front lines october 2009

The MeMbers’ publicaTion oF The onTario nurses’ associaTion

A in This issue…

E4From ONA President

Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN

E5From ONA CEO

Lesley Bell, RN, MBA

E14From ONA First Vice-President

Vicki McKenna, RN

OC TOBER 2009 Vol. 9 • No. 5

ONA has applied to the Supreme Court of Canada for leave to appeal the decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal, which dismissed an action on behalf of 53 nurses who contracted SARS while caring for patients in 2003.

On May 7, 2009, just a few weeks after E continues on page 3

E continues on page 3

ONA Appeals SARS Ruling

A FEATURESKudos to the LEAP Team ........................ 7Nurses Choose ONA ................................ 8Port Perry Picket ...................................... 9CAMH’s Guilty Plea ............................... 10

A INDEXMember News .......................................... 6ONA News .............................................. 10Queen’s Park Update .............................15OHC News ..............................................15CFNU News ............................................16Human Rights and Equity.....................17Awards and Decisions ...........................18Education ...............................................20

President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN, and First Vice-President Vicki McKenna, RN, have been acclaimed to their positions for another two-year term, until 2011.

As a result, elections for these positions will not be necessary this fall. As the five Vice-Pres-idents on the ONA Board of Directors were elected to two-year terms last year, their positions will extend until 2010.

Haslam-Stroud, a long-time political activist, nursing advocate and St. Joseph’s Healthcare (Hamilton) renal transplant nurse, will serve a fourth two-year term as ONA President. She has been an active member in our union since 1980, serving as Local 75 Bargaining Unit Presi-dent and Local Coordinator, leading central hospital bargaining, and sitting on a wide array of internal and external committees.

the H1N1 virus hit our province, the On-tario Court of Appeal ruled that the provin-cial government does not owe a “private law duty of care” to front-line registered nurses and that the “interest of nurses cannot be pri-oritized over the gen-

oNA

ona president, First Vp acclaimed

insiDe: information on the acclaimed candidates

63462-1a ONA Frontlines.indd 1 10/19/09 8:53:05 AM

OCTOBER 20092

Linda Haslam-Stroud, RNPresident, VM #2254

Communications & Public

Relations

Vicki McKenna, RNFirst VP, VM #2314

Political Action & Professional

Issues

Diane Parker, RNVP Region 1, VM #7710

Occupational Health & Safety

Anne Clark, RNVP Region 2, VM #7758

Labour Relations

Andy Summers, RNVP Region 3, VM #7754

Human Rights & Equity

Dianne Leclair, RNVP Region 4, VM #7752

Finance

Karen Bertrand, RNVP Region 5, VM #7702

Education

Lesley Bell, RNChief Executive Officer,

VM #2255

How to contact your 2009 ONA Board of Directors

Call ONA toll-free at 1-800-387-5580 (press 0)

or (416) 964-1979 in Toronto and follow the

operator’s prompts to access board members’

voice-mail. Voice-mail numbers (VM) for Board

members in the Toronto office are listed below.

Tel: (416) 964-8833

Toll free: 1-800-387-5580

ONA Provincial Office

85 Grenville St., Ste. 400

Toronto ON M5S 3A2

ONA is the union representing 54,000 registered nurses and allied health

professionals and more than 10,000 nursing students providing care in

hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics

and industry.

Fax: (416) 964-8864

e-mail: [email protected]

www.ona.org

Design: Artifact graphic design

Printed by union labour: Thistle Printing Limited

Copyright © 2009 Ontario Nurses’ Association

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording,

or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing

from the publisher.

ISSN: 0834-9088


Editor: Ruth Featherstone

Features Editor: Melanie Levenson

Send submissions to: Communications and Government Relations Intake at

[email protected].

Contributors: Sheree Bond, Brooke Burns, Nancy Johnson, Mary Lou King,

Sue McCulloch, Enid Mitchell, David Nicholson, Marsha Palmer, Lawrence Walter.

E Hamilton2 King St., W., 2nd Floor Rear

Dundas, ON L9H 6Z1

Tel: (905) 628-0850

Fax: (905) 628-2557

E Kingston4 Cataraqui St., Ste. 306

Kingston ON K7K 1Z7

Tel: (613) 545-1110

Fax: (613) 531-9043

E London750 Baseline Rd. E., Ste. 204

London ON N6C 2R5

Tel: (519) 438-2153

Fax: (519) 433-2050

E Orillia210 Memorial Ave.,

Unit 126A

Orillia ON L3V 7V1

Tel: (705) 327-0404

Fax: (705) 327-0511

E Ottawa1400 Clyde Ave., Ste. 211

Nepean ON K2G 3J2

Tel: (613) 226-3733

Fax: (613) 723-0947

E Sudbury764 Notre Dame Ave., Unit 3

Sudbury ON P3A 2T4

Tel: (705) 560-2610

Fax: (705) 560-1411

E Thunder Bay#300, Woodgate Centre,

1139 Alloy Dr.

Thunder Bay ON P7B 6M8

Tel: (807) 344-9115

Fax: (807) 344-8850

E TimminsCanadian Mental Health

Association Building

330 Second Ave, Ste. 203

Timmins ON P4N 8A4

Tel: (705) 264-2294

Fax: (705) 268-4355

E Windsor3155 Howard Ave., Ste. 220

Windsor ON N8X 3Y9

Tel: (519) 966-6350

Fax: (519) 972-0814

oNA REgIoNAl offIcEs


ON OUR COVER: On September 16, 2009, just days after their acclamations, ONA

President Linda Haslam-Stroud (right) and First Vice-President Vicki McKenna pose

proudly in the Board room at ONA’s provincial official in Toronto.

sepTeMber boarD highlighTs

The following are key highlights from the most recent Board of Directors meeting, held September 15-18, 2009 at the ONA provincial office.

A Phase 2 of ONA’s successful Cutting Nursing, Cutting Care campaign, a multi-faceted public affairs campaign aimed at lobbying the government and employers and educating the public on the serious impact nurse layoffs and re-ductions in nursing hours will have on patient care, will be launched this fall.

A The Board approved the lifting of the censure that has been in place against Bluewater Health Centre, Local 19, since June 2002 over labour relations issues. The Board has identified priorities and concerns from members, will monitor the situation and receive a report back next spring.

A A McMaster University graduate stu-dent will undertake a research project for ONA in health and safety initiatives.

A The evaluation results of the Profes-sional Responsibility Workload Report-ing E-Learning Pilot Project, which showed members how to complete the workload forms properly to move their concerns forward, were very positive.

A The ONA definition of “mentoring” was accepted, as presented. It states that mentoring is a “formal or informal relationship that enhances insight, decision-making, planning and performance.”

A The Board supports the roll-out for Hospital Contract Interpretative educa-tion, which will take place in 2010.

Complete highlights of the Board of Directors meeting are available on the members’ section of the ONA website at www.ona.org. The next Board meeting will be held at the provincial office on December 9-10, 2009 and highlights will appear in the next issue of Front Lines.

Up fRoNt


3 OCTOBER 2009

ONA is the union representing 54,000 registered nurses and allied health

professionals and more than 10,000 nursing students providing care in

hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics

and industry.

Fax: (416) 964-8864

e-mail: [email protected]

Design: Artifact graphic design

Printed by union labour: Thistle Printing Limited

Copyright © 2009 Ontario Nurses’ Association

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, including electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording,

or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing

from the publisher.

ISSN: 0834-9088

Editor: Ruth Featherstone

Features Editor: Melanie Levenson

Send submissions to: Communications and Government Relations Intake at

[email protected].

Contributors: Sheree Bond, Brooke Burns, Nancy Johnson, Mary Lou King,

Sue McCulloch, Enid Mitchell, David Nicholson, Marsha Palmer, Lawrence Walter.

E Thunder Bay#300, Woodgate Centre,

1139 Alloy Dr.

Thunder Bay ON P7B 6M8

Tel: (807) 344-9115

Fax: (807) 344-8850

E TimminsCanadian Mental Health

Association Building

330 Second Ave, Ste. 203

Timmins ON P4N 8A4

Tel: (705) 264-2294

Fax: (705) 268-4355

E Windsor3155 Howard Ave., Ste. 220

Windsor ON N8X 3Y9

Tel: (519) 966-6350

Fax: (519) 972-0814


“It is my honour to represent the inter-ests of our registered nurse and allied health members to employers, the government and the public,” said Haslam-Stroud. “Now, more than ever, our members need a strong voice and leadership to fight for quality health care and a safe working environment. It is my commitment to you to never give up that fight. I am excited to continue in my role as President of the Ontario Nurses’ As-sociation – one of the most powerful and respected unions in this province.”

McKenna, who has worked with both adult and pediatric patients at the Day Sur-gery Unit at London Health Sciences Cen-tre, Local 100, will serve her third term as First Vice-President. She holds the Board portfolio for political action and profes-sional issues, and brings almost 30 years of ONA experience, including sitting on many provincial committees and teams, such as

E continues from cover

ON OUR COVER: On September 16, 2009, just days after their acclamations, ONA

President Linda Haslam-Stroud (right) and First Vice-President Vicki McKenna pose

proudly in the Board room at ONA’s provincial official in Toronto.

ona president, First Vp acclaimed

eral public interest.” ONA had launched an action against the Ontario government in 2005 on behalf of ONA member Tecla Lin, who tragically lost her life in the sec-ond SARS outbreak, and 52 other nurses for negligence in the handling of the SARS outbreak, arguing officials failed to provide adequate and timely information alerting nurses on how to protect themselves. Many of those nurses continue to struggle with symptoms, including constant fatigue and respiratory illness.

The appeal is particularly timely and crucial as we are once again faced with a global flu pandemic – the extremely viru-lent H1N1 virus.

“Many facilities are unprepared and repeating the mistakes of SARS, and our members are understandably extremely

ona appeals sars ruling

sepTeMber boarD highlighTs

The following are key highlights from the most recent Board of Directors meeting, held September 15-18, 2009 at the ONA provincial office.

A Phase 2 of ONA’s successful Cutting Nursing, Cutting Care campaign, a multi-faceted public affairs campaign aimed at lobbying the government and employers and educating the public on the serious impact nurse layoffs and re-ductions in nursing hours will have on patient care, will be launched this fall.

A The Board approved the lifting of the censure that has been in place against Bluewater Health Centre, Local 19, since June 2002 over labour relations issues. The Board has identified priorities and concerns from members, will monitor the situation and receive a report back next spring.

A A McMaster University graduate stu-dent will undertake a research project for ONA in health and safety initiatives.

A The evaluation results of the Profes-sional Responsibility Workload Report-ing E-Learning Pilot Project, which showed members how to complete the workload forms properly to move their concerns forward, were very positive.

A The ONA definition of “mentoring” was accepted, as presented. It states that mentoring is a “formal or informal relationship that enhances insight, decision-making, planning and performance.”

A The Board supports the roll-out for Hospital Contract Interpretative educa-tion, which will take place in 2010.

Complete highlights of the Board of Directors meeting are available on the members’ section of the ONA website at www.ona.org. The next Board meeting will be held at the provincial office on December 9-10, 2009 and highlights will appear in the next issue of Front Lines.

concerned about their own safety at work,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “If H1N1 hits with a vengeance, it’s likely some health care workers will be among those who contract the infection and will be unable to provide patient care – at a time when we are already grappling with a nursing shortage. We continue to believe that the provincial government is ultimately responsible for our members’ safety as we care for patients, and that it owes a private law duty of care to these dedicated professionals.”

We expect the Supreme Court of Canada to determine if it will hear our case by the end of this year. If it does so, written arguments will be filed, followed by an oral hearing, pos-sibly in 2010. Front Lines will continue to keep you updated on our appeal.

E continues from cover

the Hospital Central Negotiating Team, and serving as Local 100 Coordinator.

“I look forward to another term as your First Vice-President, and promise that ONA will be at the table as policies are developed by the government and your employers that impact your professional lives and your pa-tients’ care,” McKenna said. “ONA’s 54,000 members have power, and by working with our allied associations and unions, we can le-verage that power.”

Added ONA CEO Lesley Bell, “I know you join with me in congratulating both Lin-da and Vicki, and wishing them well as they, along with the other members of the Board of Directors, continue to make important deci-sions on your behalf.”

For more information on Haslam-Stroud and McKenna, read their resumes in the “ONA Elections 2009” insert in this issue of Front Lines.

