Front Lines June 2010

The Members’ Publication of the Ontario Nurses’ Association

In This Issue . . .E4From ONA President

Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN

E5From ONA CEO

Lesley Bell, RN, MBA

E6From ONA First Vice-President

Vicki McKenna, RN

JUNE 2010Vol. 10 • No. 3

continues on page 3

continues on page 3

Nursing Cuts Continue Across Province

has launched the next phase of our public awareness campaign, Cutting Nurses, Cut-ting Care, aimed at lobbying the government and employers, and educating the public

on the serious impact nurse layoffs and reductions in nursing hours are having on patient care.ONA unveiled the third phase of our multi-faceted campaign on May 10, 2010, the

beginning of Nursing Week. Through radio, electronic billboard, transit shelter and French newspaper ads, which will run in targeted cities, and by way of social

ONA

The timing for the third phase of our Cutting Nurses, Cutting Care campaign couldn’t be better as four additional facilities have recent-ly announced deep cuts to front-line nursing care in attempts to balance their budgets.

Peterborough Regional Health Centre re-cently underwent a peer review that recom-mends cutting more than 100 full-time reg-

istered nurses, closing 71 beds and making cuts to all areas of the hospital. The hospital also plans to move Alternate Level of Care patients out of the hospital and into the community, despite the fact there is a three-year wait list for spots in nursing homes and just two affordable retirement homes in the area, both of which

On April 26, 2010, ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, joined by members, answered

media questions at Queen’s Park about our figures that show Ontario has lost 2,111 full-time

nursing positions – or more than 4-million hours of nursing care – in the past year.

Cutting Nurses, Cutting Care Campaign Enters Next PhaseFEATURESNursing Week .............................................12A Chat with CNSA President .................19PDAs and Generational Differences ..24

INDEXMember News ............................................. 7ONA News ...................................................14Queen’s Park Update ...............................18Occupational Health and Safety .........18Student Affiliation ....................................19OHC News ...................................................20Human Rights and Equity .....................21Awards and Decisions .............................22

Special pull-out feature: SUccESSION PlANNINg

67259-1_frontlines june v8.indd 1 6/11/10 10:53 AM

JUNE 20102


President, VM #2254Communications & Public Relations

Vicki McKenna, RN

First VP, VM #2314Political Action & Professional Issues

Diane Parker, RN

VP Region 1, VM #7710Occupational Health & Safety

Anne Clark, RN

VP Region 2, VM #7758Labour Relations

Andy Summers, RN

VP Region 3, VM #7754Human Rights & Equity

Dianne Leclair, RN

VP Region 4, VM #7752Finance

Karen Bertrand, RN

VP Region 5, VM #7702Education


Chief Executive Officer,VM #2255

How to contact your 2010 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 55,000 registered nurses and allied

health professionals and more than 12,000 nursing student affiliates

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 © 2010 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 [email protected].

Contributors: Brooke Burns, Colin Johnson, Nancy Johnson, Mary Lou King,

Jo Anne Shannon, Lawrence Walter.

EHamilton 2 King St., W., 2nd Floor Rear Dundas, ON L9H 6Z1 Tel: (905) 628-0850 Fax: (905) 628-2557EKingston 4 Cataraqui St., Ste. 306 Kingston ON K7K 1Z7 Tel: (613) 545-1110 Fax: (613) 531-9043ELondon 750 Baseline Rd. E. Ste. 204 London ON N6C 2R5 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

JUNE 2010Vol. 10 • No. 3

ONA members from Peterborough Regional Health Centre aren’t taking the news that cuts to nursing positions and

beds are being made at their hospital lying down. The group lobbied outside of their MPP’s office, held an informa-

tion picket at the city’s farmers’ market, and converged on Queen’s Park (pictured) for Question Period on April 26,

2010 to hear queries from the Opposition about nursing cuts. Pictured are (left to right) Markus Kerr, Julie Sokolowski,

Dale Dixon, Jill Staples, Allyson Langworth, Bargaining Unit President Carleen Johnson.

ISSN: 0834-9088

UP Front


JUNE 2010 3

Fax: (416) 964-8864

E-mail: [email protected]

Nursing Cuts Continue Across Province

APRIL BoARd HIgHLIgHts

The following are key highlights from the most recent Board of Dir-

ectors meeting, held April 13-15, 2010 at the ONA provincial office:

A The mandate of ONA’s Public Health Network was amended to

include all public health Bargaining Unit Presidents.

