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IN THIS ISSUE . . .E4From ONA President
Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN
E5From ONA First Vice-President
Vicki McKenna, RN
Vol. 13 • No. 6DECEMBER 2013
continues on page 3
Hospital Bargaining Begins!
ith hospital central bargaining upon us and a provincial election as early as next spring, ONA is launching an aggressive public campaign demanding a moratorium on RN cuts
that hinder our ability to provide high-quality patient care. And our very success depends on you getting involved!
ONA is currently facing two of the biggest threats in recent history – continued, aggres-sive reductions in the number of RNs and the potential of a Tim Hudak-led Conservative provincial government, which will strip away our rights to the very
ONA’s Hospital Central Negotiating Team (HCNT) has begun bargaining with the On-tario Hospital Association (OHA) for a new collective agreement – and we are deter-mined it will respect the work you do for the
The Members’ Publication of the Ontario Nurses’ Association
continues on page 13
W
patients of this province.Bargaining for the 2014 round began the
week of November 18, with additional dates set for January 2014. If necessary, media-tion will be held in
Region 3 Vice-President Andy Summers, along with Local 111 leaders and members from The
Scarborough Hospital and concerned citizens, take part in an Ontario Health Coalition Day of
Action outside the constituency office of Soo Wong, MPP for Scarborough-Agincourt, on No-
vember 9, 2013 to protest cuts to hospital services, including the continuing erosion of RN
positions – the focus of ONA’s new campaign.
Included with this Issue - Work of the Union: Winter 2013 Update
FEATURESFinal Farewell to Local Leader ................ 6CCAC Member Praises ONA .................... 8November PCM .........................................10
INDEXUp Front ......................................................... 3Member News ............................................. 6ONA News ...................................................11Queen’s Park Update ...............................15OHC ...............................................................15Student Affiliation ....................................16OH&S .............................................................18Education ....................................................19Human Rights and Equity .....................20Awards and Decisions .............................21Financial Statements ...............................22LEAP ..............................................................24
Special Pull-out Feature: ONA in Bargaining: Looking out for You!
THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE: What ONA is Doing for You on the Flu Vaccine (page 12)
ONA Launching Campaign to Stop RN Cuts
DECEMBER 20132 www.ona.org
Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN
President, VM #2254 Communications & Government
Relations / Student Liaison
Vicki McKenna, RN
First VP, VM #2314Political Action & Professional Issues
Pam Mancuso, RN
VP Region 1, VM #7710Human Rights & Equity
Anne Clark, RN
VP Region 2, VM #7758Labour Relations
Andy Summers, RN
VP Region 3, VM #7754Occupational Health & Safety
Dianne Leclair, RN
VP Region 4, VM #7752Local Finance
Karen Bertrand, RN
VP Region 5, VM #7702Education
Michael Balagus
Chief Executive Officer / Chief Administrative Officer
How to contact your 2013 ONA Board of Directors
Call ONA toll-free at 1-800-387-5580 (press 0)
or (416) 964-8833 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.
ONA Provincial Office
85 Grenville St., Ste. 400
Toronto ON M5S 3A2
Tel: (416) 964-8833
Toll free: 1-800-387-5580
Fax: (416) 964-8864
E-mail: onamail@ona.org
ONA is the union representing 60,000 registered nurses and allied
health professionals and more than 14,000 nursing student affiliates
providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the
community, clinics and industry.
www.ona.org
Design: Artifact graphic design (artifactworks.ca)
Printed by union labour: Thistle Printing Limited
Copyright © 2013 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
(ONA members are excepted).
Editor: Ruth Featherstone
Features Editor: Melanie Levenson
Send submissions to:
Communications and Government Relations
Intake at cgrintake@ona.org.
Contributors: Sharan Basran, Sheree Bond,
Mary Lou King, Enid Mitchell, André Proulx,
Katherine Russo, Karen Sandercock, Lawrence
Walter, LEAP Team
EHamilton 2 King St., W., 2nd Floor Rear Dundas, ON L9H 6Z1 Tel: (905) 628-0850 Fax: (905) 628-2557EKingston 4 Cataraqui St., Ste. 201 Kingston, ON K7K 1Z7 Tel: (613) 545-1110 Fax: (613) 531-9043ELondon 1069 Wellington Rd. South,
Ste. 109 London, ON N6E 2H6 Tel: (519) 438-2153 Fax: (519) 433-2050
EOrillia 210 Memorial Ave., Unit 126A Orillia, ON L3V 7V1 Tel: (705) 327-0404 Fax: (705) 327-0511EOttawa 1400 Clyde Ave., Ste. 211 Nepean, ON K2G 3J2 Tel: (613) 226-3733 Fax: (613) 723-0947ESudbury 764 Notre Dame Ave., Unit 3 Sudbury, ON P3A 2T4 Tel: (705) 560-2610 Fax: (705) 560-1411
EThunder Bay #300, Woodgate Centre,
1139 Alloy Dr. Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6M8 Tel: (807) 344-9115 Fax: (807) 344-8850ETimmins Canadian Mental Health
Association Building 330 Second Ave, Ste. 203 Timmins, ON P4N 8A4 Tel: (705) 264-2294 Fax: (705) 268-4355EWindsor 3155 Howard Ave., Ste. 220 Windsor, ON N8X 3Y9
Tel: (519) 966-6350 Fax: (519) 972-0814
ONA Regional Offices
The Members’ Publication of the Ontario Nurses’ Association
Vol. 13 • No. 6DECEMBER 2013
ISSN: 0834-9088
www.Facebook.com/OntarioNurses
www.Twitter.com/OntarioNurses
www.youtube.com/OntarioNurses
Front Lines can be accessed
on our website at
www.ona.org/frontlines
UP Front
DECEMBER 2013 3www.ona.org
February, followed by arbitration in March. The current collective agreement expires on March 31, 2014.
The newly-elected HCNT is well prepared, having spent seven days this past Septem-ber undergoing an orientation and developing bargaining proposals. Those proposals are based on our members’ priorities, including from the Have a Say questionnaire results. Members also provided thousands of comments and suggestions on those question-naires, all of which have been carefully read and considered.
“While we are still faced with a challenging political climate, our members have cer-tainly done their part,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “Your hospital team will be steadfast in its goal to obtain a contract that values and reflects the critical work our hospital members do for the patients of this province – work which actually saves hospitals money.”
For more information on hospital bargaining, see the insert included with this issue of Front Lines.
CCACs will not Proceed with Central Process in 2014The ONA Board of Directors has determined
we will not proceed with a central bargain-
ing process for our 10 community care access
centres (CCAC) throughout the province.
ONA met with the Ontario Association of
Community Care Access Centres (OACCAC)
earlier this year to discuss central bargain-
ing for the collective agreement expiring
in March 2014 and outline concerns of our
CCAC members.
We advised the OACCAC of our require-
ments to proceed with a central process in
2014, including one provincial collective
agreement and one benefit plan applied
across all our CCACs; that Local provisions
would be identified and dealt with locally; and
that we work towards provincial wage har-
monization. All requirements would be made
without concessions to existing agreements.
The OACCAC indicated this would be
challenging, but subsequently undertook to
engage their members. They later responded
they could not meet our demands, although
they asked to still continue with the central
bargaining process.
Based on these factors, ONA’s senior staff
made a recommendation to the ONA Board
of Directors to not proceed with a central
process in 2014. That means each CCAC will
be bargaining individually with the assis-
tance of servicing staff.
Attention Nursing Home Members: Central Negotiating Team Elections Coming!With the central nursing homes collective agreement expiring on June 30, 2014, ONA
members in that sector will have the opportunity to elect representatives for the Nurs-
ing Homes Central Negotiating Team for the next round.
A package containing information on the candidates and a mail-in ballot will be sent
to all members in the nursing homes sector by January 13, 2014. Members will be en-
titled to vote for one candidate from your region, unless the position has been acclaimed.
Orientation for the new Nursing Homes Central Negotiating Team is scheduled for
April 14-17, 2014.
Bargaining Updates on Home PageKeep in-the-know on bargaining up-
dates! Our Bargaining 2014 box on the
home page (left side, blue and yellow) is
the place to go to read the latest on bar-
gaining. Or visit www.ona.org/bargaining.
Hospital Bargaining Begins! continues from cover
HCNT member and Local 26 Bargaining Unit President Loretta Tirabassi-Olinski
addresses the team during orientation this past September while ONA Chief
Negotiator Dan Anderson notes members’ issues.
DECEMBER 20134 www.ona.org
From ONA President
Chronique de la présidente, AIIO
Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN
Here’s to Another 40 Powerful Years!
It’s hard to believe that another year has passed and that ONA is wrapping up its 40th-anniversary celebrations.
With the formal end of this special anniversary, the time couldn’t be better to both acknowledge the impressive list of ONA successes and look to the future.
It’s vital that we all remember how powerful a union ONA has been and will continue to be. We are THE voice of Ontario’s front-line registered nurses and allied health professionals. The knowl-edge and power of ONA will come in handy as 2014 unfolds.
The Toronto Star recently published a report about the secret campaign blueprint of the Progressive Conservative party. Con-vinced that a snap provincial election would happen last spring, the party was ready with a campaign plan that aimed to devastate On-tario’s working people.
Central to the Tories’ plan is a “hard-right anti-union agenda” that would do away with the Rand Formula, and keep its attacks on organized labour front and centre.
If anyone doubts that this would be devastating to front-line RNs and allied health professionals, remember that the PCs have also been advocating for changes to the arbitration system and to cut our pension plan.
There’s no doubt we have yet another battle on the horizon to maintain/improve health care services, bring more RNs on board and fix the heavy workloads that so many of you face, and improve access to care.