Up fRoNt


OCTOBER 20094

From ONA President / Présidente, AIIO

Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN

From ONA Chief Executive Officer / Directrice générale, AIIO


ona’s Work is never really Dones I write this column, I have been acclaimed as ONA President for the 2010-2011 term of office. It has been a privilege to serve as your president for the past six years and I am very excited

about continuing to represent the interests and needs of our members to employers, the government and the public at the provincial level.

Throughout those years, the accomplishments our union has made – thanks to our members working alongside the ONA Board of Di-rectors and staff – has been nothing short of astounding. I have seen significant changes taking place in our workplaces as we try to provide quality care to our patients/clients/residents. And so as I reflect on the past and look to the future, the first thing that comes to mind is that ONA’s work is never really done. Whenever we make a gain in one area, there will be another that needs our attention.

And we are up for the challenge. Apart from continuing to ne-gotiate the best possible collective agreements, wages, benefits and working conditions, handle your grievances and provide top quality education programs – items that are considered “traditional” union services – we also have other priorities that we will be focusing on.

We have workload, scope of practice and professional issues as we continue to deal with a devastating nursing shortage and the layoff of our members. We have occupational health and safety and violence in the workplace issues. We have concerns about the second wave of the H1N1 virus and what it will mean to our patients/clients/residents and our own safety. We have human rights and equity issues as mem-bers face harassment and bullying on the job. We also have political issues – you’ll see many examples in this issue of Front Lines – that need to be taken to the government to ensure that we can provide the quality care that the public not only needs, but deserves – and we desperately want to provide.

So as I enter my fourth term as your president, it is my commit-ment to you to continue to address these critical issues, make gains and be that professional voice for you on the front lines.

I thank you for the support, confidence and trust you have giv-en me over the years, and for your never ending dedication to your union, profession and Ontarians. I will do everything in my power to continue to earn that trust.

More Women in Workforce not all good newsrecent Statistics Canada survey showing that there are more women in the workforce than men for the first time in history seems on the surface to be good news, but take a closer look and

you will see that these figures also tell a very different story.The Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey found that approxi-

mately 7.1-million women were in paid employment during the first half of 2009, compared to 6.9-million men. Women outnumbered men in both the “under 25 years” and the “25 years and over” demo-graphics. In the past year, employment among women has risen by 0.6 per cent.

As a Canadian female labour leader, I am certainly pleased that women are significant players in the labour market, and more women in the labour force means women are getting recognition for the work they are doing. Many hours of women’s work is never recognized. In fact, it wasn’t all that long ago that women weren’t taken seriously as “real” workers. So, we have come leaps and bounds in that sense.

But I also know that these figures are not necessarily a reflection of gains in female-dominated industries – we know full-well that nurses in this province are actually losing jobs – but about the layoffs and cutbacks in male-dominated industries, such as the beleaguered auto industry. Men are being laid off in droves, they are unemployed and they are taking early retirement when that might not have been their original plan. In fact, the statistics show that employment among men dropped 1.7 per cent this year alone.

To pick up the slack and help put food on the table for their fami-lies, more and more women are taking part-time jobs and any work they can get. As they are statistically only paid 71 cents on the dollar compared to men, they’re enticing for certain employers. These fac-tors combined have helped drive up the number of women workers.

With that in mind, we clearly have our work cut out for us. Along-side the Ontario Federation of Labour, of which we are a member, we will keep lobbying the government to take real action against the deci-mation of jobs in the manufacturing industry. As part of the Equal Pay Coalition, we will continue to call on the Ontario government to support, strengthen and revitalize pay equity enforcement for the province’s women. After all, now that women are getting more jobs, we must ensure they also receive equal pay.

If we do so, it is my hope that the next time we see such statistics, they will truly be something for us all to celebrate.

AA Ale travail de l’aiio n’est jamais vraiment terminé

u moment où j’écris cette chronique, j’ai déjà été élue par accla-mation à titre de présidente de l’AIIO pour le mandat 2010-2011. J’ai eu le privilège de vous servir à titre de présidente au cours des

six dernières années et je suis très heureuse de continuer à représenter et à promouvoir les intérêts et les besoins de nos membres auprès des employeurs, du gouvernement et du public à l’échelle provinciale.

Tout au long de ces années, les réalisations de notre syndicat, pos-sibles grâce au travail de nos membres du conseil d’administration et du personnel, ont été vraiment remarquables. J’ai vu des changements s’opérer sur nos lieux de travail, alors que nous essayons d’offrir des soins de santé de qualité à nos patients, à nos clients et à nos résidants. En me remémorant le passé et en regardant vers l’avenir, la première chose qui me vient à l’esprit est le fait que le travail de l’AIIO n’est jamais vraiment terminé. Chaque fois que nous obtenons un gain dans un domaine, il y en aura un autre pour lequel nous devrons nous mobiliser.

Nous sommes prêts à relever le défi. Hormis notre rôle qui consiste à continuer de négocier les meilleures conventions collectives possible, en ce qui a trait aux salaires, aux avantages sociaux et aux conditions de travail, de s’occuper de vos griefs et d’offrir des programmes de for-mation de qualité supérieure (tous des services considérés comme des « services syndicaux habituels »), nous avons également d’autres prio-rités sur lesquelles nous nous concentrerons.

Nous avons des problèmes liés à la charge de travail et au champ de pratique ainsi que des problèmes d’ordre professionnel, pendant que nous continuons à faire face à une grave pénurie d’infirmières et à des mises à pied de nos membres. Nous avons des problèmes liés à la santé, à la sécurité et à la violence en milieu de travail. Nous sommes préoccupés par la seconde vague de grippe H1N1 et ce que cela signifiera pour nos patients, nos clients et nos résidants ainsi que pour notre propre sécurité. Nous avons des problèmes de droits de la personne et de l’équité; en ef-fet, des membres sont victimes de harcèlement et d’intimidation sur leur lieu de travail. Nous avons également des problèmes d’ordre politique – vous verrez de nombreux exemples dans le présent numéro de Front Lines – qui doivent être soumis au gouvernement afin de s’assurer que nous pouvons fournir les soins de qualité dont le public a non seulement besoin, mais qu’il mérite, et que nous voulons ardemment lui offrir.

En entamant mon quatrième mandat à titre de présidente, je m’enga-ge à poursuivre mes efforts pour régler ces problèmes importants, obtenir des gains et vous représenter avec professionnalisme en première ligne.

Je vous remercie de votre appui et de la confiance que vous m’avez accordés au cours des dernières années. Je vous remercie également pour votre dévouement constant envers le syndicat, la profession et les Ontariens. Je ferai tout ce qui est en mon pouvoir pour continuer à mériter cette confiance.


5 OCTOBER 2009

From ONA Chief Executive Officer / Directrice générale, AIIO


More Women in Workforce not all good newsrecent Statistics Canada survey showing that there are more women in the workforce than men for the first time in history seems on the surface to be good news, but take a closer look and

you will see that these figures also tell a very different story.The Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey found that approxi-

mately 7.1-million women were in paid employment during the first half of 2009, compared to 6.9-million men. Women outnumbered men in both the “under 25 years” and the “25 years and over” demo-graphics. In the past year, employment among women has risen by 0.6 per cent.

As a Canadian female labour leader, I am certainly pleased that women are significant players in the labour market, and more women in the labour force means women are getting recognition for the work they are doing. Many hours of women’s work is never recognized. In fact, it wasn’t all that long ago that women weren’t taken seriously as “real” workers. So, we have come leaps and bounds in that sense.

But I also know that these figures are not necessarily a reflection of gains in female-dominated industries – we know full-well that nurses in this province are actually losing jobs – but about the layoffs and cutbacks in male-dominated industries, such as the beleaguered auto industry. Men are being laid off in droves, they are unemployed and they are taking early retirement when that might not have been their original plan. In fact, the statistics show that employment among men dropped 1.7 per cent this year alone.

To pick up the slack and help put food on the table for their fami-lies, more and more women are taking part-time jobs and any work they can get. As they are statistically only paid 71 cents on the dollar compared to men, they’re enticing for certain employers. These fac-tors combined have helped drive up the number of women workers.

With that in mind, we clearly have our work cut out for us. Along-side the Ontario Federation of Labour, of which we are a member, we will keep lobbying the government to take real action against the deci-mation of jobs in the manufacturing industry. As part of the Equal Pay Coalition, we will continue to call on the Ontario government to support, strengthen and revitalize pay equity enforcement for the province’s women. After all, now that women are getting more jobs, we must ensure they also receive equal pay.

If we do so, it is my hope that the next time we see such statistics, they will truly be something for us all to celebrate.

A Lplus de femmes dans la population active : une bonne nouvelle? oui, mais…

es données d’un récent sondage de Statistique Canada démontrent qu’il y a plus de femmes que d’hommes dans la population active, une première dans l’histoire du pays. Ces données peuvent sembler

être une bonne nouvelle, mais regardons la situation de plus près et nous verrons que ces chiffres racontent une tout autre histoire.

L’Enquête sur la population active de Statistique Canada révèle qu’environ 7,1 millions de femmes occupaient un emploi rémunéré durant la première moitié de 2009, par rapport à 6,9 millions d’hom-mes. Les femmes étaient plus nombreuses que les hommes dans les catégories des personnes de moins de 25 ans et des personnes de 25 ans et plus. Au cours de la dernière année, le taux d’emploi féminin a augmenté de 0,6 %.

À titre de dirigeante syndicale canadienne, je suis heureuse de constater que les femmes sont des personnes clés sur le marché du travail. Plus de femmes dans la population active signifie que les fem-mes obtiennent une reconnaissance pour le travail qu’elles font. De nombreuses heures de travail effectuées par des femmes ne sont jamais reconnues. En fait, cela ne fait pas si longtemps que les femmes sont prises au sérieux en tant que « vraies » travailleuses. En ce sens, nous avons donc effectué des pas de géant.

Mais, je sais aussi que ces chiffres ne reflètent pas nécessairement des gains dans des secteurs à prédominance féminine; nous savons très bien que des infirmières dans notre province perdent des emplois. Ces chiffres illustrent plutôt les mises à pied et les compressions qu’ont su-bies des secteurs à prédominance masculine, comme l’industrie auto-mobile, qui est aux prises avec de grandes difficultés. Les hommes sont mis à pied en grand nombre, ils sont sans emploi et prennent une re-traite anticipée alors que ce n’est peut-être pas ce qu’ils avaient prévu au départ. En fait, les statistiques révèlent que pour cette seule année, le taux d’emploi a diminué de 1,7 % chez les hommes.

Pour aider à nourrir leurs familles et pour relancer l’économie, de plus en plus de femmes se tournent vers des emplois à temps partiel et acceptent n’importe quel type de travail. Et puisque statistiquement parlant les femmes ne gagnent que 0,71 $ pour chaque dollar du re-venu des hommes, elles sont intéressantes pour les employeurs. Tous ces facteurs combinés ont favorisé l’augmentation du nombre de tra-vailleuses.

Ainsi, nous devons garder à l’esprit que nous avons réellement du pain sur la planche. Aux côtés de la Fédération du travail de l’Ontario, dont nous sommes membres, nous allons faire pression sur le gouver-nement pour qu’il agisse concrètement contre les pertes d’emploi mas-sives qui ont décimé le secteur de la fabrication.

le travail de l’aiio n’est jamais vraiment terminéu moment où j’écris cette chronique, j’ai déjà été élue par accla-mation à titre de présidente de l’AIIO pour le mandat 2010-2011. J’ai eu le privilège de vous servir à titre de présidente au cours des

six dernières années et je suis très heureuse de continuer à représenter et à promouvoir les intérêts et les besoins de nos membres auprès des employeurs, du gouvernement et du public à l’échelle provinciale.

Tout au long de ces années, les réalisations de notre syndicat, pos-sibles grâce au travail de nos membres du conseil d’administration et du personnel, ont été vraiment remarquables. J’ai vu des changements s’opérer sur nos lieux de travail, alors que nous essayons d’offrir des soins de santé de qualité à nos patients, à nos clients et à nos résidants. En me remémorant le passé et en regardant vers l’avenir, la première chose qui me vient à l’esprit est le fait que le travail de l’AIIO n’est jamais vraiment terminé. Chaque fois que nous obtenons un gain dans un domaine, il y en aura un autre pour lequel nous devrons nous mobiliser.

Nous sommes prêts à relever le défi. Hormis notre rôle qui consiste à continuer de négocier les meilleures conventions collectives possible, en ce qui a trait aux salaires, aux avantages sociaux et aux conditions de travail, de s’occuper de vos griefs et d’offrir des programmes de for-mation de qualité supérieure (tous des services considérés comme des « services syndicaux habituels »), nous avons également d’autres prio-rités sur lesquelles nous nous concentrerons.