A The 2011 Treasurers Workshop will continue as a two-day edu-

cation session, with one day being optional, and the New Local

Coordinators Workshop will continue as a one-day event.

A Human rights and equity strategies, approved by the Board

include: highlighting human rights and equity education pro-

grams in Front Lines, the Human Rights and Equity Bulletin and

other communication vehicles; increasing the profile using the

ONA website; and evaluating ongoing strategies regarding the

role of the Human Rights and Equity Representative in the Bar-

gaining Unit.

Complete highlights of the Board of Directors meeting are available

on the ONA website at www.ona.org. The next Board meeting will be

held at the provincial office on June 1-3, 2010 and highlights will ap-

pear in the August issue of Front Lines.

networking sites such as Facebook, we will demand the govern-ment places a moratorium on employers cutting front-line RNs from the system to balance budgets. ONA has tracked more than 2,111 RN positions cut across the province in the past 12 months alone, leaving patients with longer wait times, less ac-cess to care and a decrease in quality care.

“For some time, our nurses have been worried about the sav-ings being demanded by government of our health care facili-ties, which have been focused on cutting nursing care hours for our patients, impacting their health outcomes, with little attention paid to other costs in the system,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “We hope Ontarians will see our transit ads or hear our radio ads and send a message to the government that cutting nurses is not acceptable.”

Your participation in our campaign is also key. We urge you to spread the word to your family and friends, write to your local MPP or editor of your local newspaper, plan events in your own commun-ity and display campaign materials. Visit the campaign’s dedicated website – www.cuttingnursescuttingcare.ca – for more information.

The Cutting Nurses, Cutting Care campaign was initially launched in February 2009 as a follow-up to our eight-year Still Not Enough Nurses campaign.

have a two-year wait list for a bed.At Soldiers Memorial Hospital in Orillia, 33 experienced and

skilled registered nurses were given layoff notices last month. Of these, 25 will see their jobs filled by staff with a more narrow scope of practice.

Twenty-nine nursing positions are being eliminated from the RN roster at Sault Area Hospital (SAH). While SAH and the local MPP initially issued media releases flatly denying this number, the hospital finally posted for less than half of the vacant RN float pool and casual positions in a belated attempt to hide these cuts.

And most recently, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance chose what should have been a celebratory occasion – Nursing Week 2010 – to announce that 15 nursing positions are being cut from a number of areas, including lactation, out-patient areas and surgery.

continues from cover

Cutting Nurses, Cutting Care Campaign Enters Next Phase

continues from cover

“With the staggering number of nursing layoffs and reductions in hours we continue to see throughout the province, we knew we had to ramp up our Cutting Nurses, Cutting Care campaign,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “We cannot sit idly by while our nurses and their patients are negatively impacted as the govern-ment, Local Health Integration Networks and employers are more concerned with the bottom line than quality patient care.”

ONA members from Peterborough Regional Health Centre aren’t taking the news that cuts to nursing positions and

beds are being made at their hospital lying down. The group lobbied outside of their MPP’s office, held an informa-

tion picket at the city’s farmers’ market, and converged on Queen’s Park (pictured) for Question Period on April 26,

2010 to hear queries from the Opposition about nursing cuts. Pictured are (left to right) Markus Kerr, Julie Sokolowski,

Dale Dixon, Jill Staples, Allyson Langworth, Bargaining Unit President Carleen Johnson.

UP Front


JUNE 20104

From ONA President

Présidente, AIIO


“Excellent Care for All” Does Not Mean Cutting Nurses!

Ifind it ironic that while the government’s new Excellent Care for All Act is being tabled to “ensure the needs of patients come first,” employers continue to balance their budgets on the backs

of registered nurses. I must be missing something here. How is eliminating literally

millions of hours of front-line RN nursing care from communities across Ontario and replacing RNs with staff with a more narrow fo-cus, literally guaranteeing that those who remain are burned out to the point of collapse, achieving the government’s goal of “excellent care?”

That’s why your Board of Directors recently decided to continue with our Cutting Nurses, Cutting Care campaign. Through a series of electronic billboard, radio, bus shelter and French print adver-tisements in targeted Ontario communities over the summer, and through social networking sites such as Facebook, we will keep our message alive that cutting nurses really does mean cutting safe, qual-ity patient care. We will reassess where we need to go with our cam-paign in a few months, but one thing is for sure: we won’t stop the pressure until a moratorium on these devastating nursing cuts has been declared! Our patients/clients/residents need us to speak out for them!

