I need to talk about two RD job postings that are circulating right now in Ontario. 

One is at a Community Health Centre. The other at a Family Health Team diabetes program. Both are full-time roles serving marginalized populations, people with complex chronic disease, and high-acuity primary care clients.

Here's what they're asking for:

✔ Ontario RD registration

✔ Master's degree in nutrition (preferred)

✔ 3–5 years community health experience

✔ Diabetes education certification

✔ Motivational interviewing training

✔ Safe Food Handler's certification

✔ Knowledge of social determinants of health

✔ Group facilitation + cooking program delivery

✔ Driver's licence and your own vehicle

✔ Mental health and addiction experience

And the salary? One of these postings offers $34.68–$41.44/hr.

Meanwhile, the upcoming new OPSEU central collective agreement for hospital-based dietitians in Ontario sets the starting rate at $36.13/hr — with a grid that reaches $46.01/hr at year 5.

That's a gap up to $22,000 per year for doing work that is arguably more complex, with less institutional support, and serving higher-need populations.

We are not asking for coffee money. They are asking for a master's degree, a portfolio of certifications, specialized clinical skills, and our own cars to drive across regions — and offering wages that don't clear the hospital entry point.

Community and primary care dietitians carry entire chronic disease management programs on their shoulders. They are the first point of contact for diabetes, gut health, heart disease, and food insecurity. They are not support staff. They are primary care providers.

The pay gap between hospital and community-based RD roles in Ontario is a structural problem — and it is driving talented dietitians away from the sectors where they are needed most. (Proof: I know the person who left the CHC job took a job at a hospital.) 

This is exactly why fair compensation for Registered Dietitians isn't just an RD problem. It's a health system problem.

If you agree, please share this. Sign the petition. Reach out to your MPP.