You will see from the cover story that ONA is undertaking yet another campaign – a two-part effort to stop nursing cuts and to ensure that anyone but Tim Hudak is
elected as Ontario’s next premier. As your elected President, I want to appeal to all of you to consider
speaking out during the next election. We are a powerful union, and as nurses and allied health professionals, we are respected by Ontar-ians. Let’s use our voices to stop the planned race to the bottom.
For 40 years, ONA has been here for you. As we move to the future, ONA is more relevant than ever.
Happy holidays!
We are THE voice of Ontario’s front-line registered nurses and allied health professionals.
Encore 40 années de force de frappe!
Il est difficile de croire qu’une autre année vient de s’écouler et que les célébrations du 40e anniversaire de l’AIIO tirent à leur fin.
La conclusion officielle de cet anniversaire spécial offre une occasion sans pareille de souligner l’impressionnante liste des réali-sations de l’AIIO et de se tourner vers l’avenir.
Il est essentiel de ne jamais oublier la force que l’AIIO est dev-enue à titre de syndicat et continuera d’être. Nous constituons LA voix des infirmières et infirmiers autorisés de première ligne ainsi que des professionnels paramédicaux de l’Ontario. Le savoir-faire et la force de l’AIIO seront des plus utiles au cours de 2014.
Le Toronto Star a récemment publié un rapport sur le plan de campagne secret du Parti progressiste-conservateur. Convaincu qu’il y aurait des élections provinciales précipitées au printemps dernier, le parti disposait d’un plan de campagne qui visait à écraser les travailleurs de l’Ontario.
L’élément principal du plan des Tories était un « programme an-tisyndical très à droite » qui visait à se départir de la formule Rand et à continuer d’attaquer le mouvement syndical de toute part.
Si quelqu’un doute de l’effet dévastateur de ces mesures sur les infirmières et infirmiers de première ligne et les professionnels paramédicaux, n’oubliez pas que le PC a également préconisé des changements au système d’arbitrage et des réductions à notre ré-gime de retraite.
Nous avons encore, sans contredit, d’autres luttes à mener pour conserver et améliorer les soins de santé, augmenter le nom-bre d’infirmières et d’infirmiers autorisés afin de réduire la lourde charge de travail qui pèse sur nombre d’entre vous et améliorer l’accès aux soins.
Vous verrez dans notre rubrique principale que l’AIIO lance encore une nouvelle campagne – une initiative en deux volets : mettre fin aux compressions dans les soins infirmiers et à veiller à ce que n’importe qui, sauf Tim Hudak, soit élu premier ministre de l’Ontario.
À titre de votre présidente élue, je vous exhorte, chacune et cha-cun d’entre vous, à vous faire entendre au moment des prochaines élections. Nous sommes un syndicat puissant et, à titre d’infirmières et d’infirmiers et de professionnels paramédicaux, nous jouissons du respect des Ontariens. Faisons-nous entendre pour arrêter ce nivellement par le bas planifié.
Depuis 40 ans, l’AIIO travaille pour vous. Au moment où nous nous tournons vers l’avenir, l’AIIO est plus essentielle que jamais.
Joyeuses Fêtes!
DECEMBER 2013 5www.ona.org
From ONA First Vice-President
Chronique de la première vice-présidente, AIIO
Vicki McKenna, RN
Avoid Moving into Non-Practising Class
The 2014 College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) registration re-newal requires all nurses to make a declaration about their recent nursing practice in Ontario, but what concerns ONA is
that nurses who do not have evidence of practice in the last three years are being told they have to move to the non-practising class, resign or be revoked.
First of all, the terms practising and non-practising have caused some confusion. To be clear, practising doesn’t mean just hands-on patient care; it is any situation that requires you to use your nurs-ing knowledge, skill and judgment, and the application of relevant nursing practice standards and guidelines that impact, directly or indirectly, the delivery of health care services to patients/clients/residents. That means a full-time Bargaining Unit President work-ing with members on the front lines is a practising nurse.
Our challenge as a union is with mem-bers who, through no fault of their own, are injured and not working, are on approved leaves of absence or are battling addiction issues and not on the job. We are concerned they are falling under that three-year defini-tion and will have some trouble reinstating.
We also believe the CNO has inadvertent-ly created a situation where highly-skilled
nurses who are practising in the U.S. because of a lack of full-time employment in Ontario may not be able to easily return to practice in this province. With thousands of nurses reaching retirement age and an ever-worsening nursing shortage, the province needs to retain every qualified nurse possible, and enable nurses who wish to work in Ontario to do so without difficult reinstatement requirements.
The key message I want to relay is to try at all costs not to move into the non-practising class. This is not as ominous as it sounds. As the CNO has no minimum hours, even with less than one hour of practice within the last three years – say, volunteering at a blood pressure clinic and keeping yourself up-to-date by reading the CNO Standard and nursing journals – you would be able to remain in the practising class. The three-year clock would stop and then start again.
ONA staff, including our Legal Expense Assistance Plan Team, are involved with the CNO on this critical issue, and we will con-tinue to update you.
Even with less than one hour of practice in the last three years, you would remain in practising class.
Évitez la catégorie des membres inactifs
Pour renouveler l’adhésion à l’Ordre des infirmières et infirm-iers de l’Ontario (OIIO) en 2014, chaque infirmière et in-firmier doit faire une déclaration relative à son exercice des
soins infirmiers en Ontario. Cependant, l’AIIO est particulièrement préoccupée par le fait que celles et ceux qui n’ont pas de preuve d’exercice pour les trois dernières années se font dire qu’ils doivent passer à la catégorie des membres inactifs, démissionner ou voir leur droit d’exercice révoqué.
Tout d’abord, les expressions « être en exercice » et « être inactif » créent une certaine confusion au sein de nos membres. En fait, être en exercice ne signifie pas simplement de donner des soins aux pa-tients; il s’agit d’utiliser ses connaissances, compétences et jugement en matière de soins infirmiers, et d’appliquer les normes et directives pertinentes en matière de pratique de soins infirmiers qui ont une incidence, directe ou indirecte, sur la prestation des soins de santé aux patients, aux clients et aux résidents. Cela signifie qu’une pré-sidente d’unité de négociation à temps plein qui travaille avec des membres en première ligne est une infirmière en exercice.
Le défi que nous devons relever à titre de syndicat vise les mem-bres qui, bien malgré eux, sont blessés et ne travaillent pas, sont en congé approuvé ou sont aux prises avec des problèmes de dépen-dance et, par conséquent, ne travaillent pas. Nous craignons qu’ils ne répondent pas à ce critère des trois années et éprouvent des pro-blèmes lorsque viendra le temps de réintégrer le travail.
Le principal message que je veux vous transmettre est d’essayer à tout prix d’éviter de faire partie de la catégorie des membres inac-tifs. Ce n’est pas aussi difficile que cela peut sembler. Étant donné que l’OIIO n’indique aucun nombre minimum d’heures, même avec moins d’une heure d’exercice au cours des trois dernières années – disons du bénévolat dans une clinique de pression sanguine et votre maintien à jour par la lecture des normes de l’OIIO et des revues de soins infirmiers – vous pourriez demeurer dans la catégorie des in-firmières et infirmiers en exercice. La période de trois ans prendrait fin et le compteur repartirait à zéro.
Le personnel de l’AIIO, notamment notre équipe du régime d’assistance aux frais juridiques, discute avec l’OIIO de cette question essentielle. Nous vous tiendrons informés des progrès accomplis.
ONA Members Across Ontario
DECEMBER 20136 www.ona.org
ONA Bids Sad Farewell to “Fearless” Local Leader
ONA is mourning the loss of a
much-cherished Local leader, who
was instrumental in one of our
largest and most intense organiz-
ing successes to date.
Phyllis Peck, long-time nurse
and former Local 237 Coordinator
and Bargaining Unit President for
the (then) York Central Hospital
(now McKenzie Health) in Richmond Hill, passed away on October 3,
2013 after a lengthy and courageous battle with ovarian cancer.
Phyllis was a key player in the organizing campaign at York Central
Hospital, which saw 673 nurses join our union in April 2006, and was
subsequently elected as the first Local 237 Coordinator and Bargain-
ing Unit President – positions she held until 2010. She also held several
other union positions, including negotiations rep, and served as chair-
person of a number of committees.
Phyllis’ involvement with the union began in 2005 when she con-
tacted ONA about organizing York Central after nurses were faced
with workload issues, scheduling changes and excessive amounts
of overtime. She and a few fellow nurses spent the next few months
working with ONA staff, providing information to the nurses about
how we could help improve their working conditions and relation-
ships with their employer. While there was initially concern expressed
by some of the nurses that they would get into trouble from their em-
ployer for talking to the union, Phyllis was able to qualm those fears.
“She was a fierce supporter of ONA and the members she repre-
sented and will be missed by many,” said Lorraine Harper, one of the
Labour Relations Officers who worked with Phyllis and her executive
in negotiating York Central’s first collective agreement.
“Phyllis was one of the most wonderful, kindest women I have ever
known,” added former Local Coordinator/Bargaining Unit President
Laren Burneman. “She was a unionist through and through, organiz-
ing a large hospital without fear! It was a privilege to be her friend.”
“I have never met a leader that was as committed and motivated
to bring economic and social justice to nurses,” Labour Relations Of-
ficer Stacey Papernick, who worked closely with Phyllis in the organiz-
ing drive, wrote in a heartfelt letter that was given to Phyllis before her
passing and read at her funeral. “Your follow-through with getting the
Bargaining Unit up and running showed your dedication to the goal
you set out to accomplish, and that you knew there was more to build-
ing the union than just bringing it into York Central. You changed peo-
ple’s lives at work, which helped them in their personal lives, and you
touched so many with your support and your ability to listen well and
figure out how to tackle their issues. Your fearlessness made me strong.”