And we know you won’t stop the fight either. I encourage you to visit our campaign website – cuttingnursescuttingcare.ca – and con-tinue sending letters to your MPPs and editors of your local news-papers. Let them know that “excellent care for all” begins with the appropriate number of registered nurses at the bedside.

To read more about the Excellent Care for All Act, turn to page 16.

« L’excellence des soins pour tous » ne signifie pas supprimer des postes d’infirmières!

Au moment du dépôt par le gouvernement de la nouvelle Loi de 2010 sur l’excellence des soins pour tous pour que « les besoins des patients passent en premier », je trouve ironique

que des employeurs continuent d’équilibrer leur budget sur le dos des infirmières autorisées.

Il y a quelque chose qui m’échappe ici. En supprimant littéra-lement des millions d’heures de soins prodigués par des IA de pre-mière ligne dans les collectivités de l’ensemble de l’Ontario et en les remplaçant par du personnel effectuant moins de tâches, ce qui conduira à coup sûr les IA qui restent à l’épuisement puis à l’effon-drement, comment pourra-t-on atteindre l’objectif d’« excellence des soins » dont parle le gouvernement?

C’est pourquoi votre conseil d’administration a décidé récem-ment de poursuivre notre campagne Supprimer des postes d’infir-mières, c’est couper dans les soins. Pendant l’été, au moyen d’une série d’annonces sur les tableaux d’affichage électronique et les abri-bus et d’affiches en français dans des collectivités ciblées de l’Onta-rio, nous continuerons à communiquer notre message disant que la suppression de postes d’infirmières signifie en réalité qu’on coupe dans les soins aux patients et dans la qualité de ces soins. Dans quelques mois, nous réévaluerons la nécessité de poursuivre encore notre campagne, mais une chose est sûre : nous ne mettrons pas fin à la pression tant qu’un moratoire sur ces réductions de postes dévastatrices n’aura pas été déclaré! Nos patients/clients/résidents ont besoin que nous parlions pour eux!

Et nous savons que vous n’arrêterez pas de lutter non plus. Je vous invite à visiter notre site Web sur la campagne – cuttingnur-sescuttingcare.ca – et à continuer d’écrire à vos députés et aux ré-dacteurs en chef des journaux de votre région. Faites-leur savoir que l’« excellence des soins pour tous » commence par un nombre appro-prié d’infirmières autorisées au chevet des patients.

Pour en savoir plus sur la Loi sur l’excellence des soins pour tous, consultez la page 16.

Thank you so much for continuing to do our profession proud despite the difficulties you face in this trying health care climate.

. . . we will keep our message alive that cutting nurses really does mean cutting safe, quality patient care.


JUNE 2010 5

From ONA Chief Executive Officer

Directrice générale, AIIO


Le travail des membres de l’AIIO, une source d’inspiration pour nous toutes

En cette période extrêmement difficile pour notre profession, il est facile d’oublier les récits très inspirants de nos membres, qui agissent concrètement pour améliorer les choses, non

seulement pour les patients, les clients et les résidants de la prov-ince, mais aussi pour d’autres personnes vulnérables.

Parcourez les pages de Front Lines et vous trouverez toujours des exemples d’infirmières qui se dévouent totalement à leur profes-sion, non pas pour la gloire, l’argent ou la reconnaissance, mais pour une seule raison : parce qu’elles ont à cœur le bien-être des autres. Après tout, n’est-ce pas pourquoi vous êtes devenue infirmière?

Tout au long de la Semaine nationale des soins infirmiers 2010, les membres du conseil d’administration et moi-même avons en-tendu un grand nombre de ces récits inspirants. Nous sommes com-patissants lorsque vous nous dites que vous prodiguez les meilleurs soins possible aux patients alors que vous êtes complètement épui-sée et que vous ne savez pas si vous aurez encore un emploi demain. Nous avons rencontré des membres qui remportent des prix pour leur travail humanitaire et caritatif. Nous avons parlé à des mem-bres qui sont allés dans des pays du tiers-monde, comme Haïti, pour prodiguer aux populations locales des soins répondant à des besoins criants, tout en sacrifiant leur propre confort. Des membres qui ont fait du bénévolat dans des événements comme les récents Jeux olympiques d’hiver à Vancouver en ont gardé des souvenirs impéri-ssables. Nous avons été touchés par tous ces récits, et nous vous re-mercions d’être toujours une source de fierté pour notre profession malgré les difficultés auxquelles vous vous heurtez dans ce climat si difficile à vivre dans le système de santé. Même si les infirmières ont la réputation de ne pas se vanter ou s’enorgueillir de quoi que ce soit, j’espère que vous prendrez un moment pour réaliser à quel point vous faites en sorte d’améliorer les choses. J’espère aussi que vous nous transmettrez vos récits pour les faire publier dans Front Lines et, ainsi, encourager et inspirer d’autres membres.

