Emergency departments across the province either closed or reduced hours this summer due to a severe shortage of nurses.

The impact was felt in rural areas of Ontario, where Glengarry Memorial Hospital is temporarily closing its emergency department at night on weekends until August 22.

Robert Aldred Hughes, head of Glengarry Memorial Hospital, said, "When we look at the weekend staff, most of the challenges we see are in the emergency department and the inability to work night shifts with any of the nurses."

Montfort Hospital closed its emergency department overnight last weekend due to staff shortages, but plans to be open 24 hours a day this weekend.

Rachel Muir, a registered nurse at Ottawa Hospital and head of the local bargaining unit for the Ontario Nurses' Association, said: "The fact that Montfort is closed should be a wake-up call.

This is a city hospital with a busy emergency room." "They do not listen to us. If they did, they would have started showing respect for us and recognizing the value of healthcare workers in the system."

Like many advocates, Muir wants the province to repeal Bill 124, a law that provides nurses with only a one percent wage increase.

This comes after Ontario Premier Doug Ford said "everything is on the table" when pressed by reporters to declare his position on healthcare privatization.

Ford said on Friday: "No matter the solutions, we won’t do anything without consulting health experts.

Ford said: "One thing we will ensure: you will always be covered by OHIP, not a credit card."