercredi 5 avril, jusqu'à 20 mm de verglas vont frapper le territoire et ça s'annonce intense. Hydro-Québec a averti la population sur ses réseaux sociaux que ces conditions présentent un risque de pannes dans plusieurs régions de la province et a donné une série de conseils pour que tu saches quoi faire si jamais tu te retrouves à devoir t'éclairer à la bougie.
« La météo des prochaines heures pourrait causer des pannes dans plusieurs régions du Québec en raison de précipitations de verglas. Nous suivons l’évolution de la situation et serons prêts à intervenir dès que nécessaire », a indiqué la société d'État.
Il est recommandé, entre autres, de recharger à l'avance tes appareils électroniques et de penser à télécharger tout le contenu dont tu aurais besoin pour te divertir en attendant le retour de l'électricité.
Côté nourriture, il est préconisé de prévoir des collations que tu peux consommer sans avoir à ouvrir ton frigo ou ton congélateur, afin de conserver une basse température à l'intérieur de ceux-ci pour limiter la perte d'aliments.
Hydro-Québec conseille aussi de créer une trousse d'urgence composée d'une lampe de poche, de piles de rechange, de livres ou autres divertissements, de la nourriture, du matériel de premiers soins, des couvertures chaudes et une liste de numéros de téléphone d'urgence. Notons qu'elle devrait être rangée dans un endroit facilement d'accès.
Il est aussi mentionné qu'il faudrait penser à avoir une radio à piles ou une batterie externe pour recharger ton cellulaire afin de suivre l'évolution des pannes dans ton secteur en consultant le site Internet Info-Pannes ou l'application. Tu peux également appeler au 1-800-790‑2424 pour obtenir des informations.
Rappelons que la circulation s'annonce particulièrement difficile ce mercredi 5 avril et que les routes pourraient se transformer en véritable patinoire. Tu ferais donc mieux de rester chez toi dans les prochaines heures ou d'utiliser l'application, les réseaux sociaux ou le site Internet de Québec 511 afin d'anticiper tes déplacements.