ONA Members’ Work Inspiring to Us All

In these extremely challenging times to our profession, it’s easy to forget the really inspirational stories from our members who are making a difference not just to the patients/clients/residents

of this province, but to others in need as well.Flip through the pages of Front Lines and you will always find ex-

amples of nurses who are going above and beyond, not for the glory or the money or the recognition, but for one simple reason: because you care. After all, that’s why you entered the nursing profession in the first place.

Throughout Nursing Week 2010, the Board of Directors and I heard so many of these motivational stories. We listened to how you provide the best possible patient care when you are completely ex-hausted and don’t even know if you’ll have a job tomorrow. We met with members who are winning awards for their humanitarian and charity work. We spoke to members who have gone to third world countries, such as Haiti, to help provide desperately needed care to the locals, while doing without the comforts of home. We heard from members who volunteered at events such as the recent Van-couver Winter Olympics and came back with a lifetime of memories. And we were touched by them all.

Thank you so much for continuing to do our profession proud despite the difficulties you face in this trying health care climate. While nurses are notoriously known for not tooting our horns or patting our backs, I hope you will take a moment to acknowledge how much of a difference you are making in this world. Then I hope you will share your stories with us so we can publish them in Front Lines and encourage and inspire other members as well.

Thank you so much for continuing to do our profession proud despite the difficulties you face in this trying health care climate.


JUNE 20106

Don’t Forget to Document!

In the last issue of Front Lines, we highlighted two very important successes for our members in the area of professional practice: the Cassellholme Home for the Aged Independent Assessment

Committee recommendations and the resolution of nurses’ work-load complaints at North York General Hospital. But these “wins” would not have been possible if not for the dedication of our mem-bers in documenting their workload concerns.

One of the most important clauses in our collective agreement – some members have called it the most important – is our Profes-sional Responsibility Clause (PRC), which provides a process to ad-dress members’ workload complaints. Part of that process is the professional responsibility workload complaint form, which allows members to document incidents of unsafe or inappropriate work in detail. In fact, this document is so crucial that we have developed forms for hospitals, community care access centres, long-term care, and public health.

But the process only works if you follow it. So please, if a work-load issue comes up at your place of employment, document, docu-ment, document! Over the past few years, ONA has added to our complement of Professional Practice staff, and these specialists, with the assistance of your Local leaders and Labour Relations Of-ficer, have the knowledge and experience to help you through every step of the PRC process.

Many members who have been through it tell me it’s not easy. Standing up to your employer seldom is. But the rewards at the end of the journey can be immense, leading to a safer working environ-ment and improved patient care. Members also report that coming together as a unit towards a common goal is one of the greatest rewards of all. And after all, isn’t that what being in a union is all about?

N’oubliez pas de documenter!

Dans le dernier numéro de Front Lines, nous avons mis en re-lief deux importantes réussites pour nos membres en ce qui a trait à la pratique professionnelle, soit les recommandations

du comité d’évaluation indépendant du foyer Cassellholme pour les personnes âgées et le règlement des plaintes des infirmières de l’Hôpital général de North York en matière de surcharge de travail. Par contre, nous n’aurions pas remporté ces « victoires » si nos mem-bres n’avaient pas été si déterminés à documenter leurs préoccupa-tions sur la surcharge de travail.

L’une des clauses les plus importantes de notre convention col-lective, certains membres jugeant même qu’elle est la plus impor-tante, est notre clause de responsabilité professionnelle, qui con-tient une procédure pour traiter les plaintes de nos membres sur la surcharge de travail. Un élément de cette procédure est le formu-laire sur la surcharge de travail pour les plaintes sur la responsabilité professionnelle, qui permet aux membres de consigner par écrit et de manière détaillée des incidents liés au travail non sécuritaire ou inapproprié. En fait, ce document est si essentiel que nous avons également conçu des formulaires utilisés en milieu non hospitalier, comme dans les centres d’accès aux soins communautaires et les établissements de santé publique.