Nous avons des problèmes liés à la charge de travail et au champ de pratique ainsi que des problèmes d’ordre professionnel, pendant que nous continuons à faire face à une grave pénurie d’infirmières et à des mises à pied de nos membres. Nous avons des problèmes liés à la santé, à la sécurité et à la violence en milieu de travail. Nous sommes préoccupés par la seconde vague de grippe H1N1 et ce que cela signifiera pour nos patients, nos clients et nos résidants ainsi que pour notre propre sécurité. Nous avons des problèmes de droits de la personne et de l’équité; en ef-fet, des membres sont victimes de harcèlement et d’intimidation sur leur lieu de travail. Nous avons également des problèmes d’ordre politique – vous verrez de nombreux exemples dans le présent numéro de Front Lines – qui doivent être soumis au gouvernement afin de s’assurer que nous pouvons fournir les soins de qualité dont le public a non seulement besoin, mais qu’il mérite, et que nous voulons ardemment lui offrir.

En entamant mon quatrième mandat à titre de présidente, je m’enga-ge à poursuivre mes efforts pour régler ces problèmes importants, obtenir des gains et vous représenter avec professionnalisme en première ligne.

Je vous remercie de votre appui et de la confiance que vous m’avez accordés au cours des dernières années. Je vous remercie également pour votre dévouement constant envers le syndicat, la profession et les Ontariens. Je ferai tout ce qui est en mon pouvoir pour continuer à mériter cette confiance.


OCTOBER 20096

oNA mEmbERs AcRoss oNtARIo

Hamilton Members Win Landmark Ruling over TransfersMembers at Hamilton’s St. Joseph’s HealthCare, Local 75, have won

a precedent-setting arbitration ruling, which prevents their employer

from arbitrarily violating the layoff provisions of the collective agree-

ment and transferring nurses from one job to another to try to balance

the budget.

The case was put before an arbitrator by ONA on behalf of nine

nurses who were not provided their layoff rights and who were forced

to transfer earlier this year to fill vacancies. ONA fought the forced

transfers, which removed our members’ rights to bump into an area

they are qualified, transfer to a vacancy (previously posted and re-

maining unfilled), accept the layoff, take early retirement, or accept

severance under the layoff language in our Hospital Central collective

agreement.

Arbitrator Kevin Burkett ruled that the reassignment of nurses,

whose jobs have been declared surplus, constitutes a layoff, meaning

they should receive the same rights under the collective agreement as

nurses losing their jobs.

“I had no doubt what the decision was going to be,” said Local 75

Bargaining Unit President Donna Bain. “It’s true vindication for our

members.”

St. Joseph’s CEO Kevin Smith said he will respect the results of the

arbitration, but Hamilton Health Sciences has decided to proceed with

arbitration this fall on the same matter involving up to 50 nurses at

that facility. (See Front Lines, Vol. 9, No. 2, April 2009, pg.12.)

This win is so significant, the Hamilton Spectator focused on it in

its September 14 editorial, stating that “nurses are the clear winners…

and employers will have to live with the contract that they negotiated

and signed. With this ruling, ONA is in a position of strength.”

Hospitals throughout the province are watching the arbitrator’s

decision very closely as they struggle to balance their budgets under a

government directive.

ONA member and Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital registered nurse Barb

Porter (pictured) is featured in a new Ontario Federation of Labour

(OFL) sexual harassment video.

The video – produced jointly with a number of OFL member

unions, including ONA – is focused on educating a new generation

of young workers about the laws against, prevention of and handling

of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Porter experienced years of harassment at the hands of a physi-

cian at Hotel-Dieu Grace, Local 8, who also harassed and ultimately

murdered ONA member Lori Dupont, RN, in November 2005.

In the video, Porter recounts her experience to help younger

workers understand how sexual harassment can begin, what can

happen when the employer fails to address it, and what every worker

should know.

Also featured is Adele Stroud, daughter of ONA President Linda

Haslam-Stroud. Stroud alerts young workers to the practice of sex-

ual harassment and how subtle it can be. As she notes, many people

entering the workforce don’t know much about sexual harassment,

its many forms and employees’ options for ending it.

Wage grids established for Diabetic educator and infection control coordinators

The following letter was submitted to ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud.

Cheers to the LEAP Team!

One of our nurses, who has never had any issues at all in the past, recently received a letter from the College of Nurses of Ontario. As you can well imagine, she was extremely upset and embarrassed. Her manager told her to call the union, which she did.

Plan (LEAP) booklet. She promptly called LEAP intake and spoke with (team member) Tom Thibault and these were her words:

what nursing is all about.” He was “so supportive and reassuring. I felt like he “really cared and understood” how upsetting receiving a letter would be to a nurse.

legal jargon she didn’t understand, but found it to be quite a pleasure to talk to him.She never thought she would ever need a union and didn’t realize that ONA was big enough to “have a whole team of their own lawyers.” Her husband was relieved they wouldn’t have to secure one on their own.

deduction on your pay stub,” one convert told me recently. We all know differently.

Riding in Style…and SolidarityIn the shadow of a worldwide recession, a flu pandemic and the layoffs of nursing jobs and

reductions in their hours, approximately 50 ONA members, staff and their family and friends

rode on or walked alongside a specially decorated mobile ONA stage, complete with music and

microphones, at Toronto’s annual Labour Day Parade on September 7, 2009. “This year, Labour

Day has even more meaning for nurses in every sector as we grapple with the possibility of

the second wave of H1N1,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “This means we will

have to be vigilant in ensuring that adequate protections are in place so we can continue to

provide quality care to our patients.” Labour Day parades provide members, along with other

health care union workers and supporters, with an opportunity to celebrate solidarity and our

accomplishments as a collective.

ONA has won an important rights award that grants a wage grid for our

members serving as diabetic educators and infection control/occupa-

tional health coordinators at a northern hospital.

In November 2008, the arbitrator had ruled that the diabetic edu-

cator and infection control/occupational health coordinator positions

(both classified as RNs) at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Elliot Lake, Local 2,

had changed enough to qualify as new classifications at a higher rate of

pay – which he suggested should be somewhere between RN and nurse

practitioner. The parties could not agree on the rates and returned to

the arbitrator.

ONA provided evidence of rates at many other hospitals; the hospi-

tal not only did not do the same, but denied that there be a wage grid at

all – proposing a flat $1 an hour premium-like payment. The arbitrator

rejected the latter. He ordered a wage grid for the diabetic educator

of 4.5 per cent higher than RN if not certified, 9 per cent higher when

certified, and rates 3 per cent and 6 per cent higher for the infection

control/occupational health coordinator.

To read additional cases, see “Awards and Decisions” on pg. 18.

ona Member part of new oFl sexual harassment Video


7 OCTOBER 2009

ONA member and Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital registered nurse Barb

Porter (pictured) is featured in a new Ontario Federation of Labour

(OFL) sexual harassment video.

The video – produced jointly with a number of OFL member

unions, including ONA – is focused on educating a new generation

of young workers about the laws against, prevention of and handling

of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Porter experienced years of harassment at the hands of a physi-

cian at Hotel-Dieu Grace, Local 8, who also harassed and ultimately

murdered ONA member Lori Dupont, RN, in November 2005.

In the video, Porter recounts her experience to help younger

workers understand how sexual harassment can begin, what can

happen when the employer fails to address it, and what every worker

should know.

Also featured is Adele Stroud, daughter of ONA President Linda

Haslam-Stroud. Stroud alerts young workers to the practice of sex-

ual harassment and how subtle it can be. As she notes, many people

entering the workforce don’t know much about sexual harassment,

its many forms and employees’ options for ending it.

Wage grids established for Diabetic educator and infection control coordinators

ona opposes Mandatory Flu Vaccines for MembersWhile the World Health Organization (WHO)

is recommending that health care workers in

every country be immunized against the H1N1

virus, ONA will object to any attempts to make

the vaccination mandatory for members.

WHO said health care workers should be a

priority for the vaccine as their exposure may

be greater and because they will also need to

continue caring for people sickened by other

diseases during the pandemic. However, the

Public Health Agency of Canada said it has

no plans to force front-line workers to have a

vaccination, something echoed by ONA.

“This is a human rights issue,” said ONA

President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “Just as ev-

ery other vaccine or medication, it cannot be

imposed on health care workers. Our members

have to make the decision to have the vac-

cine for themselves based on their own beliefs,

needs and risks.”

ONA continues to work hard to ensure that

members are properly informed about the lat-

est information on H1N1. Check the home page

of our website at www.ona.org for updates.

Member Expresses Gratitude to ONA’s LEAP Team

The following letter was submitted to ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud.

Cheers to the LEAP Team!

One of our nurses, who has never had any issues at all in the past, recently received a letter from the College of Nurses of Ontario. As you can well imagine, she was extremely upset and embarrassed. Her manager told her to call the union, which she did.

I brought by all the information to her home, including the Legal Expense Assistance Plan (LEAP) booklet. She promptly called LEAP intake and spoke with (team member) Tom Thibault and these were her words:

Tom was “a great person to have on the ONA team…with a great understanding of what nursing is all about.” He was “so supportive and reassuring. I felt like he “really cared and understood” how upsetting receiving a letter would be to a nurse.

She thought that because he was on the LEAP Team, she would be intimidated by legal jargon she didn’t understand, but found it to be quite a pleasure to talk to him. She never thought she would ever need a union and didn’t realize that ONA was big enough to “have a whole team of their own lawyers.” Her husband was relieved they wouldn’t have to secure one on their own.

She couldn’t say enough and when I told her I was sending this to you, she was very happy!Thanks to the LEAP Team and to all at ONA! “Until you need them, they are just a

deduction on your pay stub,” one convert told me recently. We all know differently.Warm regards,Loretta Tirabassi-OlinskiBargaining Unit PresidentLocal 26

Riding in Style…and Solidarity

are You entitled to a Dual Dues refund?If you work at two facilities where ONA is

the bargaining agent and pay dues at both,

you may be entitled to a refund of a portion

of your dues.

As of August 7, 2009, there are almost

300 ONA members who are entitled to a

dual dues refund, but we haven’t been able

to provide cheques because we can’t contact

them.

Please check the insert included with this

issue of Front Lines, Important Notice about Dual Dues Refunds, to see if your name – or

the name of someone you know – is on the

list. If so, please contact our Dues and Mem-

bership Team (contact information is on the

insert).

In the shadow of a worldwide recession, a flu pandemic and the layoffs of nursing jobs and

reductions in their hours, approximately 50 ONA members, staff and their family and friends

rode on or walked alongside a specially decorated mobile ONA stage, complete with music and

microphones, at Toronto’s annual Labour Day Parade on September 7, 2009. “This year, Labour

Day has even more meaning for nurses in every sector as we grapple with the possibility of

the second wave of H1N1,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “This means we will

have to be vigilant in ensuring that adequate protections are in place so we can continue to

provide quality care to our patients.” Labour Day parades provide members, along with other

health care union workers and supporters, with an opportunity to celebrate solidarity and our

accomplishments as a collective.

the arbitrator.

ONA provided evidence of rates at many other hospitals; the hospi-

tal not only did not do the same, but denied that there be a wage grid at

all – proposing a flat $1 an hour premium-like payment. The arbitrator

rejected the latter. He ordered a wage grid for the diabetic educator

of 4.5 per cent higher than RN if not certified, 9 per cent higher when

certified, and rates 3 per cent and 6 per cent higher for the infection

control/occupational health coordinator.

To read additional cases, see “Awards and Decisions” on pg. 18.

ona Member part of new oFl sexual harassment Video


OCTOBER 20098

oNA mEmbERs AcRoss oNtARIo

At the June Provincial Coordinators Meeting, ONA President Linda

Haslam-Stroud asked each delegate to jot down a typical day in her

or his life as a nurse, which we could turn into a letter to the editor

for her or his local newspaper. We have had great success this summer

getting those stories published. Here is just a sampling of what our

members are saying.

(Sarnia Observer, august 15, 2009)My husband has been seriously ill in the critical care unit, and now I tell this story not as an RN, but as a wife. The critical care unit is very busy each shift – the nurses are multitasking, answering call bells, answering telephones and checking lab results.

These nurses, who have seldom sat down during their shifts, who have to take a break, still stop at the patients’ bedsides with a quick check on the equipment, a quick assessment of the patient and a quiet, kind word to the patient and family.

No matter the number of times another restless, confused patient pulls out his IV, the nurses approach the patient with professional calm. Never does the patient feel rushed and never does the family feel stupid in asking multiple questions.

These specialist RNs never think of themselves as health heroes, yet that is what the patients and their families feel.

