The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre is looking to fill 54 open positions, the hospital’s job portal shows as of June 18, 2026. The hiring push includes 20 nursing roles and 26 healthcare professional jobs, along with a handful of administrative, facilities, and leadership positions. For residents, the vacancies signal both growing demand for services and the ongoing challenge of bringing healthcare workers to Northwestern Ontario.
The 54 openings are listed on the hospital’s careers website, with nursing and healthcare professional roles making up the bulk. The hospital is an acute care referral centre serving Thunder Bay and a wide swath of rural and remote communities in the region.
Staffing pressures are nothing new here. A 2021 report noted the hospital had about 1,450 nurses on staff but still struggled to expand services or keep transitional care units full. The Ontario Nurses’ Association, which represents nursing staff at the hospital, has warned that the province will need 33,200 more nurses and over 50,800 more personal support workers by 2032.
Recruiters in the north face extra hurdles, from geographic isolation to competition with bigger cities that can offer different career and lifestyle options. The hospital has tried creative approaches to attract workers, including a career showcase in October 2025 to promote healthcare jobs in the community.
In a bid to help, the province has put $50 million over three years toward beefing up healthcare capacity in northern and rural communities through education, recruitment, and retention efforts. The hospital is a unionized workplace, and existing staff with the Ontario Nurses’ Association get first crack at jobs covered by collective agreements. Anyone interested in applying can find the listings on the hospital’s online portal.