“It is very sad to lose a great leader, a friend and a mentor,” con-
cluded Local 237 Coordinator Mandeep Sangha, who worked with
Phyllis. “She cared about everyone. She was very fair and always put
others first. She was a very compassionate RN and colleague, as well
as a super mom and loving wife. Phyllis stood up and challenged ad-
ministration/management when things got very unsafe at York Cen-
tral by forming a Local union when no one thought it was possible.
What Phyllis did for all the Local 237 nurses was instrumental because
they have a better future with ONA’s voice and strength behind them.
She is the one who inspired me to take on the leadership role and I
will continue her legacy. All Local 237 RNs salute a leader who will be
missed dearly. Thank you, Phyllis.”
ONA is all the better because of Phyllis’ commitment to her union,
members, profession and patients. We send our deepest condolences
to her family, friends and colleagues.
How to Help Victims of Philippines Typhoon On behalf of its member organizations, including ONA, the
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) has donated
$10,000 to Oxfam Canada, which is coordinating relief efforts
for the victims of the recent devastating typhoon that swept
over the Philippines – and you can also help.
In the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, which hit on November 8,
2013, many thousands are dead and as many as five million
people have been left homeless. While it will take many years
for these communities to recover, we urge you to donate so that
aid agencies can respond to this crisis.
To make a donation to Oxfam earmarked for Typhoon Hai-
yan relief, log onto our website at www.ona.org/donate.
Former Local 237
Coordinator Phyllis
Peck.
DECEMBER 2013 7www.ona.org
In this continuing Front Lines series,
a member from Region 4, who wishes
to remain anonymous, relays how her
union guided her through a very difficult
situation and how thankful she is.
I am writing this letter to voice my
most sincere gratitude to ONA, spe-
cifically to my Local.
The past two weeks had been the
hardest in my 12-year nursing career.
I was facing severe disciplinary action
and was told that I needed something
I had never needed before – union
representation.
To make a very difficult situation
short, the Bargaining Unit President
and two other members of the union
team went through my situation with
precision and a personal caring I nev-
er knew that a union could provide.
With the union’s guidance and sup-
port, I was able to have a very favor-
able outcome.
So to those union members,
namely the Bargaining Unit President,
Grievance Chair and Labour Relations
Officer, I wish to say thank you. Thank
you for standing behind me, fighting
for me and supporting me through
this very challenging time.
Want to share a brief story about what
your union means to you? Drop Front
Lines editor Ruth Featherstone an
email at ruthf@ona.org and you may be
featured in this section in an upcoming
issue!
Innovative Program Simplifies PRC ProcessLocal 11 has come up with a
way to make the Professional
Responsibility Complaint
(PRC) process just a little bit
easier for their members – and
it’s just a mouse click away.
Instead of filling out their
PRC workload forms by hand,
all nurses at the Windsor Re-
gional Hospital (WRH) Met
Campus can now access a PRC
program from any hospital
computer, which opens an
electronic PRC form with drop
downs and mandatory fields they fill out. Plans
are in place to expand the system to nurses at the
Ouellette site, and Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare,
formerly the Tayfour campus of WRH, plans to
continue the use of this electronic process.
“I have been working on bringing my vision
together for about four years,” said Local 11
Coordinator/Bargaining Unit President Susan
Sommerdyk. “There were so many barriers:
time to devote to the development, finding
the appropriate platform, cost factors and new
collective agreement language about the form.
But the one thing that was never an obstacle was
the employer, who supported it 110 per cent.”
It’s not surprising, given the amount of hand-
written PRC forms that Sommerdyk said were
incomplete, lost, illegible and difficult to track.
Under the new electronic system, once a nurse
submits a form, the appropriate manager and di-
rector receive a real-time email indicating a PRC
has been filed, which contains a link to access
the complaint. The union PRC rep is also notified
by email, and every time the manager or director
document on the form, the union is sent a link in-
dicating new documentation has been submitted.
Once a PRC meeting is held, the union rep
accesses the form and can add the minutes
from that meeting. The form is then converted
into a PDF file, sent to the appropriate persons
and stored on a shared drive.
“The biggest benefit is re-
al-time reporting,” noted Som-
merdyk, who said she would
highly recommend the pro-
gram to other Locals. “In our
old process, the form came
to the union rep to be tagged
with a reference number, a
copy was made for the La-
bour Relations Officer (LRO),
sent to the manager for a re-
sponse, back to the rep, then
to the meeting. The minutes
were sent out for agreement,
then the form was distributed with photocop-
ies of the minutes and stored in various places.
In the age of network technology, it was very
inefficient. But now the LRO receives the forms
quicker and can actually read the copy, and the
manager is made aware of the complaint and
can investigate immediately, resulting in much
quicker interventions and solutions.
Sommerdyk noted that having a single
source for accessing the completed forms for
both the union and the employer also makes it
easier to look at past history of the complaints,
trends and what action items were developed.
“We also save trees!” she said.
Feedback from nurses and the employer
has been very positive. In fact, Sommerdyk said
nurses completed a 10-minute online course
and found the form very easy to use. But like all
technology, it is not without its drawbacks.
“Unfortunately, due to the cost, nurses must
access this program through the hospital system.
Most nurses do not have home remote access,”
she said. “This means we will still have paper forms
for the nurses who want to complete the form
at home.” However, since the program has rolled
out, the Local hasn’t received any paper forms.
“Technology is there to be used,” concluded
Sommerdyk. “We have to leverage all opportu-
nities to integrate it into our practices. In time, I
would love to have an app for this.”
Professional Responsibility
Rep for Windsor Regional
Hospital Sara Simpson
demonstrates the PRC
program.
ONA Members Across Ontario
DECEMBER 20138 www.ona.org
“I believe my work life would have been vastly different without ONA”
Retiring CCAC Member Thanks ONAThe following was submitted by former ONA
member and Bargaining Unit President Elaine
Hogan, who retired on August 23, 2013 from
the Central East Community Care Access Centre
(CCAC) after working 41 years as a nurse.
I was once asked by my daughter how I de-
cided on nursing as a career. I told her, “I
was born a nurse and had to wait to be old
enough to go to school to make it official!” I
was truly blessed to not only have spent my
entire working life in a career I loved, but to
have ONA as my union.
My first job was in 1972 at the (then) Os-
hawa General Hospital’s ER, making $7.84 an
hour. ONA was in its infancy and as a new
grad, I had little understanding of the impact
the union would have on my life. I received
my final pay this past August and as I had
just celebrated my 25th anniversary with the
CCAC, my collective agreement negotiated
an additional top-up to my hourly rate. I re-
tired making $41.42 an hour!
I also benefited from ONA’s influence in
getting maternity benefits in 1974, which
have improved enormously since then.
Active ONA InvolvementThe start of my active involvement in ONA
was at the non-unionized Whitby General
Hospital. I was the one who made the call
to ONA to see about becoming certified. My
vote was thrown out as I had just left for the
VON, but I was thrilled it passed. Years later,
those ONA nurses had the benefit of their
collective agreement as they were amalgam-
ated with a bigger hospital.
I left VON because I kept getting passed
over for postings to move from an evening
to a day position. I found my dream job as a
case manager with the Home Care Program
(now CCACs), and the benefits of ONA re-
mained with me to the end of my career.
Before I retired, my nine-year-old grand-
daughter asked me how I was going to look
after myself if I didn’t have a job. I explained
that I will still have money because of the pen-
sion I contributed to along with my employer.
ONA took care of me over the years and I will
benefit from that as long as I live.
My last year of employment was spent in
a job-share position. The ability to do that was
negotiated on my behalf by ONA and was a
wonderful way to wind down my working life.
More than Just Salary and Working ConditionsThe benefits I experienced as an ONA mem-
ber weren’t limited to salaries and work-
ing conditions. I served as Secretary of the
Local when I started with the municipality,
and then I became President of the new Bar-
gaining Unit when we were transformed. I
received education from ONA about how to
function in those roles and learned about
leadership. I attended what was then an
Annual General Meeting and learned we
weren’t alone in dealing with our issues, but
part of a great organization that empowered
all of us. I learned how to speak up and out!
My final working years allowed me to con-
tinue to serve my members as an office repre-
sentative and spend time doing what I love. I
was responsible for educating newly-hired
ONA members about what it means to be a
member and was able to do it with enthusiasm
and a great deal of pride. I was also privileged
to be able to support members who were in-
volved in return to work initiatives – the ability
to do that came from an ONA workshop.
I believe my work life over these 41 years
would have been a vastly different experi-
ence without ONA. I can’t even try to imagine
it. ONA has been fully entwined in my nurs-
ing life and I am grateful beyond these words
for it. Thank you, ONA!
The Home Care Program has morphed
several times over those years, but having
ONA in place as we transitioned to a stand-
alone organization made the process much
smoother. And we were happy that the Pub-
lic Sector Labour Relations Transition Act vote
kept us with ONA.
I received a negotiated pay equity settle-
ment in 2000 thanks to ONA. ONA negoti-
ated salary increases when our collective
agreement expired.
ONA Took Care of MeI received health care benefits over the years,
and was a member of the Healthcare of Ontar-
io Pension Plan (HOOPP). When I started with
the Home Care Program, my pension was with
the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement
System (OMERS). The government mandated
the removal of the Home Care Program from
the municipality, but didn’t transition my pen-
sion. Last year, ONA was successful in a law
suit that compensated those members whose
pension money did not transition with them.