Thank you to all the nurses who cared for my husband and saw to his needs – and our needs. Thank you for allowing a fellow nurse to take the role of wife and allow me to verbalize questions and fears freely.

(Kingston Whig-Standard, august 15, 2009)I cared for a psychiatric patient who was throwing things out the door of a service room – but would bang his head on the wall if the nurse closed the door – while also looking after a cardiac patient waiting for transfer to another hospital. When the cardiac patient’s blood pressure suddenly dropped, immediate action had to be taken. Meanwhile, the parent of a child whose cut lip was being sutured fainted, banged his head on the floor and suffered a head injury.

The nurse became concerned when the families of patients waiting in the ER began to verbally abuse the triage nurse and registration clerk. She was also trying to cover the constantly ringing telephone, as there was no ward secretary to answer it. The charge nurse was busy trying to arrange a transfer for a very ill patient. Without the transfer, the pa-tient would have to be parked in a hallway with no monitor because of overcrowding.

This kind of chaotic environment and lack of nursing and other staff is unacceptable. Lives are at stake in our hospitals’ emergency depart-ments, and patients and their families need to know that the nurses are doing their best to provide quality patient care with too few resources. More cuts can only further compromise safe, quality patient care.

A Nurse’s Reality

ONA members Jennifer Tonn and Rebecca

Harbridge from the Simcoe Muskoka District

Health Unit, Local 16, proudly display their

Community Health Nurse certificates from

the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). After

studying with a virtual national study group

since December 2008, the two wrote the na

tional exams in their specialty in April 2009

and were notified a month later that they

had passed and can now use the designation

Certified Community Health Nurse (Canada).

For Tonn and Harbridge, the CNA certificate

confirms their knowledge is current, dem

onstrates commitment to their profession,

shows a desire to challenge skills and knowl

edge at the national level, prepares them for

positions of greater responsibility, increases

their credibility, marketability and recogni

tion, and includes them in a country-wide

community of nurses committed to nursing

excellence. Harbridge has recently been ac

cepted by the CNA to mentor nurses who are

seeking to obtain certification in 2010. Tonn

is currently in the application process to be

come a mentor. Congratulations to Tonn and

Harbridge and our other dedicated members

who are CNA certified!

ONA members from the Community Nursing

Home Port Perry, Local 51, have let their voices

be heard at an information picket to protest

announced cuts that will have a devastating

effect on the homes’ residents.

ecare Inc, which runs the facility, announced

in September that it is cutting the equivalent

of 67.5 hours bi-weekly of registered nursing

Strathroy Nurses Overwhelmingly Choose ONARegistered nurses and registered practical nurses at the Strathroy

Middlesex General Hospital have overwhelmingly voted to make

ONA their union.

As a result of the vote on October 7, 2009, we welcome an ad-

ditional 157 nurses, who have expressed a number of concerns about

their workplace, including workloads that are inconsistent with safe,

quality patient care. The hospital serves approximately 35,000 resi-

dents in the province’s second fastest growing township, 40 kilome-

tres west of London.

This is the latest in a string of successful votes for ONA. In Sep-

tember, we held a certification vote at Westmont Long-Term Care Residence in Kitchener, where all 11 registered nurses voted in fa-

vour of joining our union. A successful Public Sector Labour Rela-tions Transition Act vote on October 1, 2009 for representation at

the Queen’s Family Health Team in Kingston means that ONA has

retained three registered nurses, and gained six members, including

four nurse practitioners.

“ONA is the voice and advocate for nurses and allied health

professionals, as well as more than 10,000 students – and these

votes prove that we are the union of choice for nurses working in all

sectors throughout the province,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-

Stroud. “We are incredibly pleased to have theses nurses join ONA

so that we can bargain on their behalf, improve their working condi-

tions, and help them provide the quality care that our patients not

only deserve, but require.”

Cuts at Nursing Home will Affect Care, Members Say at Picket

ONA members, staff and supporters celebrate with Region 5

Vice-President Karen Bertrand following the successful certification

vote at Strathroy Middlesex Hospital in October. Pictured are

(standing, left to right): Phil Sarides (staff), Barb Conlon (staff),

Rhonda Day (supporter, who assisted with the campaign), Bertrand.

Sitting (left to right): Raymonde Boileau (staff), Laurie Gast

(member), Tara Shanahan (member), Jaime Moniz (member).


9OCTOBER 2009

Members throughout Ontario’s north, including Smooth Rock Falls Hospital (pictured), Local 10, had an opportunity to discuss their current working realities and issues and show their places of employment to ONA’s Region 1 Vice-President Diane Parker during her site visits this past September. Site visits provide ONA’s Board of Directors with an opportunity to get out and meet with our members right where they work.

Meeting our Northern Members

Showing their Showing their Commitment!Commitment!

ONA members Jennifer Tonn and Rebecca

Harbridge from the Simcoe Muskoka District

Health Unit, Local 16, proudly display their

Community Health Nurse certificates from

the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA). After

studying with a virtual national study group

since December 2008, the two wrote the na-

tional exams in their specialty in April 2009

and were notified a month later that they

had passed and can now use the designation

Certified Community Health Nurse (Canada).

For Tonn and Harbridge, the CNA certificate

confirms their knowledge is current, dem-

onstrates commitment to their profession,

shows a desire to challenge skills and knowl-

edge at the national level, prepares them for

positions of greater responsibility, increases

their credibility, marketability and recogni-

tion, and includes them in a country-wide

community of nurses committed to nursing

excellence. Harbridge has recently been ac-

cepted by the CNA to mentor nurses who are

seeking to obtain certification in 2010. Tonn

is currently in the application process to be-

come a mentor. Congratulations to Tonn and

Harbridge and our other dedicated members

who are CNA certified!

ONA members from the Community Nursing

Home Port Perry, Local 51, have let their voices

be heard at an information picket to protest

announced cuts that will have a devastating

effect on the homes’ residents.

Citing financial concerns, Community Lif-

ecare Inc, which runs the facility, announced

in September that it is cutting the equivalent

of 67.5 hours bi-weekly of registered nursing

care, 45 hours bi-weekly of registered practi-

cal nursing care and 430 hours bi-weekly of

personal support worker care – a total loss

of 542.5 hours bi-weekly of care for the 107

mostly senior residents at the home. The cut-

ting of a full-time RN leaves just one other RN

to attend to the complex nursing care needs

of all residents on days while working to sup-

port other registered and allied health profes-

sionals. The cuts are expected to take effect

on November 19, 2009.

“The decision to lay off the staff who pro-

vide nursing and personal care to the residents

of the home will have a devastating effect on

the health care services that these residents

need,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-

Stroud. “It is the worst news possible for both

the residents who live at the home and the

remaining health care professionals who will

experience yet another increase to their work-

loads. Management believes the home can

function with bare-bones staffing, but it will

result in decreased quality of care.”

A substantial gathering of ONA members,

staff, allies and family members of the af-

fected residents turned out for the informa-

tion picket, where they handed out informa-

tion flyers to passing cars (slowed down by

Registered nurses and registered practical nurses at the Strathroy

Middlesex General Hospital have overwhelmingly voted to make

As a result of the vote on October 7, 2009, we welcome an ad-

ditional 157 nurses, who have expressed a number of concerns about

their workplace, including workloads that are inconsistent with safe,

quality patient care. The hospital serves approximately 35,000 resi-

dents in the province’s second fastest growing township, 40 kilome-

This is the latest in a string of successful votes for ONA. In Sep-

Westmont Long-Term Care in Kitchener, where all 11 registered nurses voted in fa-

Public Sector Labour Rela- vote on October 1, 2009 for representation at

in Kingston means that ONA has

retained three registered nurses, and gained six members, including

voice and advocate for nurses and allied health

professionals, as well as more than 10,000 students – and these

votes prove that we are the union of choice for nurses working in all

sectors throughout the province,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-

Stroud. “We are incredibly pleased to have theses nurses join ONA

so that we can bargain on their behalf, improve their working condi-

tions, and help them provide the quality care that our patients not

road construction), talked to the public and

answered media questions.

Added ONA Bargaining Unit Co-President

Dorothy Algar, “In my 14 years as Bargaining

Unit President, I have never seen cuts this deep

in nursing and personal care staffing. Resi-

dents should not suffer due to the financial

issues of a home. The costs to families have

increased while nursing and personal care

have decreased. You simply can’t eliminate

our jobs and not expect quality to suffer.”

Cuts at Nursing Home will Affect Care, Members Say at Picket

Vice-President Karen Bertrand following the successful certification


OCTOBER 200910

oNA NEWs

caMh’s guilty plea “small Victory” for onaWhile the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto,

Local 54, has been fined $70,000 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), ONA is concerned the facility continues to fail to

provide a safe environment for its staff, including our members.

On August 13, 2009, CAMH pleaded guilty to two charges un-

der the OHSA after the Ministry of Labour charged the facility in

November 2008 with failing to comply with orders to develop and

implement workplace violence policies and procedures, failing to as-

sess a safety hazard and not maintaining equipment. By pleading

guilty, CAMH has avoided a trial, but Ministry of Labour inspectors

will continue to investigate further incidents at the facility.

“This is a very small victory for us because despite the serious-

ness of charges against CAMH, little or nothing has changed to im-

prove safety for nurses,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud.

“CAMH continues to leave worker safety off its list of priorities and

nurses continue to suffer the consequences.”

ONA was instrumental in bringing the situation at CAMH to the

public’s attention, holding two media conferences in the past two

years to talk about the increasing violence against our members. On

November 12 and November 14, 2007, several registered nurses were

critically injured in workplace attacks at the Queen Street site, and

one of the nurses remains unable to work. We noted 23 incidents

of violence at CAMH in a one-month period in September 2008. In

2009, a nurse was injured in yet another serious incident, and CAMH

has yet to address the safety procedures that failed in an attempt to

prevent another similar incident.

“The problem at CAMH seems to be inadequate implementation

of controls identified through hazard/risk assessments, testing of

safety equipment and procedures, a lack of training and enforce-

ment of policies and procedures generally, and an uncaring attitude

about the safety of its nurses,” added Haslam-Stroud.

Haslam-Stroud, along with Local 54 Bargaining Unit leadership

and ONA’s Occupational Health and Safety specialist, have since met

with the management of CAMH to discuss our issues.

“We’re hoping this initial discussion will lead to identifying an

action plan that will actually make our workplace safer,” added

Haslam-Stroud.

ona requests investigator for nhsONA has requested the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care appoint

an investigator under provisions in the Public Hospitals Act to look into

and report on the quality of management and administration of the

Niagara Health System (NHS), Local 26, and the quality of care and

treatment of patients.

The request stems from ongoing concerns at the St. Catharines

General and Greater Niagara General sites, including:

• Poor working conditions: poor physical layout, limited space,

overcrowding, long wait times, use of non-nurse staff, and

health and safety concerns.

• Workload issues: inaccurate measurement tool and improper

assignments.

• Labour relations issues: use of sick time, replacement of ill

nurses, and breach of Letter of Understanding.

• Patient safety and practice concerns: unsafe mixing of in-

patients and ER patients, high nurse-to-patient ratios, and

unsafe ambulance distribution.

Over the past few years, ONA has pursued, with limited success, every

available option with NHS to ensure the ERs are safer for both patients

and nurses. While the St. Catharines’ ER underwent an Independent

Assessment Committee review in January 2009, resulting in 20 recom-

mendations, including increasing RN staffing in the ER, only one or two

have been implemented. In fact, ER staffing levels have decreased since

the recommendations were issued in April. Many units and sites at NHS

are experiencing similar problems.

“The RNs left working in the ER face unsafe workloads and they sim-

ply cannot be expected to care safely for these patients,” said ONA Presi-

dent Linda Haslam-Stroud. “It has become apparent these serious and

long-standing issues cannot be resolved without the intervention of the

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The public deserves better.”

Ministry spokesperson Dave Jenson said the request has been re-

ceived and is currently being reviewed. ONA has censured NHS since

2003.

Not enough has changed at Niagara Health System since ONA held this rally at the St. Catharines General site in June 2007 protesting ongoing workload issues and other serious labour relations concerns.

Queen’s University nursing student Madelaine

Gordon (pictured), daughter of ONA member

Tracy Campton, is the 2009 recipient of the

Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU)

Scholarship.

nium Convention, is intended to assist stu

dents in accredited nursing education pro

grams throughout Canada. As a member of

the CFNU, ONA is entitled to one of the 10,

$1,000 student scholarships awarded each

year. Applicants must also be an immediate

family member of a bona fide ONA member

and must submit an essay of 300 words or less

on the topic, “The Importance of the Ontario

Nurses’ Association for Nurses” along with

their application.

of the 2009 CFNU Scholarship,” said Gordon.