Ce document n’est efficace que si vous vous en servez. Alors, s’il vous plaît, si un problème de surcharge de travail survient dans votre milieu de travail, documentez, documentez et documentez! Au cours des dernières années, l’AIIO a augmenté le nombre d’employés traitant de la responsabilité professionnelle. Ces spécialistes, assis-tés des dirigeantes de vos sections locales et de votre agent respon-sable des relations de travail, ont l’expérience et les connaissances pour vous guider dans la totalité du processus dont fait état la clause de responsabilité professionnelle.

De nombreux membres qui ont participé au processus m’ont dit que ce n’était pas facile. Défendre ses droits auprès de l’employeur est rarement facile, mais les gains réalisés peuvent être immenses : création d’un milieu de travail plus sûr et meil-leurs soins aux patients. Les membres disent également que faire preuve d’unité pour défendre une cause commune est l’une des plus grandes récompenses qui soient. Après tout, n’est-ce pas la raison d’être des syndicats?

From First Vice-President

Première vice-présidente, AIIO

Vicki McKenna, RN

. . . the rewards at the end of the journey can be immense, leading to a safer working environment and improved patient care.

ONA Members Across Ontario


JUNE 2010 7

Hospitals

Interested in Helping Negotiate Next Hospital Contract?With the central hospital collective agreement expiring on March

31, 2011, ONA is putting out a call for nominations from members

in hospital Bargaining Units to serve on the Hospital Central Ne-

gotiating Team.

The team, which is responsible for determining members’

bargaining objectives and negotiating the next contract, will be

made up of one full-time and one part-time candidate from each

region. If you are interested in being one of those candidates, you

must submit a nomination and resume form to the Office of the

Chief Executive Officer by July 30, 2010 to be validated.

An election package with a mail-in ballot will be sent to all

members in the hospital sector by September 7, 2010 so they can

choose the candidates from their regions to represent them at

the bargaining table. Orientation for the team is scheduled for

November 1-5, 2010, and successful candidates are expected to

attend.

Copies of the team’s mandate, nomination and resume forms

can be downloaded from the ONA website at www.ona.org.

Volunteering at Paralympics “Dream Come True” for MemberThe following was submitted by Local 83 member Eric Drouin, who works

at the Ottawa Hospital.

Wow, what an experience of a lifetime!

I was honoured to be one of 10 emergency registered nurses

chosen to be part of the Medical Mobile Unit and Polyclinic, based at

Whistler, British Columbia to support the Paralympic athletes during

the Vancouver Paralympic Games this past March.

I had the opportunity and privilege to meet and work with an elite

multidisciplinary team composed of ICU nurses, OR nurses, trauma

surgeons, anesthetists and orthopedic surgeons from across Canada.

We were faced with having to treat international athletes with poten-

tial life threatening multi-system trauma right at the base of Whistler

Mountain, before transporting them to the Vancouver General Hospi-

tal. The sheer professionalism on the medical team to adapt and get

the job done made it look so seamless – not bad for a team that basi-

cally just met for the first time only a few hours prior!

The positive and friendly vibe in the village, mixed with the beauti-

ful and grandiose mountain scenery, was just remarkable and breath-

taking. The entire experience was a dream come true.

Local 83 member Eric Drouin poses with Sumi, one of the mascots of

the recent Vancouver Olympics. The name Sumi comes from the First

Nations of the North West Coast’s Salish word “Sumesh,” which means

“Guardian Spirit.”

Have a Say! over the next few months, we will also be sending

a notice to bona fide members in all sectors to electronically fill out our

Have a Say questionnaire (more information will follow in an upcoming

issue of Front Lines). this is crucial as it helps your negotiating teams de-

termine your bargaining objectives.

Showing Solidarity!

Local 2 members join their brothers and sisters in the labour move-

ment for a solidarity rally, entitled Bridging the Gap, on March 22,

2010 in Sudbury. The rally, spearheaded by the United Steelwork-

ers Union, was in protest of the eight-month strike of 3,500 work-

ers at Vale Inco, represented by the Steelworkers, who are fighting

for pension and seniority rights, and their share of the company’s

profits.



JUNE 20108

in MeMoriaM…

David Dodds, Founding MemberONA is saddened to learn that a founding member of

our union and a former Local leader has passed away.