Former Bargaining Unit President
Elaine Hogan.
DECEMBER 2013 9www.ona.org
ONA’s Medical Radiation Technologists
(MRT) have joined with their colleagues
across Canada to celebrate national MRT
Week.
MRT Week was celebrated from Novem-
ber 3-9 this year to laud the contributions
these highly skilled professionals make to
Then and Now: Members Celebrate 40 Years of Nursing – and ONA!For recently retired ONA member Connie Clouthier McNab and
some of her fellow graduates from a small nursing school in the
heart of the Ottawa Valley, they weren’t just celebrating ONA’s
40th anniversary in 2013, they were celebrating their own.
This past summer, 26 members of the 1973 graduating class
of Lorrain School of Nursing, which was affiliated with the Pem-
broke General Hospital from 1916 to 1974, gathered in Pembroke
to reminisce about their student nursing days and catch up on
their current lives.
Using their nursing school motto of Fidelis in Omnibus (Faith in
All Things), McNab and classmate Marlene Leahy Chmilar decided
to gauge interest in a 40th-year reunion two years ago and perse-
vered until they had found and contacted every single graduate!
While one has sadly passed away and two were unable to attend,
all the others “promised to come and seemed so excited,” said
McNab, noting that more than half are still in nursing.
As a special touch and to prevent the reunion from feeling
like a room full of strangers, McNab had also sent each graduate
a birthday card with pictures or memorabilia from their student
nursing days, asking them to send an email to the group sharing
what has happened to them since graduating. “Their Journey,” as
the collection was dubbed, was so successful, genuine and from
the heart that McNab said it has the makings of a good book!
“ONA was also celebrating its 40th anniversary and sent us all
40th-anniversary pins and keepsakes with the saying, Value the In-
valuable – RNs,” said McNab. “It was so appropriate! When I looked
around the room at my classmates, I wondered how many call
bells we answered and how many people we had helped because
we had chosen to be nurses over 40 years ago. I felt so proud and
honoured to be a part of this amazing group of nurses – and to be
part of ONA!”
our health care system. MRTs, which com-
prise several disciplines, use hands-on diag-
nostics, therapy and technology to ensure
quality cancer care, and treat many benign
diseases. MRTs make an enormous differ-
Seeing Double? The years have been kind to the 1973
graduates of Lorrain School of Nursing, who got together this past June
to celebrate their 40th reunion, along with ONA’s, and duplicate their
placement in their graduation photo. Pictured are (back row, left to
right): Brenda Pettigrew Bronson, Carla Van Zanvoort Muldoon, Cindy
Budarick Schutt, Lois Kubisheski MacMillan, Audrey Coulas Soucy, Diane
Walker Burnett. Middle row: Sharon Stanton, Vonda Murack Watson,
Betty Phanenhour Kaji, Maureen Dillon Murray, Lee Hanright, Connie
Clouthier McNab, Marlene Leahy Chmilar, Marcella Patenaude, Annema-
rie Reiche Young. Front row: Lynn Nutt, Mary Yantha Lambert, Patti
Burns, Brenda Irving Allwright, Patsy Dawe Gunter, Paulette Belanger
Bangs, Lynne Monet, Pauline Oattes Crozier.
ence to patients in hospitals and clinics and
play an important role in the promotion of
medical radiation safety for patients.
ONA is proud of our many MRT mem-
bers, who are a component of our allied
health group, and celebrated along with
them during their special recognition.
Happy MRT Week!
DECEMBER 201310 www.ona.org
November PCM Closes out ONA’s 40th Anniversary
While there was plenty of discussion
at the November Provincial Coor-
dinators Meeting (PCM) about the
serious threats facing our union today, there
was also time to celebrate our achievements,
as ONA officially bid farewell to our 40th an-
niversary.
“We need to continue to advocate for our
jobs, safe staffing, appropriate workloads, de-
fined benefit pensions, working conditions
and the Rand Formula,” ONA President Linda
Haslam-Stroud stated at the commencement
of the meeting, which took place from Novem-
ber 13-14, 2013 at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel.
This theme was echoed by guest speakers,
including New York State Nurses Association
Executive Director Jill Furillo, who successfully
shepherded America’s first law setting safe
nurse-to-patient ratios through the California
legislature, and Premier Kathleen Wynne, who
noted she’s not going to let the Conservative
opposition, who “have a problem with unions,”
diminish Ontario labour on her watch.
“I’m not going to let them undermine the
hugely valuable role organized labour has
played in Ontario’s history,” she said, adding
that to maintain high-quality health care ser-
vices in our province, it is vital to hire and re-
tain a full complement of nursing staff. “I know
how important unions are – and continue to
be. You have fought for parental leave, for
workplace standards and for the rights of indi-
vidual men and women across Ontario.”
ONA Interactive Exhibit Launched at PCMTo commemorate our 40th anniversary, ONA has prepared a special exhibit, in
collaboration with the Workers Arts and Heritage Centre (WAHC) in Hamilton,
which you can host in your own communities!
The visual and interactive exhibit, called “ONA: 40 Years of Unity and Ad-
vocacy,” was launched at our November PCM and depicts our union’s history
under three broad themes: Professional Workers United in Action; ONA: Build-
ers of Public Health Care; and RNs: Caring Workers Going Above and Beyond.
After the PCM, the exhibit, which is easy to assemble and transport, moved
to the WAHC, where it will be displayed until January 2014. After that, we are
encouraging our Locals to host it in your own communities, and have supplied
full information on how to do so to our Local leaders.
You can also view most of the material from the exhibit by logging onto
http://40.ona.org.
ONA News
DECEMBER 2013 11www.ona.org
November PCM Closes out ONA’s 40th Anniversary
And it is those successes that we acknowl-
edged and celebrated throughout the PCM
and during a special reception after the first
day’s proceedings to close out our 40th anni-
versary.
“When I reflect over our last 40 years, I can
confidently say that ONA has done so much to
both improve the quality of work life for mem-
bers and to grow respect for the profession of
nursing – while overcoming many challenges
along the way,” said Haslam-Stroud. “And de-
spite the continuing threats to our profession
and union, we will ensure that we remain a vi-
brant, professional and powerful union to your
employers, the government and the public.”
The week began on November 12 with
our annual Human Rights and Equity Caucus,
focusing on intergenerational diversity in the
workplace, and concluded on November 15
with a labour relations education session on
strategic grievance handling, featuring pre-
sentations by our lead counsel and staff.
Full highlights of the meeting are available at
www.ona.org/nov13. Our PCM Précis wrap-up
video is also available on our home page and
the ONA YouTube channel at www.youtube.
com/ontarionurses.
ONA Calls for Minimum Standard of Care for LTC ResidentsONA is calling on the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to act now on mandating a
minimum staffing standard of four hours of nursing and personal care per day for each
resident of the province’s long-term care facilities.
ONA has been calling for improvements in care for these vulnerable residents for
more than a decade, as understaffing of long-term care facilities continues to be a real-
ity across the province. Yet despite coroners’ inquest recommendations stemming from
tragedies such as that at Toronto’s Casa Verda, where a 74-year-old male resident with
dementia beat two other residents to death with a metal bar in 2001, and increased
incidents of violence in long-term care facilities, RN staffing levels have continued to
drop with very few exceptions.
“ONA has met with officials who are aware of what needs to be done to protect
these residents,” ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud said, noting that a funded and
regulated minimum staffing standard of four hours of care per resident per day must
include .78 hours per day of RN care to ensure that our residents are provided the digni-
fied and respectful care they require. “And four hours means that our residents receive
four full hours of care. There must be no wiggle room for long-term care owners or
operators to bend any minimum care hour standards.”
We believe that increasing these care hours would prevent needless admissions of
many seniors to the ER. Most importantly, RN care would ensure that residents’ quality
of life remains as high as possible for as long as possible.
To read our media release on this issue, go to www.ona.org and click on “media
releases” on the homepage.
And a Local 24 Member Responds…I am glad to hear we are looking for minimum staffing for long-term care residents.
I have spent time in long-term care and my hat goes off to the nurses there. Never have I
seen staff with so much on their plate work so hard, and often for lower wages. There are so
many standards to be met, and while they are inundated with paper work to ensure all the
i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed, they are losing precious time with their residents.
I found it disheartening to see a nurse who had chosen geriatrics because of her abso-
lute passion of the elderly feel so helpless due to the lack of time and staff to carry out the
required tasks. The more public complaints, the more paperwork – when what would have
benefited a lot more was a round table discussion to say here are the problems, what do we
need to do to fix them?
A compliance officer arriving with a clipboard can never begin to understand a day
in the life of one of these nurses, who among other things, administers medications, does
dressings, ensures care plans are updated, oversees meal times and non-regulated health
care workers, deals with family concerns, and ensures all restraint processes are in place
and up-to-date.
Staffing formulas definitely need to change in long-term care.
ONA News
DECEMBER 201312 www.ona.org
The Right to Choose: What ONA is Doing for You on the Flu Vaccine
ONA Website Goes Mobile!Need to check a page on the ONA website using your cell
phone? No problem!
You can now browse our site using an iPhone, Black-
Berry, android or tablet; the mobile-friendly website loads
quickly, it’s easy to navigate and you’re able to get the information you need with ease.
Simple and basic in design, when you first visit www.ona.org, an easily collapsible menu
appears – click on the menu item of your choice for more information.
We’re still fine-tuning the layout, so if you have feedback, please email Communica-
tions Officer Katherine Russo at katheriner@ona.org.
With several health care employers in Ontario
implementing Scarlet-letter type policies to
“out” health care workers who do not receive a
flu immunization, ONA has engaged in a num-
ber of initiatives to ensure you have the right
to choose whether you receive the vaccine.