“With support from unions like ONA, nurses

have a bright future. In a year’s time, I will be

entering the nursing workforce and will likely

become an ONA member, just as my mother

did many years ago. However, when I enter

the labour force for the first time, I know I

will face better working conditions than my

mother experienced 25 years ago, which can

be credited to the hard work and perseverance

of ONA and its members.”

with your studies!

To read Madelaine’s essay, log onto the ONA News section of the home page of the ONA website at

Local 54 member Carl Wellington, RN, speaks to the media after the CAHM court appearance in August. Wellington suffered a broken jaw from an incident of violence at the facility in November 2007.


11 OCTOBER 2009

caMh’s guilty plea “small Victory” for onaWhile the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto,

Local 54, has been fined $70,000 under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), ONA is concerned the facility continues to fail to

provide a safe environment for its staff, including our members.

On August 13, 2009, CAMH pleaded guilty to two charges un-

der the OHSA after the Ministry of Labour charged the facility in

November 2008 with failing to comply with orders to develop and

implement workplace violence policies and procedures, failing to as-

sess a safety hazard and not maintaining equipment. By pleading

guilty, CAMH has avoided a trial, but Ministry of Labour inspectors

will continue to investigate further incidents at the facility.

“This is a very small victory for us because despite the serious-

ness of charges against CAMH, little or nothing has changed to im-

prove safety for nurses,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud.

“CAMH continues to leave worker safety off its list of priorities and

nurses continue to suffer the consequences.”

ONA was instrumental in bringing the situation at CAMH to the

public’s attention, holding two media conferences in the past two

years to talk about the increasing violence against our members. On

November 12 and November 14, 2007, several registered nurses were

critically injured in workplace attacks at the Queen Street site, and

one of the nurses remains unable to work. We noted 23 incidents

of violence at CAMH in a one-month period in September 2008. In

2009, a nurse was injured in yet another serious incident, and CAMH

has yet to address the safety procedures that failed in an attempt to

prevent another similar incident.

“The problem at CAMH seems to be inadequate implementation

of controls identified through hazard/risk assessments, testing of

safety equipment and procedures, a lack of training and enforce-

ment of policies and procedures generally, and an uncaring attitude

about the safety of its nurses,” added Haslam-Stroud.

Haslam-Stroud, along with Local 54 Bargaining Unit leadership

and ONA’s Occupational Health and Safety specialist, have since met

with the management of CAMH to discuss our issues.

“We’re hoping this initial discussion will lead to identifying an

action plan that will actually make our workplace safer,” added

Haslam-Stroud.

ona names cFnu scholarship Winner

Queen’s University nursing student Madelaine

Gordon (pictured), daughter of ONA member

Tracy Campton, is the 2009 recipient of the

Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU)

Scholarship.

The fund, set up at the 2007 CFNU Bien-

nium Convention, is intended to assist stu-

dents in accredited nursing education pro-

grams throughout Canada. As a member of

the CFNU, ONA is entitled to one of the 10,

$1,000 student scholarships awarded each

year. Applicants must also be an immediate

family member of a bona fide ONA member

and must submit an essay of 300 words or less

on the topic, “The Importance of the Ontario

Nurses’ Association for Nurses” along with

their application.

“I am truly honoured to be the recipient

of the 2009 CFNU Scholarship,” said Gordon.

“With support from unions like ONA, nurses

have a bright future. In a year’s time, I will be

entering the nursing workforce and will likely

become an ONA member, just as my mother

did many years ago. However, when I enter

the labour force for the first time, I know I

will face better working conditions than my

mother experienced 25 years ago, which can

be credited to the hard work and perseverance

of ONA and its members.”

Congratulations, Madelaine, and good luck

with your studies!

To read Madelaine’s essay, log onto the ONA News section of the home page of the ONA website at www.ona.org.

cnsa board Meets to set goals

Use Nurse Practitioners, ONA Urges As part of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s two-year pilot project, physician as-

sistants (PA) are being introduced into several Ontario hospital emergency rooms, but ONA is

questioning why additional nurse practitioners aren’t utilized instead.

The government said it is introducing PAs, who hold a two-year degree and work under

the supervision of a doctor, to see whether their presence will help shorten wait times and

ease the burden of overworked doctors and nurses. PAs provide a range of medical and surgi-

cal procedures, from taking a patient’s medical history to assisting in surgery to counselling

a patient with diabetes.

“This doesn’t make a lot of sense to us because this work is already being done by nurse

practitioners,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “The government could be funding

hospitals to have additional nurse practitioners in the ER, which would assist with wait times

and the backlog.”

We are also concerned that because PAs are not regulated, as nurses and physicians,

patient safety could be put at risk.

Student Affiliate Member

Ontario Nurses’ Association

The Canadian Nursing Students’ Association (CNSA) Board

for 2009-2010 has met for the first time this term to discuss

partnerships with stakeholders, including ONA, clarify roles

and responsibilities, and plan how to respond to pertinent

health care issues.

Throughout the two-day meeting, held on June 17-19, 2009, the Board, including President

Tyler Kuhk and Ontario Regional Director Branden Shepitka, also set goals, such as promoting

submissions of resolutions and position statements for CNSA endorsement, increasing transpar-

ency of Board activities to general membership, encouraging participation in CNSA committees,

enhancing the CNSA website, ensuring all documents of the association exist in both official

languages and recruiting new member schools.

The CNSA’s national conference, expected to draw more than 400 nursing students, will be

hosted by Laval University in Quebec City from January 26-30, 2010. The theme will be “Moving

Forward: Change is Here.” ONA has been a sponsor of the event for several years.

At ONA’s 2008 November Biennial Convention, delegates voted to establish a student af-

filiate membership classification for Ontario members of the CNSA to encourage linkages with

students prior to graduation, support students in their transition into the workforce, and enable

ONA to educate nursing students on the benefits of being part of ONA.

For more information, visit the CNSA’s website at www.cnsa.ca. The homepage of ONA’s

website also contains a link to the CNSA’s website.

Local 54 member Carl Wellington, RN, speaks to the media after the CAHM court appearance in August. Wellington suffered a broken jaw from an incident of violence at the facility in November 2007.


OCTOBER 200912

oNA NEWs

President’s Letter to the Editor Published

The following excerpt from a letter to the editor by ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud was printed in the Waterloo Region Record on August 26, 2009.

As president of the Ontario Nurses’ Association, the union represent-ing 54,000 registered nurses and allied health professionals in this province, I have seen the trend to cut registered nursing staff to bal-ance hospital budgets both increase and result in a decline in patient care across the province.

As The Record’s article correctly stated, the population in Water-loo Region has increased rapidly, with no corresponding increase in services or funding for the hospital. The nurses at Cambridge Memo-rial are already carrying too heavy a workload.

To be clear, cutting more registered nurses will increase the rates of patient morbidity and mortality, or complication and death rates.

The Ontario Nurses’ Association has been so concerned about the cutting of hundreds of nursing jobs and the resulting loss of more than one million hours of registered nursing care in Ontario that we launched a website to fight the cuts. If you’re concerned about preserving quality patient care, take a moment to log onto www.cuttingnursescuttingcare.ca and send an e-mail to your MPP, the health minister and the premier.

Every nursing job cut is the equivalent loss of 1,950 hours per year of care for the community – and with the pandemic and an aging (and growing ) population, we simply can’t afford to keep bal-ancing hospital budgets on the backs of nurses and patients.

Linda Haslam-Stroud PresidentOntario Nurses’ Association

ona concerned about hospital’s “home First” campaignIn response to concerns expressed by patients, families and stakehold-

ers such as ONA, Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital in Burlington, Local

71, is reviewing its Home First initiative, which urges seniors to go

home while waiting for long-term care.

While the hospital said it had no choice but to persuade seniors to

wait at home for long-term care because they take up nearly one in

five of the facility’s beds when they no longer need acute care, ONA

expressed concern about the lack of appropriate services in the com-

munity to support them.

“I’m sure Joseph Brant is trying to meet targets, but meeting tar-

gets also has to be about making sure patients receive quality care,”

ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud told the media. “These patients

are not just numbers; they are real human beings with real health care

needs.”

The hospital responded by issuing a media release stating it will

review what it is “doing and make changes to ensure our care is patient

and family centred.” The hospital also apologized for not communicat-

ing fully and clearly enough about the Home First initiative to patients,

families and community stakeholders.

“We would like the community to know we are reaching out to the

affected patients and families to work together to find the best care

for them,” said Joseph Brant President and CEO Eric Vandewall. “The

staff and physicians…will work very hard to address their concerns in a

timely, responsible and compassionate manner.”

CNO Releases Hallway Nursing StudyCaring for clients in temporary locations because of crowding and

overcapacity – so-called “hallway nursing” – negatively affects nurses’

ability to practice according to the College of Nurses of Ontario’s (CNO)

practice standards, a new CNO report reveals.

Nursing in Temporary Locations: Listening to Ontario’s Nurses fo-

cuses on emergency departments (ED) in Ontario and highlights real-

life situations faced by nurses. Much of the information is based on

feedback received directly from ED nurses who participated in telecon-

ferences held by the College throughout 2008.

While participants expressed frustration and powerlessness at the

situation, they generally agreed that nurses do a good job at promoting

safe practice under all care circumstances and advocating for patients

to be cared for in safe and appropriate areas of the hospital.

The report, which includes a review of other literature on the topic

and makes a number of suggestions that stakeholders can use to ad-

dress nursing issues and protect the public interest, can be viewed on

the CNO’s website at www.cno.org/nursinghalls.

E

E

E

Human Rights & Equity CaucusNovember 10, 2009

Ask your local representative for details or contact the Provincial Human Rights and Equity Team


13 OCTOBER 2009

President’s Letter to the Editor Published

The following excerpt from a letter to the editor by ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud was printed in the Waterloo Region Record on August 26, 2009.

As president of the Ontario Nurses’ Association, the union represent-ing 54,000 registered nurses and allied health professionals in this province, I have seen the trend to cut registered nursing staff to bal-ance hospital budgets both increase and result in a decline in patient care across the province.

As The Record’s article correctly stated, the population in Water-loo Region has increased rapidly, with no corresponding increase in services or funding for the hospital. The nurses at Cambridge Memo-rial are already carrying too heavy a workload.

To be clear, cutting more registered nurses will increase the rates of patient morbidity and mortality, or complication and death rates.

The Ontario Nurses’ Association has been so concerned about the cutting of hundreds of nursing jobs and the resulting loss of more than one million hours of registered nursing care in Ontario that we launched a website to fight the cuts. If you’re concerned about preserving quality patient care, take a moment to log onto www.cuttingnursescuttingcare.ca and send an e-mail to your MPP, the health minister and the premier.

Every nursing job cut is the equivalent loss of 1,950 hours per year of care for the community – and with the pandemic and an aging (and growing ) population, we simply can’t afford to keep bal-ancing hospital budgets on the backs of nurses and patients.

Linda Haslam-Stroud PresidentOntario Nurses’ Association

N e w s i N B R i e f

E ONA has written a letter to the Ministers

of Health and Long-Term Care, and Training

Colleges and Universities asking that they

honour the government’s commitment to

create 9,000 new full-time front-line nurs-

ing positions in Ontario. We specifically

asked the government to require each health agency to maintain the number of

full-time equivalent nursing positions with-

out abolishing positions of vacancies or re-

placing them with other less qualified health

care providers, increase enrollment in nurs-

ing degree programs, and consider providing

reduced fees for nursing students.

E The Ministry of Health and Long-Term

Care (MOHLTC) will not be appointing an

assessor to conduct a review of the Grey

Bruce Public Health Unit, Local 4, for what

we believe is poor management. ONA had

written a letter requesting the review to

Premier Dalton McGuinty, who forwarded

it to Health Minister David Caplan. In the

letter, Caplan noted that it is not the prac-

tice of the MOHLTC to get involved in “la-

bour and management conflicts” and that

it is the “duty of the board of health to

provide and ensure the provision of health

care program services as required under

the Health Protection and Promotion Act.” Soon after the health unit signed a new

three-year contract with ONA members in

October 2008, the employer announced it

wanted to cut six registered nursing posi-

tions to balance its budget, which had not

been mentioned during negotiations.

Strategies are currently being developed

to support our public health nurses.

