SickKids staff to join hospital workers across Ontario as members of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP)

TORONTO, Ontario – The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) are pleased to announce that SickKids employees will become members of HOOPP’s defined benefit pension plan, effective Dec. 29, 2025. This means all hospitals in the province will soon be HOOPP employers.

“HOOPP is one of the strongest and most stable pension plans in Canada and offers its members a secure pension for life,” says Rachel Arbour, HOOPP’s Head of Plan Benefits, Design and Policy. “We look forward to working with SickKids employees over the coming months to help and support them as they transition into HOOPP.”

Susan O’Dowd, Vice-President, Human Resources and Commercial Services at SickKids, notes that the move follows staff feedback about SickKids’ current defined benefit pension plan. “After thorough review and careful consideration, we determined that transitioning all future service into HOOPP is the most viable path forward,” she says. “Enhancing our pension plan and joining HOOPP is not only something many staff have been asking for, but also a logical step for SickKids as it aligns us with the broader sector.”

HOOPP serves Ontario’s hospital and community-based healthcare sector, with more than 700 participating employers. Its membership includes nurses, medical technicians, food services staff, housekeeping staff, physicians and many others who provide valued healthcare services. In total, HOOPP has more than 478,000 active, deferred and retired members.

Almost all active members currently in SickKids’ defined benefit plan will be joining HOOPP for future service, which enables current defined benefit pension plan members to continue to grow their existing SickKids pension, even after the move to HOOPP. While most staff can look forward to an enhanced pension, a small group of staff, who would be disadvantaged by this change, will remain in the SickKids pension plan. “Moving to a ‘future service’ model protects the value of past contributions and service, which retain their full value. While past contributions and past service will remain with the SickKids plan, staff members' years of service with SickKids will also count towards HOOPP’s early retirement calculations,” says O’Dowd.

SickKids staff who have already retired, will retire before the end of 2025, or left SickKids and deferred their pension will receive a SickKids pension only.

“HOOPP offers value and high-quality retirement benefits to workers across more than 700 employers,” says Arbour. “Workers at SickKids are important members of Ontario’s healthcare community and we look forward to helping them build a stronger financial future.”

About SickKids

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) has been changing the game for paediatric health care since it became the first children’s hospital in Canada in 1875. Affiliated with the University of Toronto, SickKids is one of Canada’s most research-intensive hospitals and has generated discoveries that have helped children globally. Its mission is to provide the best in complex and specialized care; promote a culture centred around patient and family experience; pioneer scientific and clinical advancements; foster an academic environment that nurtures health-care professionals; and champion an accessible, comprehensive and sustainable child health system. In 2025, SickKids is celebrating 150 years of excellence in children's health, continuing to advance Precision Child Health, its groundbreaking movement to deliver individualized care, including responsibly using artificial intelligence to improve clinical care and research. SickKids is proud of its vision for Healthier Children. A Better World. For more information, please visit www.sickkids.ca.

About The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan

HOOPP serves Ontario’s hospital and community-based healthcare sector, with more than 700 participating employers. Its membership includes nurses, medical technicians, food services staff, housekeeping staff, physicians, and many others who provide valued healthcare services. In total, HOOPP has more than 478,000 active, deferred and retired members.

HOOPP is fully funded and manages a highly diversified portfolio of more than $123 billion in assets that span multiple geographies and asset classes. HOOPP is also a major contributor to the Canadian economy, paying more than $3 billion in pension benefits to retired Ontario healthcare workers annually.

HOOPP operates as a private independent trust, and its Board of Trustees governs the Plan and Fund, focusing on HOOPP’s mission to deliver on our pension promise. The Board is made up of appointees from the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and four unions: the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union (OPSEU), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). This governance model provides representation from both employers and members in support of the long-term interests of the Plan.

Media contacts:

SickKids Media Line, media.line@sickkids.ca

Scott White, HOOPP’s Senior Director, Media Relations and External Communications, swhite2@hoopp.com