Some of the policies of these health care
employers include forcing nurses to wear
stickers or surgical masks while in the pres-
ence of patients until the end of flu season if
they have not received the flu vaccine.
“Forced vaccination is a violation of
our human rights and akin to an assault on
health care workers,” said ONA President Lin-
da Haslam-Stroud. “We are also concerned
these employer policies create a false sense
of security for our patients, who think they
are protected from the flu if a nurse walks
into their room wearing a surgical mask,
or because she or he has had a flu vaccine.
Evidence shows that the flu vaccine’s effec-
tiveness varies from year to year – estimates
range from 40 to 60 per cent annually, ac-
cording to a variety of experts.”
While a British Columbia arbitrator upheld
a provincial policy requiring health care work-
ers in that province to either get vaccinated or
wear a face mask during flu season, Premier
Kathleen Wynne told delegates at ONA’s No-
vember Provincial Coordinators Meeting that
there are no similar plans in Ontario.
“I am supporting us to voluntarily have a
flu shot, as there is evidence it is the thing to
do,” she said. “But at the end of the day, I be-
lieve it has to be a choice.”
With that said, ONA has engaged in a
number of aggressive initiatives to protect
your right to choose to receive the flu vaccine:
• We are working with the Premier and
Minister of Health to develop a collabora-
tive framework and provincial policy that
not only respects patients, but nurses and
other health care workers – and relies on
evidence and science.
• Our Hospital Central Negotiating Team is
discussing the issue with the Ontario Hos-
pital Association during bargaining talks.
• We have taken the issue to the media by
submitting a powerful opinion piece to
newspapers in the communities where
these harmful employer policies are in
place.
• We have aired radio ads in these same
communities.
• We are taking on this issue through the
grievance process.
• ONA also supports the comprehensive
influenza prevention and control plan
developed by the Canadian Federation
of Nurses Unions, which promotes a cul-
ture of safety in health care. It includes
a top-down commitment to infection
control strategies combined with wide-
spread training in occupational health
and safety law and principles, hazards and
protections, and protocols that address
safe patient flow, safe staffing policies
and housekeeping practices. To read the
policy, log onto www.ona.org/flu.
“The fact is RNs are well educated in the
appropriate protective equipment to don in
the appropriate circumstances, and we have
negotiated language in our collective agree-
ments about procedures during an influenza
outbreak in our facilities, which protect both
patients and nurses,” said Haslam-Stroud. “We
cannot be denied the opportunity and right
to make decisions about our own health and
welfare.”
How You Can Help Fight for Your Rights!ONA has launched an online cam-
paign to defend your right to choose
if you receive the flu vaccine or not
– and we need you to get involved!
As part of the campaign, you will
be able to send a templated letter to
your MPP, stating that receiving a flu
vaccine is the choice of the individu-
al nurse and health care worker – not
our employer or government.
For more information and to
send a template letter, log onto
www.ona.org/flu.
DECEMBER 2013 13www.ona.org
continues from cover
ONA Launching Campaign to Stop RN Cutscore. As a result, the ONA Board of Direc-tors has made a commitment to work with members, leaders and staff to take on these challenges head on. The campaign, devel-oped in part from results of both member and public focus groups, will support those efforts and help ensure we are successful.
The Elimination of RN PositionsThis is vitally important as ONA has tracked the elimination of 1,358 RN positions in the province since January 2012, numbers that grow every day. Recent statistics from the College of Nurses of Ontario are equal-ly sobering, showing a steep decline in the number of full-time RN positions, but a significant increase in part-time and casual RNs. As well, RPNs have gained twice as many jobs overall as RNs.
“These statistics are alarming and show a clear trend towards the further casualiza-tion of the RN workforce, the replacing of RNs with lesser-skilled workers, and that
arbitration system and extending a wage freeze in the public sector – it would mean lower wages, loss of benefits and pensions, shrinking union membership, and the elimination of the democratic right to col-lectively bargain our terms and conditions of work. And an attack on our working con-ditions is also an assault on the care we can provide to our patients, plain and simple.
With these frightening realities as a backdrop, ONA’s upcoming campaign will focus on the real problem of our health care system: not enough RNs.
“Make no mistake, we are in fight of our lives and our success depends on you de-livering our messages to your colleagues, families and friends,” concluded Haslam-Stroud. “We must find our political voices so we can speak out against policies that will negatively affect our patients.”
Much more information about the cam-paign and how you can get involved will be forthcoming. You will also be able to log onto our website at www.ona.org in the days and weeks to come to learn more.
vacant RN positions aren’t being filled,” said ONA President Linda Halsam-Stroud.
“Not only is this creating havoc on RNs’ and RPNs’ already overstretched workloads, it has a devastating effect on the patients of this province – and we need the public to make that connection. Ontario continues to have the second lowest RN-to-patient ratio in the country, and this bleeding ab-solutely must stop.”
The Attack on UnionsAnd if that wasn’t concern enough, the Ontario Conservative party continues to threaten the very survival of unions. If some of the proposals being bandied about by Tim Hudak were actually put in place – including eliminating our well-managed and funded defined benefit pension plans for all new hires, destroying the historic Rand Formula for paying union dues, mak-ing it more difficult for unions to organize workplaces, dismantling our balanced
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Controversial Anti-Union Bill Rears its Ugly Head AgainDespite a valiant lobbying effort by ONA and our members this past
summer and into the fall, the Senate is once again reviewing a dis-
criminatory bill that attacks every worker’s right to join and be part
of a strong union.
Bill C-377, An Act to Amend the Income Tax Act, requires more de-
tailed and confidential information from unions, and internal strate-
gies for how we represent our members. Furthermore, it requires us to
spend more time on line-by-line reporting, which will take away from
the time we need for effectively servicing our members. Several orga-
nizations, including the Canadian Bar Association, and the Province
of Ontario referred to Bill C-377 as a “bad” bill.
The bill was studied earlier this year by the Senate, and thanks
in part to a letter-writing campaign by our members to Conservative
Senators, the Senate passed a series of amendments effectively de-
feating the major provisions of Bill C-377 and sending it back to the
House of Commons.
Unfortunately, the subsequent prorogation of Parliament meant
those amendments were lost, and the bill was reintroduced in Octo-
ber for a vote in its original form. We initiated another campaign to
the 22 Conservative Senators who either abstained or voted against
Bill C-377 the first time around. And that fight must continue. Log
onto www.ona.org/defeatbillc377 to learn how you can help.
“I am very grateful to the hundreds of ONA members who an-
swered our call to speak out against this regressive bill,” said ONA
President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “But we must continue so we can de-
feat this bill once and for all.”
ONA News
DECEMBER 201314 www.ona.org
lawyer colleagues will – and our patients, communities and prov-
ince’s economy are better off because of it!” To learn more about the
campaign, log onto www.laolawyers.ca.
ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, CEO/CAO Michael Balagus,
Local leaders, members and staff support lawyers employed by Le-
gal Aid Ontario in their fight to join a union at a rally at the agency’s
head office on October 18, 2013. Legal Aid lawyers, who provide le-
gal services to low income Ontarians and are predominately female,
are the only group of lawyers employed by the provincial public
sector that have not yet had their right to collective bargain rec-
ognized. Attorney General John Gerretsen confirmed they should
be able to do so, and ONA is calling on Legal Aid Ontario CEO Bob
Ward to formally recognize these employees as a bargaining unit.
“Nurses know what it’s like to be told you don’t deserve the same
democratic right to collectively bargain your working conditions as
similar groups of employees that are male-dominated,” said ONA
President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “When we began organizing 40
years ago, the government at first refused to recognize nurses as
union members. We eventually prevailed – as I know our Legal Aid
ONA has spoken out against a controversial
new American “reality” show that depicts a
group of young travelling nurses in a less-
than professional manner – and we have
made an impact!
Scrubbing In, which premiered on both
MTV America and Canada on October 24, fol-
lows the nurses for 12 weeks as they are as-
signed to work at a Southern California hos-
pital, dubbing them as not only “lifesavers,”
but “hellraisers” and “heartbreakers.” In fact,
the show portrays the nurses engaging in a
number of unprofessional activities outside
of the practice setting, including drinking
heavily, receiving lap dances, and skinny dip-
ping in public.
Scenes inside the practice setting don’t
fare any better, with such unprofessional
activities as practising IVs on one another,
dangling long hair over patients, and fight-
ing loudly at the entrance of the hospital in
plain sight of patients and visitors. Two of the
nurses were also waiting on their California
RN licences due to previous DUI (Drinking
under the Influence) convictions.
“I am outraged that these select people of
dubious moral character are chosen as repre-
sentatives of the nursing workforce,” said ONA
President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “They present
as sexual objects, exploit negative stereotypes
and diminish the fact that we are knowledge-
able health care professionals who make the
difference between life and death for patients
every day. To suggest that this is ‘reality’ is
highly offensive and degrades the profession-
alism and dedication of all nurses.”
ONA, who was one of the first nursing
organizations to speak out against the show
and was interviewed extensively by the me-
dia, sparking several others around the globe
to follow suit, wrote letters to MTV America,
Bell Media/MTV Canada and the Canadian
Broadcast Standards Council, demanding the
show be cancelled. We have also learned that
many of our members cancelled their Bell
services because of Scrubbing In.
As a result of the outcry, MTV has agreed
to make some changes to the show, includ-
ing giving it a much less prominent air time
and re-editing some episodes to include more
clinical scenes featuring nursing skills. The
Truth About Nursing organization also reports
that MTV plans to air a “day in the life of a
nurse” feature on its website to educate view-
ers about real nursing, start a blog post about
what it takes to become a nurse, and will con-
sult with nursing organizations before airing
any programs about nurses in the future.