E Nurses for Medicare, a grassroots initiative

to engage nurses in advocating for the sus-

tainability of the Canadian health system,

has joined with Canadian Doctors for Medi-

care in launching My Better Medicare. The

campaign helps to build on our high quality,

accessible, universal public health care sys-

tem by disseminating documented examples

of changes to the system that enhance pa-

tient care or the effectiveness of service. My Better Medicare includes a website –

mybettermedicare.ca – that allows health

care professionals to share innovations and

evidence-based approaches to improving

health care, invites the public to share their

experiences of our health care system and

encourages students to contribute ideas.

E York University is in line to receive $5.2-

million in funding from the provincial gov-

ernment to bridge training programs for

foreign-trained nurses. The investment will

enable foreign-trained nurses who aren’t

certified here to gain the additional educa-

tion they need. Bursaries, scholarships,

English language assistance and support

programs will be offered starting next year.

R e c e N t s t u d i e s

E Nurses have topped the poll as the profes-

sionals respected most by the public. When

asked by an Angus Reid Strategies survey

“do you tend to have a great deal of re-

spect, a fair amount of respect, not much

or very little respect for the following pro-

fessions,” respondents respected nurses

the most at 97 per cent.

E An overwhelming 88 per cent of Canadi-

ans would be comfortable being treated by

a nurse practitioner at a walk-in clinic, a

Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey

shows. Seventy-four per cent said the

same about having their regular physical

done by a nurse practitioner instead of

their family doctor. Harris-Decima Senior

Vice-President Jeff Walker said the find-

ings suggest that Canadians believe ex-

panding the role of nurse practitioners in

the health care system is both a medically

and economically effective idea.

E Despite being among the biggest spenders

on health care in the western world, Cana-

da still has fewer nurses and doctors per

capita than most other nations studied,

new data from the Organization for Eco-

nomic Cooperation and Development

(OECD) suggests. Canada has approximate-

ly nine RNs per 1,000 people, compared to

9.6/1,000 in other nations, the report

states. Canada also ranked below the OECD

average for the number of acute-care hos-

pital beds, CT scanners and MRIs.

E A patient health and safety survey of 190

American hospitals from coast to coast,

compiled by registered nurses in nine dif-

ferent states, finds that a disturbing num-

ber of U.S. health care facilities are not

prepared for the H1N1 pandemic. Key find-

ings of data from the California Nurses As-

sociation/National Nurses Organizing Com-

mittee study reveals: nurses cite inadequate

isolation of H1N1 patients, increasing the

rate of infection to others, at more than

one-quarter of hospitals; nurses at 15 per

cent of hospitals do not have access to the

proper respirator and at up to 40 per cent

of hospitals, nurses are expected to reuse

masks in violation of Centers for Disease

Control guidelines; and at 18 per cent of

hospitals, RNs report that nurses have be-

come infected with H1N1. To read the full

study, log onto www.calnurses.org.

E Women make up about 80 per cent of the

health care workforce, new statistics from

the Canadian Institute for Health Informa-

tion says. Women continue to dominate in

nursing, physiotherapy and occupational

therapy, and the number of women phar-

macists and physicians is increasing, the

study shows.

E A major new statistical review of 82 indi-

vidual research studies from 1965 to 2003

proves that non-profit nursing homes deliver,

on average, higher quality care than for-prof-

it homes. McMaster University researchers

found that non-profit homes fared better in

four important quality measures: more or

higher quality staffing, lower rates of pres-

sure ulcers, decreased use of physical re-

straints, and fewer deficiencies cited by regu-

latory agencies. The review authors calculat-

ed that if all nursing homes were non-profit,

residents in Canada would receive 42,000

additional hours of nursing care per day.

November 10th, 2009Ask your local representative for details or contact the Provincial Human Rights and Equity Team.

Human Rights & Equity CaucusNovember 10, 2009

Ask your local representative for details or contact the Provincial Human Rights and Equity Team


OCTOBER 200914

premier’s 10-Year strategy Falls Flathis past summer, I travelled to Regina, Saskatchewan where the premiers were holding their annual meeting to let them know that their 10-year strategy to boost health care has yielded little over

the five years since its inception.In 2004, a 10-year plan to strengthen health care was agreed upon by

Canada’s First Ministers, with the goal being to improve access to care and reduce wait times. Some of the items on their wish list included: coming up with strategies to address the shortage of health care professionals, including nurses; improving home and community care; introducing a national pharmaceutical plan; and increasing public health efforts.

While there have been some gains since that time, nurses across the country don’t see the progress we had expected. The federal govern-ment dropped the ball on the provinces and territories, resulting in inconsistent approaches to dealing with the issues plaguing our health care systems and inadequate funding to do so. Here in Ontario, Pre-mier McGuinty has not been looking at the health care system as a whole – he’s taking a piecemeal approach.

Take wait times, for example. While we can’t deny that the govern-ment has made some movement on improving wait times, the finan-cial resources allocated to that task took away from desperately needed primary health care reform – which would help prevent people from getting sick in the first place. It’s a bit like robbing Peter to pay Paul. There’s no question that improving wait times is important, but it’s not key to the health system overall.

We’re also concerned that the premiers have done little to actu-ally address nursing shortages. While programs in Ontario such as the New Grad Guarantee and the Late Career Initiative have helped, we continue to see nurse layoffs and reductions in nursing hours as a means for hospitals to alleviate their budgetary woes.

I was proud to stand alongside my provincial counterparts in the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions at the First Ministers meeting, demanding the federal government provide funding to the provinces to carry out the 10-year plan; that the federal, provincial and territo-rial governments publicly recommit to the nationwide collaboration envisioned in the plan; and that the premiers not just acknowledge our concerns, but seriously address them.

On a personal note, I am elated to serve as your First Vice-Presi-dent for another term. This role continues to grow and evolve – just as ONA – and present challenges, but I know that together we can come up with solutions to those challenges. I promise to continue to take your messages forward to the government, employers and public, to ensure you have the information you need, and to not let you down. Thank you for your ongoing support.

From First Vice-President

Vicki McKenna, RN E Ontario put out a call on June 24, 2009 inviting applications from health care providers and/or community-based groups to establish a total of eight Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics in the following Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs): North West, North East, Erie St. Clair, North Simcoe Muskoka, Central West, Central East, Champlain and South East. These LHINs were selected based on the percentage of residents without a family health care provider, the prevalence of chronic disease, and current access to health care services. The call for applications closed on July 30, 2009. The new clinics will be announced this fall.

E Ontario released a discussion paper on July 14, 2009, Every Door is the Right Door, to contribute to the development of a 10-year mental health and addictions strategy. Further consultations and round tables on the discussion paper will be held across Ontario in the fall. The advisory group will report to the Minister in winter 2009/10.

E On July 28, 2009, Ontario officially announced the members of its new Rural and Northern Health Care Panel. The panel, to be chaired by Kirkland and District Hospital CEO Hal Fjeldsted, will provide recommendations to the government on how to better coordinate the delivery of health care services in Ontario’s rural and northern areas. The panel will highlight current programs and services targeting northern and rural communities, identify rural and northern Ontario’s unique health care challenges, and recommend steps the government can take to improve access to health care in rural and northern Ontario using existing resources. The panel will provide a report and recommendations to the government this winter.

E On September 5, 2009, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care David Caplan appointed Hamilton Health Sciences President Murray Martin as supervisor of Cambridge Memorial Hospital. The Minister’s actions came in response to the findings and recommendations of an Operational Review Report completed by Vickie Kaminski on June 29, 2009, which criti-cized the hospital’s leaders for being defiantly unwilling to live within government funding.

E Minister of Health and Long-Term Care David Caplan resigned on October 7, 2009, just as the auditor general’s report into spending scandals at E-Health was released. The report details the $1-billion Ontario has spent over 10 years trying to create electronic health re-cords. Deb Matthews, former Minister of Children and Youth Services and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community and Social Services, has assumed the health minis-try portfolio.

QuEEN’s PARk uPDAtE

T Cle plan décennal des premiers ministres tombe à plat

et été, je suis allée à Regina en Saskatchewan, où avait lieu la conférence annuelle des premiers ministres. J’ai eu la chance de leur rappeler que leur stratégie décennale pour consolider les soins

de santé a peu progressé depuis sa création il y a cinq ans.C’est en 2004 que les premiers ministres du Canada se sont entendus

sur un plan décennal pour consolider les soins de santé. L’objectif était d’améliorer l’accès aux soins et de réduire les temps d’attente. L’élaboration de stratégies pour contrer la pénurie de professionnels de la santé, y compris les infirmières; l’amélioration des services à domiciles et des services communautaires; et une plus grande promotion de la santé publique et de la prévention des maladies ne sont que quelques-uns des éléments que les premiers ministres ont abordés.

Même si certains gains ont été réalisés depuis, peu importe où elles se trouvent au pays, les infirmières ne constatent pas les progrès auxquels nous nous sommes attendus. Le gouvernement fédéral a renvoyé la balle aux provinces et aux territoires, ce qui a eu comme conséquences l’adoption de méthodes différentes pour tenter de régler les problèmes qui affectent nos systèmes de santé et un financement inadéquat pour le faire. Ici en Ontario, le premier ministre McGuinty n’a pas examiné le système de santé comme un tout et il privilégie une approche à la pièce.

Nous sommes aussi préoccupées du fait que les premiers ministres ont fait très peu de choses concrètes pour vraiment combler la pénurie d’infirmières. Même si certains programmes se sont révélés utiles en Ontario, comme la Garantie d’emploi des diplômés en soins infirmiers et l’Initiative de maintien en poste du personnel infirmier chevronné, nous continuons de voir des hôpitaux faire des mises à pied d’infirmières et réduire des heures de soins infirmiers pour tenter de réduire leurs problèmes de budget.

J’étais fière d’être aux côtés de mes collègues des autres provinces de la Fédération canadienne des syndicats d’infirmières et infirmiers à la conférence des premiers ministres, demandant que le gouvernement fédéral fasse preuve de leadership et fournisse un financement aux provinces pour réaliser le Plan décennal, et demandant que le gouvernement fédéral et les gouvernements des provinces et des territoires s’engagent de nouveau publiquement à faire preuve de l’esprit de collaboration national sous-jacent au Plan. Pour conclure, nous avons besoin que nos premiers ministres ne fassent pas qu’écouter nos préoccupations, mais qu’ils agissent sérieusement pour y remédier.

Pour ma part, je suis extrêmement heureuse de pouvoir vous servir à titre de première vice-présidente durant un autre mandat. Comme l’AIIO, ce rôle grandit, évolue et suscite de nombreux défis, mais je sais qu’ensemble, nous pouvons trouver des solutions pour les résoudre.

oHc NEWsE PARAMEDICS ACROSS ONTARIO have grave concerns about the closure of local emergency

departments, a recent report by the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) reveals. Based on in-

depth interviews with more than 50 paramedics in every geographic region of Ontario, the

report summarizes the impact on patient outcomes and ambulance services of closing small

and rural emergency departments. Every paramedic gave concrete examples of how the plan

will increase risks for patients, worsen wait times, deprive communities of access to care, or

cause poorer care outcomes and even death, the report says, adding that every paramedic

stated that ambulances cannot replace the functions provided in local hospitals’ emergency

departments. “Paramedics used very strong language, calling these plans “absurd,” said OHC

Director Natalie Mehra. “They told us that the consequences of closing local emergency

rooms will lengthen delays, worsen outcomes and cause even higher death rates for patients.”

To view the entire report, log on to the OHC’s website at www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca.


15 OCTOBER 2009

E Ontario put out a call on June 24, 2009 inviting applications from health care providers and/or community-based groups to establish a total of eight Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinics in the following Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs): North West, North East, Erie St. Clair, North Simcoe Muskoka, Central West, Central East, Champlain and South East. These LHINs were selected based on the percentage of residents without a family health care provider, the prevalence of chronic disease, and current access to health care services. The call for applications closed on July 30, 2009. The new clinics will be announced this fall.

E Ontario released a discussion paper on July 14, 2009, Every Door is the Right Door, to contribute to the development of a 10-year mental health and addictions strategy. Further consultations and round tables on the discussion paper will be held across Ontario in the fall. The advisory group will report to the Minister in winter 2009/10.

E On July 28, 2009, Ontario officially announced the members of its new Rural and Northern Health Care Panel. The panel, to be chaired by Kirkland and District Hospital CEO Hal Fjeldsted, will provide recommendations to the government on how to better coordinate the delivery of health care services in Ontario’s rural and northern areas. The panel will highlight current programs and services targeting northern and rural communities, identify rural and northern Ontario’s unique health care challenges, and recommend steps the government can take to improve access to health care in rural and northern Ontario using existing resources. The panel will provide a report and recommendations to the government this winter.

