Right now we're a workforce of about 16,000 across Canada. The employment rate is high at 93%. We do have some shortages as far the workforce is concerned. Fortunately, B.C., your province, is one place where we don't have the demand. The B.C. occupational therapy workforce requires input from those trained out of province. It has the largest percentage of out-of-province trained therapists. Ontario is another province that relies on a big influx of occupational therapists. Saskatchewan is another region where the percentage of occupational therapists serving the community is very small. The pressure has been on the government since 1966 to get an occupational therapy school in Regina.
So there are some workforce issues. Globally we are a strong workforce as well. We can rely on internationally educated occupational therapists.
You mentioned acute care. We are failing seniors if they land in acute care. I think we have to look at hospice models and community-based programs. Once they're in acute care.... It's not the place for them.