“Though not a perfect outcome by any
means, this is more than most Hollywood
shows have been willing to do to rectify the
damages caused by their inaccurate and,
quite frankly, insulting depictions of nursing,”
said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud.
“It is crucially important that we continue
to voice our outrage and frustrations at this
show and similar negative images of nurses
in the media.”
We strongly urge you to sign the online
petition and write your own letters of com-
plaint against Scrubbing In. You will find links
and contact information on our website at
www.ona.org/scrubbingin.
Scrubbing Out Scrubbing In
Fighting for the Right to Unionize
DECEMBER 2013 15www.ona.org
QUEEN’S PARK Update
E The Ontario government has introduced Bill 117: Enhancing Pa-
tient Care and Pharmacy Safety Act, 2013, and is proposing changes
to improve the health system’s ability to quickly identify and respond
to any future incidents that could affect patient care and safety by
enabling better information-sharing between regulatory colleges,
hospitals and public health authorities. The changes include:
• Enabling health regulatory colleges to more readily share infor-
mation with public health authorities for the purposes of admin-
istering the Health Protection and Promotion Act.
• Permitting health regulatory colleges to share complaints-related
information with a hospital, obtained by a college’s investigator.
• Requiring a hospital or employer to report to health regula-
tory colleges if a regulated health professional has voluntarily
restricted his or her practice or privileges because of concerns
regarding the member’s conduct or practice.
• Allowing the government to more quickly appoint a college su-
pervisor to address any serious concerns regarding the quality of
a college’s governance and management.
• Providing health regulatory colleges the flexibility to focus their
investigation of complaints to matters that could constitute pro-
fessional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity.
ONA is reviewing these proposed changes and will make submissions
to the government’s consultation process.
E The Ontario government has announced new funding for breast-
feeding supports. This includes access to 24-hour expert support
for breastfeeding mothers through a telephone advisory service,
beginning in early 2014, which will offer confidential advice and
referrals from trained RNs; training, tools, guidance and other re-
sources to help Ontario hospitals, community health centres, family
health teams, public health units, Aboriginal health access centres
and nurse practitioner-led clinics achieve the World Health Organi-
zation’s Baby-Friendly designation and adopt clinical best practices
in infant feeding; funding for local community health organizations
to develop and implement support programs focused on reaching
out to mothers in population groups that have lower rates of breast-
feeding; and new resources through Best Start: Ontario’s Maternal
Newborn and Early Child Development Resource Centre, including a
guide for Aboriginal families and communities developed in consul-
tation with Aboriginal communities, and a manual to support hos-
pitals and community health organizations to adopt and implement
the Baby-Friendly Initiative.
Hospital Merger “all about Money,” Not Patient CareThe Scarborough Hospital (TSH) Bargaining Unit President Susan Brickell (left) and Local 24
Coordinator Dianne Brunton (second from right) look on as Ontario Health Coalition (OHC)
National Director Natalie Mehra tells a media conference at Scarborough’s MacGregor Park
Recreation Centre on October 15, 2013 that the only reason TSH and Rouge Valley Health
System are studying a merger is to deal with the $28 million in cuts they face between them
OHC Newsnext year. “It’s all about money,” Brickell said
at the conference, which launched an OHC-
led campaign to stop hospital service cuts
in Scarborough and Ajax, including a Day of
Action rally on November 9 (see cover pho-
to). “I don’t know about you, but I can’t put
a dollar figure on my health care needs.”
The group declared the area faces the larg-
est hospital cuts in Ontario at this time, in-
cluding 20 surgical beds and two operating
rooms at TSH, and announced public meet-
ings they hope will build a movement for
adequate funding. At TSH alone, 140 regis-
tered nursing positions are being eliminat-
ed. For more information on the campaign,
log onto www.ona.org/TSH and
www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca.
STUDENT Affiliation
DECEMBER 201316 www.ona.org
In April 2013, Nick Alves, a third-year nursing
student at Ryerson University, became the On-
tario Regional Director of the Canadian Nurs-
ing Students’ Association (CNSA). Front Lines
wanted to know what ONA’s student affiliation
means to him, what it’s like to be a young nurs-
ing student in today’s health care environment
and what ONA members and students can learn
from each other.
Front Lines: What attracted you to the
profession of nursing?
Nick Alves: I inexplicably enjoyed being in
hospitals and wanted a profession in health
care, but was unsure of which path to take. It
wasn’t until I had a prolonged experience with
nurses, that I realized it was the profession
for me. When my grandmother was given an
unexpected diagnosis and was only expected
to live for a few weeks, my family was devas-
tated. During those weeks, the nurses cared
not only for my grandmother, but also for my
family. Seeing the positive effect the nurses
had helped me realize just how important the
profession is and the impact nurses can have
on a family that is suffering. The compassion-
ate and caring attitude the nurses provided
during my grandmother’s last days inspired
me to do that for other people.
FL: How tough is it being a student nurse
in today’s health care environment?
NA: It’s extremely tough. The increasing
financial burden of post-secondary education
creates a substantial amount of stress on stu-
dents. The pressure put on nurses in today’s
health care environment also contributes to
the stress felt by students. The far too com-
mon nursing cuts to health care cause nurses
to work longer hours, increase their number of
assigned patients, and decrease job stability,
all negatively affecting the learning environ-
ment for students and sometimes resulting in
the horizontal violence nursing students en-
counter during their clinical rotations.
FL: Why did you decide to become active
by joining the CNSA?
NA: During secondary school, I was very
active in my student community, so when
I heard there was an opportunity to get in-
volved in the CNSA during my post-secondary
education, I did not hesitate. I wanted to make
a difference on my campus and represent the
students in my program. It was not until I at-
tended a CNSA conference that I realized the
work that is being done to ensure nursing
students’ voices are being heard. Being sur-
rounded by such motivated and passionate
students has inspired me as a student nurse
and is the reason I continue to be involved.
FL: Why is being an affiliate of ONA impor-
tant to students?
NA: It is vitally important. Being able
to attend provincial meetings and Biennial
Conventions as affiliate members provide
students with education on the political role
nurses play in today’s society. No amount of
lectures or readings could teach a student
“The support ONA has provided to nursing students has been unprecedented”
Chatting with CNSA Ontario Regional Director Nick Alveswhat they learn through being a part of ONA.
Seeing first-hand how nurses fight for the
rights of RNs as health care providers and
the rights of Ontarians in respect to health
care have influenced and motivated students
to do the same. By being a part of ONA, we
are informed of the issues taking place in the
health care system, and the role nurses play in
that. The support that ONA has provided for
nursing students has been unprecedented.
ONA has ensured our faculties are transpar-
ent, our clinical placements are appropriate
and instructive, that students are able to pro-
vide and practice relevant skills, and has gen-
erously sponsored CNSA conferences on both
a regional and national level – just to name a
few. It is through support like this that nursing
students are able to thrive to our full potential
and get the most out of our education.
FL: What are the key issues of today’s
students that ONA can assist you with?
NA: One of the major difficulties nursing
students experience is horizontal violence in
our clinical placements. It is in these settings
where students encounter first-hand the far
too familiar phrase, “nurses eat their young.”
Without the support and knowledge provided
by experienced nurses, it is tremendously dif-
ficult for students to hone essential skills nec-
essary to succeed. Another issue experienced
by many nursing students is the practical-
ity and capability of our clinical placements in
providing fostering environments for learning
and enhancing relevant and essential nursing
skills. As nursing students, we learn how to be
nurses by learning from nurses. By encourag-
ing your department, clinic, hospital, or which-
ever setting you may be in, to provide educa-
tion to nursing students, we can ensure that all
student nurses have access to pertinent and
applicable education.
DECEMBER 2013 17www.ona.org
FL: How do you think ONA members and students can work together most effectively?
NA: The most effective way is by creating partnerships in the clinical settings. In these set-
tings, students are learning the roles nurses have in the health care system, and it is impor-
tant for us to also learn what nurses are doing to maintain as well as advance the profession.
Both ONA members and students should build a communication channel that would serve
to enlighten both parties.
FL: If you could say one thing to ONA members as a nursing student, what would it be?
NA: We need you. We need you to support us. We need you to guide us. We need you to
educate us. You need us. You need us to support you. You need us to guide you. You need us
to educate you. Students learn from currently practising nurses as preceptors, teachers and
mentors to combine our theoretical and practical knowledge to be competent and skilled.
It is through the experience and expertise of adept nurses that students learn to be adapt-
able and capable in dealing with circumstances and situations that cannot be taught with
a textbook. As a self-regulated profession, nursing is constantly evolving and changing to
meet the needs of the population. Students need and want guidance to be educated; how-
ever, nursing students have an abundance of knowledge to share as well. By means of our
education and training, we are informed on timely research and updated best practices that
work to advance and progress the nursing profession. By fostering a relationship of mutual
education and benefit, we can support each other.
For more information on ONA’s student affiliate membership, log onto www.ona.org
and click on the “Nursing Students” tab at right.
LONG TERM DISABILITY BENEFITS
DID YOU KNOW?All dues-paying ONA members without employer-sponsored Long Term Disability (LTD) income protection are automatically covered for $250/month LTD benefit!
LTD coverage provides the necessary financial protection for your most valuable asset – your ability to earn an income.
Additional voluntary LTD insurance is available when you do not have coverage through your employer. Plus, monthly benefits are tax free!
LTD benefits are underwritten by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife Financial). Some conditions may apply. MVM.10.2013
To learn more, please contact Johnson Inc.