E On September 5, 2009, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care David Caplan appointed Hamilton Health Sciences President Murray Martin as supervisor of Cambridge Memorial Hospital. The Minister’s actions came in response to the findings and recommendations of an Operational Review Report completed by Vickie Kaminski on June 29, 2009, which criti-cized the hospital’s leaders for being defiantly unwilling to live within government funding.

E Minister of Health and Long-Term Care David Caplan resigned on October 7, 2009, just as the auditor general’s report into spending scandals at E-Health was released. The report details the $1-billion Ontario has spent over 10 years trying to create electronic health re-cords. Deb Matthews, former Minister of Children and Youth Services and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community and Social Services, has assumed the health minis-try portfolio.

QuEEN’s PARk uPDAtE

ofl NEWsMembers help “Drive” Message home

ONA leaders and members throughout the

province have spoken out about the real im-

pact the recession is having on working Ca-

nadians, during the Ontario Federation of La-

bour’s (OFL) recent Drive to Work Caravan.

The caravan, which travelled 3,000 miles

and held 100 events in more than 50 commu-

nities in Ontario in June, was organized to rec-

ognize the people and communities being im-

pacted by the economic slowdown and to hear

what they need to survive. The 17-day caravan

culminated in Toronto (pictured) on June 25,

2009 with a rally to share with representatives

of the Ontario government the stories and

pleas for help that had been gathered.

le plan décennal des premiers ministres tombe à plat

et été, je suis allée à Regina en Saskatchewan, où avait lieu la conférence annuelle des premiers ministres. J’ai eu la chance de leur rappeler que leur stratégie décennale pour consolider les soins

de santé a peu progressé depuis sa création il y a cinq ans.C’est en 2004 que les premiers ministres du Canada se sont entendus

sur un plan décennal pour consolider les soins de santé. L’objectif était d’améliorer l’accès aux soins et de réduire les temps d’attente. L’élaboration de stratégies pour contrer la pénurie de professionnels de la santé, y compris les infirmières; l’amélioration des services à domiciles et des services communautaires; et une plus grande promotion de la santé publique et de la prévention des maladies ne sont que quelques-uns des éléments que les premiers ministres ont abordés.

Même si certains gains ont été réalisés depuis, peu importe où elles se trouvent au pays, les infirmières ne constatent pas les progrès auxquels nous nous sommes attendus. Le gouvernement fédéral a renvoyé la balle aux provinces et aux territoires, ce qui a eu comme conséquences l’adoption de méthodes différentes pour tenter de régler les problèmes qui affectent nos systèmes de santé et un financement inadéquat pour le faire. Ici en Ontario, le premier ministre McGuinty n’a pas examiné le système de santé comme un tout et il privilégie une approche à la pièce.

Nous sommes aussi préoccupées du fait que les premiers ministres ont fait très peu de choses concrètes pour vraiment combler la pénurie d’infirmières. Même si certains programmes se sont révélés utiles en Ontario, comme la Garantie d’emploi des diplômés en soins infirmiers et l’Initiative de maintien en poste du personnel infirmier chevronné, nous continuons de voir des hôpitaux faire des mises à pied d’infirmières et réduire des heures de soins infirmiers pour tenter de réduire leurs problèmes de budget.

J’étais fière d’être aux côtés de mes collègues des autres provinces de la Fédération canadienne des syndicats d’infirmières et infirmiers à la conférence des premiers ministres, demandant que le gouvernement fédéral fasse preuve de leadership et fournisse un financement aux provinces pour réaliser le Plan décennal, et demandant que le gouvernement fédéral et les gouvernements des provinces et des territoires s’engagent de nouveau publiquement à faire preuve de l’esprit de collaboration national sous-jacent au Plan. Pour conclure, nous avons besoin que nos premiers ministres ne fassent pas qu’écouter nos préoccupations, mais qu’ils agissent sérieusement pour y remédier.

Pour ma part, je suis extrêmement heureuse de pouvoir vous servir à titre de première vice-présidente durant un autre mandat. Comme l’AIIO, ce rôle grandit, évolue et suscite de nombreux défis, mais je sais qu’ensemble, nous pouvons trouver des solutions pour les résoudre.

oHc NEWsE PARAMEDICS ACROSS ONTARIO have grave concerns about the closure of local emergency

departments, a recent report by the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) reveals. Based on in-

depth interviews with more than 50 paramedics in every geographic region of Ontario, the

report summarizes the impact on patient outcomes and ambulance services of closing small

and rural emergency departments. Every paramedic gave concrete examples of how the plan

will increase risks for patients, worsen wait times, deprive communities of access to care, or

cause poorer care outcomes and even death, the report says, adding that every paramedic

stated that ambulances cannot replace the functions provided in local hospitals’ emergency

departments. “Paramedics used very strong language, calling these plans “absurd,” said OHC

Director Natalie Mehra. “They told us that the consequences of closing local emergency

rooms will lengthen delays, worsen outcomes and cause even higher death rates for patients.”

To view the entire report, log on to the OHC’s website at www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca.

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OCTOBER 200916

cfNu NEWs HumAN RIgHts AND EQuIty

Thanks to the work of one very diligent hospital Diversity Commit-tee, the different cultures and religions in Windsor are not only being acknowledged and shared, but celebrated throughout the year.

“Our Diversity Committee is as much about educating our commu-nity as educating our staff,” said Barb Porter, an ONA member who works at Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor, Local 8. “This is very impor-tant as Windsor is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Canada.”

The committee, which was established in late 2006 and meets ev-ery other month, is comprised of the hospital’s Manager of Human Resources, doctors, nurses (including Porter), and staff members from other unions. It is chaired by the head of the Multiculturalism Centre in Windsor.

Thanks to the committee, several changes have taken place at the hospital since the committee’s formation. For example, the needs of Muslim women who require separation from men are accommodated by providing a waiting room for women only. Staff have received edu-cation about the significance of the kirpan, the ceremonial knife that orthodox Sikhs carry on their person. During Multiculturalism Week, the cafeteria staff offered breakfast, lunch and dinner cuisines from dif-ferent areas of the world. Even the hospital’s main entrance has a welcome sign in several languages.

But perhaps the committee’s most visible work is the series of posters and displays it has designed to recognize the holidays and celebrations of different cultures and re-ligions, including Ramadan, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Hanukah and Christmas.

“We try to be inclusive of all cultures and all religions. We can only cover so many holidays a year and so we focus on the more prominent holidays,” said Porter, who chairs the subcommittee responsible for the displays.

The posters (pictured), which feature photos of real hospital staff, are exhibited in a prominent high-traffic en-trance to the facility, along with a table, which displays ac-companying written material on the holiday/celebration. If someone is available, the booth is staffed. The displays are also highlighted in the hospital’s weekly newsletter, which is read by staff and the community.

“Canada Day was the first poster to be displayed in 2007 because we felt we needed to celebrate our unity as Canadians before we celebrated our unique and diverse cultures,” added Porter, whose past and current union roles include serving as a member on ONA’s Human Rights and Equity Team, a Floor, Grievance, Human Rights and Eq-uity and Political Action Representative, secretary, and a Leadership Development Program graduate and mentor.

Working in conjunction with the Diversity Commit-

E a group oF canaDian healTh care proFessionals, includ-

ing Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President

Linda Silas, has posted an eight-minute video on

YouTube aimed at correcting misconceptions about

Canada’s health care system for American audiences.

The video, which also includes interviews with for-

mer Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow, members

of Canadian Doctors for Medicare, other physicians

and researchers, extolls the “real” universal health

care system’s virtues in light of the current health

care debate south of the border ignited by President

Barack Obama’s vow to reform his country’s system.

In the video, Silas notes that the U.S. spends $1,000

for every citizen on health care, compared to only

$300 in Canada, yet every Canadian has health care

coverage and lives longer than their American coun-

terparts. The video’s timing couldn’t be better as a

recent Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey found

that 48 per cent of respondents feel that American

commentators and analysts aren’t presenting an ac-

curate picture of Canada’s health care system. In

fact, the video has received much positive feedback

from Americans, who say they’re grateful to hear the

other side of the debate. At press time, the video was

viewed more than 64,000 times. To view the video,

log onto www.youtube.com.

E cFnu presiDenT linDa silas has joineD with health policy

and research consultant Steven Lewis in penning a

letter to the editor of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix about the need for primary care renewal across the

country. While governments have focused on short-

ening wait times by purchasing more CT and MRI ma-

chines, increasing hip and knee replacement surger-

ies, and cutting cancer treatment wait times, these

achievements don’t “signal a permanent translation

to a first class system…The main work needs to be

done at the front end of the system, in primary care,”

they write. Governments must increase their focus on patient-centred care, im-

proving access to same-day primary health care and not funding health care on

a fee-for-service basis. Canada has a superbly educated health care workforce,

but we neither maximize the use of their talents nor allow them to work in true

teams, they write, adding “it will take money, courage and goodwill all around to

realize the primary care vision.”

E cFnu presiDenT linDa silas has spoken out against Alberta doctors negotiating extra

fees for treating H1N1 patients. Silas said she was “stunned” and “outraged”

when she learned that doctors will receive a special payment as high as $518

an hour if Alberta declares a public health emergency over the flu pandemic –

something that will not be extended to the province’s nurses. James Finstad, a

spokesperson with Alberta Health Services, said nurses are currently under con-

tract and would be expected to live up to those terms if H1N1 mushrooms into

a full-blown crisis, but doctors are mostly self-employed. “Yes, nurses are under

contract,” Silas said. “Well, so are doctors. None of them works for free. When

we are talking about a public crisis that may happen, we think (this payment is)

ridiculous.” Silas said provinces should be planning how to protect workers from

contracting the infection, not about how much to pay them.

Celebrating our Diversity!

Linda Silas in an image from the video.


17 OCTOBER 2009

HumAN RIgHts AND EQuIty

Thanks to the work of one very diligent hospital Diversity Commit-tee, the different cultures and religions in Windsor are not only being acknowledged and shared, but celebrated throughout the year.

“Our Diversity Committee is as much about educating our commu-nity as educating our staff,” said Barb Porter, an ONA member who works at Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor, Local 8. “This is very impor-tant as Windsor is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Canada.”

The committee, which was established in late 2006 and meets ev-ery other month, is comprised of the hospital’s Manager of Human Resources, doctors, nurses (including Porter), and staff members from other unions. It is chaired by the head of the Multiculturalism Centre in Windsor.

Thanks to the committee, several changes have taken place at the hospital since the committee’s formation. For example, the needs of Muslim women who require separation from men are accommodated by providing a waiting room for women only. Staff have received edu-cation about the significance of the kirpan, the ceremonial knife that orthodox Sikhs carry on their person. During Multiculturalism Week, the cafeteria staff offered breakfast, lunch and dinner cuisines from dif-ferent areas of the world. Even the hospital’s main entrance has a welcome sign in several languages.

But perhaps the committee’s most visible work is the series of posters and displays it has designed to recognize the holidays and celebrations of different cultures and re-ligions, including Ramadan, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Hanukah and Christmas.

“We try to be inclusive of all cultures and all religions. We can only cover so many holidays a year and so we focus on the more prominent holidays,” said Porter, who chairs the subcommittee responsible for the displays.

The posters (pictured), which feature photos of real hospital staff, are exhibited in a prominent high-traffic en-trance to the facility, along with a table, which displays ac-companying written material on the holiday/celebration. If someone is available, the booth is staffed. The displays are also highlighted in the hospital’s weekly newsletter, which is read by staff and the community.

“Canada Day was the first poster to be displayed in 2007 because we felt we needed to celebrate our unity as Canadians before we celebrated our unique and diverse cultures,” added Porter, whose past and current union roles include serving as a member on ONA’s Human Rights and Equity Team, a Floor, Grievance, Human Rights and Eq-uity and Political Action Representative, secretary, and a Leadership Development Program graduate and mentor.

Working in conjunction with the Diversity Commit-

tee, which has recently been given a working budget, the hospital’s communications department takes photos of staff for the posters and designs and prints the posters and written material. The posters are re-cycled for approximately two years.

A key challenge for the committee is constantly coming up with new ideas for celebrating diversity in its hospital and community, and it is already looking ahead to 2010.

“We are planning to have public schools near the hospital come in and draw pictures depicting our differing cultures, and maybe learn dances from those cultures,” Porter said.

The Diversity Committee’s hard work is clearly paying off. Porter, who believes Hotel-Dieu is a frontrunner in its diversity initiatives, said the committee has heard extremely positive feedback on its work. So much so, in fact, that she is issuing a challenge to other facilities to get involved in similar programs.

