Ford government to resume arbitration hearings with OMA

The Ford government will resume binding arbitration hearings with the association representing the province's physicians, according to a memo the group's head sent to members Friday afternoon.

In her letter, Dr. Nadia Alam said the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) received formal notice Friday morning that "the government has agreed to resume arbitration hearings on our Physician Services Agreement."

The hearings, which were originally scheduled for Saturday, are now rescheduled for Tuesday to Friday, Alam said.

"It is the OMA's sincere hope this is the start of a more effective working relationship between the OMA and the Government of Ontario, in order to fix the crisis in our health care system," she added.

"We both want to serve the health-care interests of our patients, the people of Ontario."

The provincial government informed the OMA on Monday that it had decided to pull out of binding arbitration with the association citing a "lack of confidence."

In a letter obtained by CBC Toronto, lawyers representing the OMA called the move "unprecedented [and] an affront to the rule of law."