Johnson Inc.
1595 16th Ave., Suite 700Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3S5
905.764.4959 (local)1.800.461.4155 (toll-free)
Two nursing students happily dis-
play the colourful ONA t-shirts per-
sonally handed to them by ONA
President Linda Haslam-Stroud at
the Canadian Nursing Students’ As-
sociation’s Ontario Regional Con-
ference in Sault Ste. Marie this past
October. Under the theme, Nursing:
A Multifaceted Experience, the con-
ference, also attended by ONA First
Vice-President Vicki McKenna and
Region 1 Vice-President Pam Mancuso, highlighted the many exciting opportunities
available in specialty areas of nursing. Participants had the opportunity to listen to
guest speakers, participate in hands-on simulations and browse a career fair, showcas-
ing a variety of organizations, including ONA, which gave us an opportunity to meet
the students, explain the many services we offer, and answer their questions.
Getting to Know You!
OCCUPATIONAL Health & Safety
DECEMBER 201318 www.ona.org
There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as the ONA members and staff
who were front and centre during the 2003 SARS outbreak were
honoured during the annual Toronto Appreciation Dinner.
At the dinner, held on November 1, 2013 at the Toronto Don Val-
ley Hotel, the families of ONA members Nelia Laroza from North York
General Hospital and Tecla Lin from Westpark Healthcare Centre, who
tragically lost their lives to SARS, received recognition from Region 3
and the Workers Health & Safety Centre, who hosted the event in co-
operation with the Toronto & York District Labour Council and others.
“Nurses care deeply for their patients to such an extent that they
forget to care for themselves,” said Region 3 Vice-President Andy
Summers in presenting the honour to Laroza’s husband and son
(pictured). “Nelia was an outstanding woman. Her whole life was
about North York General. People were blessed to work with her
and described her as the most caring nurse they knew.”
“I don’t remember a time when my mom didn’t work at North
York General,” Laroza’s son Kenneth told the large gathering, which
included a strong ONA contingent. “But my realization of what a
nurse was, was not just through my mom, it was through all the
nurses who helped when we were in quarantine and when she was
sick. My mom can never be my RN again…but thank you to all the
nurses here for everything you’ve done and continue to do.”
“During the SARS outbreak, Westpark had a unit dedicated to
SARS patients,” said retired Westpark Bargaining Unit President
Edythe Barriault. “Tecla worked on this unit and gave the ultimate
sacrifice. That sacrifice has not been forgotten.”
While Lin’s son Michael Tang was unable to attend the event,
Barriault read a message from him: “I’m very touched that ONA and
its members have decided to remember my mother 10 years later. I
sincerely hope that your efforts prevent future tragedies on behalf
of registered nurses everywhere.”
ONA Health and Safety Specialists Erna Bujna and Nancy John-
son, who tirelessly assisted our members throughout the SARS cri-
sis and lobbied for needed protections, were also honoured at the
dinner by Region 3, with Local 6 Coordinator Carolyn Edgar stat-
ing, “A door opened we never had to walk through before…but we
were able to do so because we had [them].”
Honouring the Heroes of SARS
EDUCATION
DECEMBER 2013 19www.ona.org
Are You Ready? Preparing Your Team for NegotiationsNow is the time to start educating your members and your bargaining
teams for the next round of negotiations – and ONA can help!
The best place to start is ONA’s half-day workshop, Preparing Your
Team for Bargaining. The first half is focused on understanding the
negotiations process from start to finish and the team’s roles and
accountabilities. The second half is spent working with your Labour
Relations Officer, identifying the problematic areas of your collective
agreement and discussing the evidence that will support your bar-
gaining proposals. Discuss booking this for your team with your Local
Coordinator.
ELearning Negotiations SeriesIn addition, ONA has created a series of eLearning programs that
provide the A to Z about the negotiations process. As an adjunct to
face-to-face education, the eLearning negotiations series can better
prepare your bargaining teams.
Available now in the eLearning Negotiations Series are:
• Negotiations Level I: So You are Elected. Now What?
• Negotiations Level II: The Power of Preparation.
• Negotiations Level III: You are at the Negotiating Table: The Who,
What and Hows of Communication.
• Negotations IV: No Settlement, off to Arbitration.
• Negotiations V: No Settlement! Strike or Lockout?
• Negotiations VI: Settlement: Are We Done Yet?
ELearning couldn’t be simpler. It is accessible to all members and stu-
dent affiliates through the ONA website, allowing you to learn at your
own pace from the comfort of your own home – and free of charge!
Benefits of Completing the Negotiations eLearning Series for MembersBy completing this series, ONA members will have a better under-
standing of the negotiations process, including gathering input from
membership about improvements they would like to see in their col-
lective agreement.
As well, they will understand the roles and responsibilities of the
bargaining team, what happens if there is no agreement or when an
agreement is reached, and the next steps in implementation of a new
collective agreement.
Benefits of Completing the Negotiations eLearning Series for Bargaining TeamsFor bargaining teams, the benefits are even more significant. Teams
will understand their roles and accountabilities, the importance of
being prepared and how to gather evidence to support proposals.
If they can’t reach a negotiated settlement, teams will also learn the
next steps available to them. And, perhaps most important of all, they
will understand the importance of keeping members informed about
the status of bargaining.
Signing up for an eLearning account takes just a few minutes. Log onto
www.ona.org/eLearning to start the process so you too can benefit
from our Negotiations Series – and many, many others!
Mentoring the Mentees!ONA leaders who served as mentors to participants in ONA’s
2013 Leadership Development Program, which provides
members from ONA’s designated groups who have been un-
der represented in leadership roles with the knowledge,
skills and attitudes essential to developing their leadership
in our union, get together with their mentees for Phase 2 at
ONA’s provincial office in Toronto this past September. Pic-
tured during a break in the session, Cultural Oppression: Con-
fronting Attitudes and Prejudice, are the mentees (first row,
left to right): Jane Powell, Archna Patel, Rebecca Jane Gaan-
an, Olive Riley, Marie Jeanne Begin; and the mentors (back
row, left to right): Michelle Kennedy, Christina Bucco, Bever-
ley M. Belfon, Natasha Thompson, Cyndra McGoldrick, Lor-
raine Powers, Marie Claire Carron, Eleanor Adarna.
HUMAN RIGHTS and Equity
DECEMBER 201320 www.ona.org
Obesity and Your Human RightsObesity can be a condition with medical or physical limitations on a person’s functional abilities, or it can be a condition with no limitations whatsoever. In either case, human rights law is developing to protect employees from discrimination based on real and perceived disabilities.
What is obesity? Obesity is defined by the World Health Orga-
nization as abnormal or excessive fat accu-
mulation that may impair health, and a Body
Mass Index (BMI) of 30kg/m2 or more. BMI is
a measure of body fat based on height and
weight. A BMI of 18.5kg/m2 to 24.9kg/m2 is
considered average.
According to the latest Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development
report, Canada is the sixth most obese coun-
try in the world, with obesity affecting 24 per
cent of the adult population, or more than
eight million people. And Canadian obesity
rates are climbing, especially in the Mari-
times and territories where the figure is more
than 30 per cent, according to a 2013 study
by the University of British Columbia.
Is obesity a disability? The blanket statement that obesity is a dis-
ability is incorrect. In fact, it’s something that
has to be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
There may or may not be any health compli-
cations or functional limitations associated
with obesity.
Dr. David Lau, chair of the diabetes and
endocrine research group at the University
of Calgary, believes Class III Obesity, a BMI of
40 and up, should be considered a disability
and a disease because the majority of medi-
cal problems are associated with this kind of
weight.
But Dr. Yoni Freedhoff of the Bariatric
Medical Institute in Ottawa says there are
people who weigh well into the super-obese
range who have no health complications.
Is discrimination related to obe-sity a human rights issue? Yes, in some cases. Obesity on its own is not
a prohibited ground of discrimination in the
Human Rights Code. However, when linked to
the ground of disability, it can be given hu-
man rights protection.
The Code explicitly protects employees
against discrimination and harassment based
on disability. The Code definition of “disabil-
ity” requires the disability to be caused by
bodily injury, birth defect or illness. In the
case of obesity, it would be inaccurate to
classify it as a condition caused by a birth de-
fect or an illness in all cases. Therefore, at face
value it may seem obesity would not always
fall under the definition of disability.
However, the Ontario Human Rights
Commission has noted that the definition
of disability in the Code is a set of “various
types of conditions and is not an exhaustive
list.” In fact, in certain cases, the Commission
has decided not to follow the definition lit-
erally and therefore not place emphasis on a
direct cause of a disability. The Commission
has focused on the effects of discrimination.
As long as an obese person can demonstrate
she or he is being disadvantaged because of
others’ stereotypes, she or he can claim pro-
tection under the Code.
In addition, the law has moved in a direc-
tion to protect employees from discrimina-
tion based on the perception of a disability.
No longer is the focus solely on functional
limitations from a disability. This means if an
employer does not hire an obese person be-
cause it thinks that person will be incapable
of doing her or his job because she or he may
tire easily, the perception can constitute dis-
crimination.
What are some of the implications surrounding obesity in the work-place? If an obese person believes she or he is be-
ing treated differently and in negative ways
because of size or weight, there may be
grounds for bringing forward a complaint of
discrimination or harassment.
Examples of discrimination because of
obesity in the case law include:
• An applicant was refused employment be-
cause he was considered “too big and too
heavy” and unable to keep up with the
“fast-paced” work environment.
• An employee was denied a promotion be-
cause her supervisor thought she would
be unable to perform certain tasks “as
quickly and efficiently as other applicants”
due to her weight.