“It can really help our communities become better acquainted,” she concluded. “And this is not just about big cities. In remote areas, there may not be as many cultures, but this will work just as well. I think it’s important that we know about each other.”

they write. Governments must increase their focus on patient-centred care, im-

proving access to same-day primary health care and not funding health care on

a fee-for-service basis. Canada has a superbly educated health care workforce,

but we neither maximize the use of their talents nor allow them to work in true

teams, they write, adding “it will take money, courage and goodwill all around to

realize the primary care vision.”

E cFnu presiDenT linDa silas has spoken out against Alberta doctors negotiating extra

fees for treating H1N1 patients. Silas said she was “stunned” and “outraged”

when she learned that doctors will receive a special payment as high as $518

an hour if Alberta declares a public health emergency over the flu pandemic –

something that will not be extended to the province’s nurses. James Finstad, a

spokesperson with Alberta Health Services, said nurses are currently under con-

tract and would be expected to live up to those terms if H1N1 mushrooms into

a full-blown crisis, but doctors are mostly self-employed. “Yes, nurses are under

contract,” Silas said. “Well, so are doctors. None of them works for free. When

we are talking about a public crisis that may happen, we think (this payment is)

ridiculous.” Silas said provinces should be planning how to protect workers from

contracting the infection, not about how much to pay them.

Celebrating our Diversity!


OCTOBER 200918

The following is a sampling of recent key awards and/or decisions in one or more of the following areas: rights arbitration, interest arbitration, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), Long-Term Disability (LTD) and Ontario Labour Relations Board. A complete listing of recent awards and decisions can be found in the members’ secure section of ONA’s website at www.ona.org.

Rights

Overtime disqualification for available shift distribution limited to shift in question

ONA & Guelph General Hospital

(Howe, July 30, 2009)Two grievances were filed with similar facts.

In each one, a weekend shift became avail-able. The grievor and a junior nurse, both part-time nurses, were available to work the shift. Both would have to receive premium pay un-der the consecutive and subsequent weekend provision, but the grievor would also thereby qualify for premium pay the next weekend (already scheduled). The employer picked the junior nurse to work the shift.

At issue was the local collective agreement provision: “It is understood that the Hospital will not be required to offer a shift which would result in overtime or premium pay.” The arbitra-tor held that this only referred to the shift to be worked, not to later shifts, and allowed the grievances.

He gave the employer a choice of remedies: pay the grievors for all lost wages, premiums, etc., or pay for lost premiums on the subse-quent weekend and provide an opportunity to work an extra available shift.

inteRest

Comparability is paramount factor St. Joseph’s Villa, Cornwall

(Rose, August 6, 2009)The parties implemented the renewal collec-tive agreement, with a Letter of Understand-ing, providing that the issue of the lump sum payment go to arbitration as a single item.

The arbitrator awarded the full lump sum payment, rejecting the employer’s arguments that there was special one-time funding for the hospitals only; that there needed to be signifi-cant trade offs; that the economic situation in

Ontario is dismal; and that the lump sum is a retention bonus and St. Joseph’s had no reten-tion problems. Additionally, the award notes that the Board received the ONA Participating Nursing Homes settlement.

The Board concluded that comparability is the paramount factor to be considered and, in particular, given the historical relationship of parity between this Bargaining Unit and the participating hospitals, awarded the lump sum as proposed by the Union.

Importance to ONA: Ubiquitous employer arguments were considered and rejected. It was confirmed that the participating hospitals is the comparator and the Central Nursing Home settlement had no impact. It will be very hard for employers to distinguish this award, which provides the full lump sum payment.

WsiB

Individual susceptibility must always be taken into account

Hospital, West

(July 31, 2009)Following fit-testing for the N95 respirator on September 9, 2003, the worker developed a re-spiratory condition, and a claim for WSIB was eventually filed on September 23, 2003.

The claim was initially denied because the Claims Adjudicator took the position that there was a delay in seeking medical attention, the worker may have had a respiratory infection and the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for the fit-test solution did not indicate any ad-verse effects when inhaled or swallowed.

A summary submission was offered, the Claims Adjudicator upheld her denial and the file was referred to the Appeals Branch. In speaking with the Appeals Resolution Officer, it was agreed to proceed based on the submis-sion and the medical in the Board file. The Of-ficer had some additional concerns that were

addressed in a second submission.While the worker did not have any imme-

diate symptoms to the fit-testing, she did feel stuffed up later in the day and at first thought she was coming down with a cold. Her symp-toms progressed and as an RN, she self-diag-nosed and self-treated until she concluded it was more than a cold. The Appeals Resolution Officer accepted the fact that given her profes-sion, she likely had the expertise to diagnose and treat her condition and sought medical attention when her condition did not resolve, so the delay in seeking medical attention was found to be valid.

The Appeals Resolution Officer was also of the view that regardless of what the MSDS said about effects of exposure, individual suscepti-bility must always be taken into account. In ad-dition, the worker had no history of respiratory issues and the doctors all supported that there was no other explanation for her condition. The appeal was granted.

The member, now employed by the public health unit, has been granted an exemption from her new employer and will not be fit-test-ed for the N95 mask using FT-32 Denatonium Benzoate solution.

LtD

When the carrier jumps to conclusionsHospital, Region 4

(July 2, 2009) Several things went wrong in this case.

The member was in a motor vehicle acci-dent and was taken to the emergency depart-ment. Because of the long delay expected be-fore she would be seen and her family needs, and because immediate symptoms were minor, she went home and saw her family physician at the first available time.

A doctor suggested that when she returned to work, she do so on a gradual program. The carrier misinterpreted this as clearance to re-turn to work, and assumed that the program would take no longer than 12 weeks. It ap-proved benefits for 12 weeks only.

Treatment continued, but symptoms be-came worse. She was diagnosed with a pain

disorder, symptoms of which vary in intensity, rate of development, response to treatment and relative strength. She began a return to work program, but was never able to surpass two six-hour tours a week.

The carrier’s decision was challenged on faulty logic, unjustified assumptions and gen-eralizations about recovery that contributed to the carrier’s original decision.

After a lengthy review, the carrier conclud-ed that the evidence did not support the di-agnosis, but did support disability. The carrier reversed its decision and reinstated benefits ret-roactive to their termination four years earlier.

Importance to ONA: Members should be prepared to explain lack of immediate medical care. Carrier decisions need to be challenged on technical, statistical and logical grounds, as well as medical.

AWARDs AND DEcIsIoNs


19 OCTOBER 2009

addressed in a second submission.While the worker did not have any imme-

diate symptoms to the fit-testing, she did feel stuffed up later in the day and at first thought she was coming down with a cold. Her symp-toms progressed and as an RN, she self-diag-nosed and self-treated until she concluded it was more than a cold. The Appeals Resolution Officer accepted the fact that given her profes-sion, she likely had the expertise to diagnose and treat her condition and sought medical attention when her condition did not resolve, so the delay in seeking medical attention was found to be valid.

The Appeals Resolution Officer was also of the view that regardless of what the MSDS said about effects of exposure, individual suscepti-bility must always be taken into account. In ad-dition, the worker had no history of respiratory issues and the doctors all supported that there was no other explanation for her condition. The appeal was granted.

The member, now employed by the public health unit, has been granted an exemption from her new employer and will not be fit-test-ed for the N95 mask using FT-32 Denatonium Benzoate solution.

LtD

When the carrier jumps to conclusionsHospital, Region 4

(July 2, 2009) Several things went wrong in this case.

The member was in a motor vehicle acci-dent and was taken to the emergency depart-ment. Because of the long delay expected be-fore she would be seen and her family needs, and because immediate symptoms were minor, she went home and saw her family physician at the first available time.

A doctor suggested that when she returned to work, she do so on a gradual program. The carrier misinterpreted this as clearance to re-turn to work, and assumed that the program would take no longer than 12 weeks. It ap-proved benefits for 12 weeks only.

Treatment continued, but symptoms be-came worse. She was diagnosed with a pain

JI_ONA_Apr09_FINAL.eps 1 21/04/09 3:52 PM

disorder, symptoms of which vary in intensity, rate of development, response to treatment and relative strength. She began a return to work program, but was never able to surpass two six-hour tours a week.

The carrier’s decision was challenged on faulty logic, unjustified assumptions and gen-eralizations about recovery that contributed to the carrier’s original decision.

After a lengthy review, the carrier conclud-ed that the evidence did not support the di-agnosis, but did support disability. The carrier reversed its decision and reinstated benefits ret-roactive to their termination four years earlier.

Importance to ONA: Members should be prepared to explain lack of immediate medical care. Carrier decisions need to be challenged on technical, statistical and logical grounds, as well as medical.

Tell Us What You Think!

Each year at this time, we ask our members what you think about your membership publication, Front Lines.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the self-addressed questionnaire card inserted into this issue of Front Lines, and pop in the mail (no post-age necessary) by November 30, 2009. Every response will be reviewed and considered. Your comments will help shape future issues.

This is your chance to tell us what you like – and would like improved – about your membership publication. Please don’t miss out!


A in This issue…E4From ONA PresidentLinda Haslam-Stroud, RN

E5From ONA CEOLesley Bell, RN, MBA

E14From ONA First Vice-PresidentVicki McKenna, RN

AUGUST 2009 Vol. 9 • No. 4

Public health nurses with the Regional Mu-nicipality of Niagara Public Health Unit, Local 9, have reached a settlement with the employer just days before they were set to hit the picket lines.

E continues on page 3

E continues on page 3niagara public health nurses avert strike

A FeaturesBecoming Influential ............................... 7Focus on…Industry nurses ...................... 9June PCM Photospread ......................... 10

A INDEXMember News .......................................... 6ONA News .............................................. 11Queen’s Park Update .............................15OFL News ...............................................15Human Rights and Equity.....................16LEAP .......................................................17CFNU News ............................................18Awards and Decisions ...........................19Education ...............................................20

than 300 registered nurses at North Bay General Hospital, Local 20, and North Eastern Mental Health Centre (NEMHC) have overwhelmingly chosen ONA as their union.The Public Sector Labour Relations Transition Act vote, held in late June 2009, was necessary

following the amalgamation of North Bay General Hospital, where the RNs were represented

by ONA, and NEMHC, where the RNs were represented by the Ontario Public Service Em-

ployees Union. The nurses were given the option of choosing either union – and virtually all

chose ONA.In the weeks leading up to the vote, ONA campaigned heavily to retain our members and

recruit the NEMHC nurses, setting up information booths within the hospital, handing out

literature and answering questions about what exceptional services ONA provides.“ONA prides itself on being the leading voice of and advocate for

The new contract, reached on June 22, 2009 with the assistance of a mediator, is ret-roactive to April 1, 2008 and runs until March 31, 2011. It contains annual wage adjust-ments of 3.0 per cent

MOre

north bay rns choose ona

special pull-ouT FeaTure: influenza preparedness


ONTARiO NURSES’ ASSOCiATiON

85 Grenville St., Ste. 400

Toronto ON M5S 3A2

EDucAtIoN

As part of our succession planning process for supporting future Local leaders, ONA will be holding a Leadership Program next year.

The target audience for the program, which will be offered once in 2010, will include new Bargaining Unit Presidents, ONA Repre-sentatives and up and coming leaders. There will be a maximum of 25 participants accepted into the program.

The conference will be held from June 7-11, 2010 at Wilfrid Lau-rier University in Waterloo. A university site was chosen to promote networking and relationship-building within the leadership group.

While the program is still in the developmental stages, topics cov-ered will likely include:

• Anintroductiontojournalingasalearningtool.• Anoverviewofunionism.• ONA’sstructureandservices.• Communicationpathways.• Howtogetlabourrelationsissuesaddressed.• RoleofONARepresentativesintheBargainingUnit.• Mentoringrelationships.• Grievancesandnegotiations.• Leadershipstyles.• Thedevelopmentofapersonalactionplan.

As well, events are planned for the evenings, including a dinner with members of the ONA Board of Directors, a group dinner with a panel of ONA experts, and a celebration dinner.

The cost for meals and accommodation for the conference is ap-proximately $600 per person. The Board has determined that for each member accepted into the program, this cost will be offset directly by the scholarship monies from Johnson Inc., the provider of the ONA benefits plan. Locals will be responsible for covering salary replace-ment and travel costs according to Local policies.

As part of their succession planning process, the Local executive team will identify and sponsor the candidates they would like to regis-ter in the program. Registration for the program will open from March 15, 2010 to April 19, 2010. All applicants/Locals will be notified of the successful applicants by April 30, 2010.

ONA is very excited to offer this program next year, as it is a key strategy to assist Locals in developing the leaders of the future!

Leadership Conference 2010: Supporting our Future Leaders


front lines october 2009

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