• An employee was refused recall after a
layoff because his supervisor thought
he had gained “too much weight” and
therefore could not do his job. There was
no evidence that the weight gain (if it oc-
curred) would affect his job performance.
What should you do if you feel you have been discriminated against because of obesity?ONA members who have concerns about
discrimination or harassment related to obe-
sity should talk to your Bargaining Unit rep-
resentative about filing a complaint under
your employer’s workplace policy, and filing
a grievance under the collective agreement.
AWARDS AND DECISIONS: The Work of our Union!
DECEMBER 2013 21www.ona.org
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.
RightsNurses entitled to premium for consecutive extended tours Region 4 Hospital
(Arbitrator Goodfellow, August 8, 2013)
The “4 on, 5 off” scheduling language in the
collective agreement provides for mem-
bers to be paid time-and-one-half rates for
shifts worked after four consecutive days.
At issue in this case was whether the pre-
mium applied only to consecutive tours
that were scheduled and posted on the
four-week schedule, or whether it also ap-
plied when a nurse worked more than four
consecutive tours due to a combination of
scheduled shifts and accepting additional
shifts offered after the schedule was post-
ed. A prior decision determined that the
language applied only to scheduled shifts
and not to shifts accepted after posting of
the schedule.
In the most recent round of local nego-
tiations, ONA negotiated new language in
the Local agreement, which stated that a
nurse’s agreement or refusal to work addi-
tional tours offered after the schedule was
posted did not mean that the nurse waived
or otherwise gave up any claim to premium
pay provided elsewhere in the Local agree-
ment.
In this case, 12 full-time grievors work-
ing a “4 on, 5 off” schedule were offered
and worked an additional tour prior to their
four scheduled shifts. The hospital paid the
fifth and subsequent tours at straight time.
Based on the new Local appendices lan-
LTD Carrier denies claim based on one diagnosis that “should have” resolvedHospital, Region 3
(June 5, 2013)
The member’s initial application for LTD fo-
cused on her severe exacerbation of asthma.
The carrier denied her claim on the grounds
that a “typical resolution of symptoms should
only require a few weeks.” The member also
had a long history of knee pain, which the
insurer maintained was being adequately ac-
commodated by the employer.
The turning point of the appeal was when
ONA demonstrated the deteriorating condi-
tion of the knees, and that the outdated ac-
commodations were no longer congruent
with the member’s current physical state.
The member is now scheduled for knee
replacement surgery.
guage, ONA grieved the failure to pay these
tours at the premium rate. We argued that
the prior decision on this issue was wrongly
decided and that the change in language was
meant to ensure that non-scheduled shifts
were counted towards the number of consecu-
tive tours worked. The hospital argued that the
parties were bound by the prior decision and
this did not change by the new language ne-
gotiated.
The arbitrator accepted ONA’s argument
that the change in the language in the Local
agreement was intended to address the prior
award and meant that a nurse was not to be
denied the premium provided in the Local
agreement by agreeing to work an additional
shift after the schedule is posted. The arbitra-
tor held that “…the voluntary shift is not dis-
counted; the parties in effect are saying that
it counts towards the total consecutive tours
worked for the purpose of premium pay.” The
fact that the additional shift was not on the
“posted schedule” did not matter.
The arbitrator ordered that the hospital
compensate the grievors for the fifth and sub-
sequent consecutive tours worked at the pre-
mium rate.
Importance to ONA: This decision demon-
strates the importance of Local appendices
in premium claims and the success of ONA’s
changes to the language in bargaining to ad-
dress prior arbitration decisions.
DECEMBER 201322 www.ona.org
Ontario Nurses' AssociationFinancial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2012
Balance Sheet
December 31 2012 2011
AssetsCurrent
Cash and short-term investments (at market value) $ 4,387,945 $ 4,513,873Dues and other receivables 6,435,270 5,879,316Prepaids 823,429 761,531
11,646,644 11,154,720
Capital assets (at net book value) 5,117,225 5,281,514Marketable investments (at market value) 15,581,201 14,759,056Investment in ONA Liability Insurance Ltd. (equity method) 22,493,228 22,248,054
$ 54,838,298 $ 53,443,344
Liabilities and Net AssetsCurrent
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 7,907,795 $ 8,367,664Accrued LEAP claims - 1,512,900Capital lease obligations 480,300 527,266
8,388,095 10,407,830
Capital lease obligations 607,405 763,590Employee future benefits 2,903,200 2,613,800
11,898,700 13,785,220
Net AssetsInvested in capital assets 4,029,520 3,990,658Invested in ONA Liability Insurance Ltd. 22,493,228 22,248,054Internally restricted 12,448,079 8,899,851Unrestricted 3,968,771 4,519,561
42,939,598 39,658,124
$ 54,838,298 $ 53,443,344
The above financial information is a condensed version of the Association's audited financial statements for theyears ended December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2012. The complete financial statements, including the
Auditor's Report and accompanying notes, are available at the Association's office.Page 1 of 2
DECEMBER 2013 23www.ona.org
Ontario Nurses' AssociationFinancial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2012
Statement of Operations
For the year ended December 31 2012 2011
RevenueMembership dues $ 49,245,738 $ 46,031,981Investment income 738,311 681,729Other 720,102 701,566
50,704,151 47,415,276
ExpenseGovernance/External vision 2,109,615 2,927,520Membership services 1,803,915 1,293,225Service teams 21,043,815 19,079,216Support teams 13,833,462 12,787,424Fixed costs 4,661,780 5,059,584Building operations 967,273 945,384Program costs
(Security/LEAP/AIDS/LTD/HepC/Supplementary) 3,230,963 4,906,660
47,650,823 46,999,013
Excess of revenue over expenses before amortization andearnings of ONA Liability Insurance Ltd. 3,053,328 416,263
Amortization (897,747) (809,012)
Unrealized gain on investments 180,719 493,365
Earnings of ONA Liability Insurance Ltd. 945,174 1,104,951
Excess of revenue over expenses $ 3,281,474 $ 1,205,567
The above financial information is a condensed version of the Association's audited financial statements for theyears ended December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2012. The complete financial statements, including the
Auditor's Report and accompanying notes, are available at the Association's office.Page 2 of 2
LEAP
www.ona.org
ONTARIO NURSES’ ASSOCIATION
85 Grenville St., Ste. 400
Toronto ON M5S 3A2
What is going on indeed! What should this
nurse do?
If this nurse had read our April 2013 Front
Lines article about coroners’ investigations, she
would have known not to agree to any inter-
view with the police before calling the Legal
Expense Assistance Plan (LEAP) intake. We
would have given her advice about the pur-
pose of a coroner’s investigation and how to
prepare for and conduct herself in an interview
with the police as part of that investigation.
However, what is happening in the above
scenario could be much more serious. Our
first question would be why are the police
interviewing this nurse? The first interview
was clearly part of the coroner’s investigation.
But is the second? Our suspicion is that the
information gathered as part of the coroner’s
investigation has led the police to start a crim-
inal investigation and that this second inter-
view was part of that criminal investigation.
The consequences for the nurse could
be extremely serious. It is possible that her
words to the family have been misinterpret-
A patient comes into the hospital for treatment, having recently been diagnosed with a serious
illness. Once admitted, the patient deteriorates quickly. She is prescribed many medications. As
she deteriorates, her pain escalates. You have been assigned this patient and empathize with her
as you watch her deteriorate. You spend a lot of time with her family helping them cope with a
terrible situation. You tell the family you wish there was more you could do to make the patient
more comfortable. The patient dies a few days later. The family is shocked by this turn of events.
The police investigate on behalf of the coroner and interview you at the hospital. You hear nothing
further; however, two months later, a different set of police officers come to your house and tell you
they want to interview you again about this patient’s death. You agree to the interview – after all,
you have nothing to hide – but this time their questions are different, more aggressive and more
focused on your actions in particular. You wonder what is going on.
ed; does the family believe, and the police
suspect, that she took active measures to
hasten the patient’s death? While it doesn’t
happen often, our members have been
charged with serious offences, such as mur-
der, manslaughter and criminal negligence
causing death.
As we’ve said before, ALWAYS CALL LEAP
BEFORE YOU SPEAK TO THE POLICE! It is
not enough to believe that everything will
be OK because you’ve done nothing wrong
and have nothing to hide. Words can be mis-
construed, and misunderstandings can have
devastating consequences.
When you call LEAP intake, we will con-
sider your circumstances and may refer you
to an experienced criminal lawyer who can
get involved before any charges have been
laid. We have found that the involvement of
a criminal lawyer at an early stage can have
positive results: charges may never be laid or
the matter can be diverted into other areas
of the criminal justice system. For example,
if a nurse has taken narcotics from the hospi-
tal as a result of an addiction, the lawyer may
be able to negotiate a conditional discharge
if the nurse has shown a commitment to ob-
taining treatment. Even if charges are laid,
the lawyer’s involvement at such an early
stage will provide her or him with the oppor-
tunity to gather all the necessary evidence to
fight for the matter to be dismissed before it
ever reaches a trial.
During the investigation, LEAP will cover
all lawyer fees and expenses (yet another
benefit of your ONA dues!) Once you have
been charged with a criminal offence, it be-
comes your responsibility to pay your law-
yer’s fees. However, LEAP will reimburse you
if, after all avenues of appeal have been ex-
hausted, you have been found not guilty or
the charges have been dismissed or stayed.
Being the subject of a criminal investiga-
tion is an extremely frightening and stressful
experience. Let ONA help you get through it
in the most positive way possible.
For information on how to contact LEAP,
click on www.ona.org/leap.
The Police Want to Talk to You – AGAIN!