David Dodds, RN, BA, died on April 19, 2010 in

Huntsville after a lengthy illness. He was instrumen-

tal in the early days of ONA, getting contracts written

and initiated. His family tells us David was proud of the

many achievements of ONA and the founding mem-

bers in laying the groundwork for these contracts as we know them today.

A 1969 graduate of Belleville General Hospital, David also served as Bargaining Unit

President at North York General Hospital in 1973, and subsequently worked as both a

home care nurse and community care access centre case manager. He retired from full-

time nursing in 2007.

We extend our deepest sympathies to David’s family and friends.

professional practice

Accountability, Responsibility, Leadership and Ethics: What Resident is at Risk?The following is a submission written and read by Local 20 Bargaining Unit President Christine

Byrnes (pictured) at the Cassellholme Home for the Aged Independent Assessment Committee (IAC)

hearing in February, which ONA called after more than two years of unsuccessful attempts to con-

vince management to rectify staff and supply shortages.

I asked myself, “What resident is at risk? Name

one!” The resident who is at risk is likened to

the Unknown Soldier…the victim, yet undis-

closed.

It is not the residents listed on the profes-

sional responsibility workload report form,

the resident who fell, or one of the three pal-

liative residents with or without family at the

bedside. It is not the resident who passed

away peacefully while pain-free. It is not the

resident that the RPN told me is complaining

about a physical symptom, or the resident

who just had an altercation with another resi-

dent in the secure unit. It is not the resident

who needed the physician called because as

an RN, I suspected a urinary tract infection, or

the resident who had suspicious abdominal

pain and required the physician consulted

and arrangements for transportation to hos-

pital, where she was admitted.

No, it is none of those named residents

in situations that required the expertise of a

registered nurse. Exercising my rights under

the collective agreement, I advised man-

agement of the risk issues of the workload

by submitting a professional responsibility

workload form.

Who is it? It is the resident – the unknown

person – that because of other workload re-

sponsibilities assigned, the RN could not make

sure was safely transferred to bed so he didn’t

wake up with a suspicious bruise on his body.

It is more likely to be the resident who

complained of a headache, and the only ob-

servation I received was a written note after

the fact on the daily unit report that he re-

quired Tylenol, thus there was no assessment

by the RN to check for further symptoms of a

progressing stroke.

It is the resident who mentions to the

PSW staff that she has pain, but complains

of this “all the time,” so the complaint never is

reported to the RN.

It is the resident unknown to the RN that

requires a complete chest assessment for a

respiratory problem, but the RN was unaware

of this until she had pneumonia.

It could be the resident who the staff sus-

pected of a fall, but never reported because

the resident couldn’t be sure himself due to

dementia, thus there was little concern by

the staff member until the next shift noticed

strange changes of lethargy. No head injury

routine was initiated.

These are the nameless residents at risk,

the unknown person(s) that are a mere re-

flection or suggestion in the Professional

Responsibility Complaint (PRC) process.

Through the same process, I am trying to

state that on this shift, “I may have missed

something while dealing with all of the facts

that I documented on the PRC form.”

Is this not obvious? That, if all of this was

occurring on a particular shift, what is in place

to ensure that residents were not at risk? That

is what keeps me up at night, and that is why I

must fill out professional responsibility work-

load report forms.

In April, the IAC issued 25 recommendations

dealing with our concerns at Cassellholme (see

Front Lines, Vol. 10, No. 2, April 2010), and we

are currently working with the employer to put

changes in place.



JUNE 2010 9

Members’ Hospital Pension Plan Fully FundedThe Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) has recorded a 15.18 per

cent rate of return for the year ending December 31, 2009.

The plan, formerly the Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan, which is a de-

fined benefits plan, hit a record high of $31.1-billion of assets-under-man-

agement, but is now fully funded, meaning it has enough assets to meet all

of its liabilities.

“At a time when many other pension plans are looking at benefit cuts

or contribution increases, HOOPP has been able to provide stability to our

more than 250,000 members and retirees,” said President and CEO John

Crocker. “HOOPP’s contribution rates have not increased since the start of

2004 and will stay the same until at least the end of 2011.”

HOOPP remains fully committed to preserving the pension promise that

once members start receiving a pension, they receive it for life, he added.

ONA has two seats on the HOOPP Board, currently filled by CEO Lesley Bell

and Director Dan Anderson.

Local 115 members take the opportunity of May Day 2010 (May 1)

– a day of political demonstrations and celebrations organized by

labour groups around the world – to spread the word that Toronto

East General Hospital (TEGH) has laid off more than 120 nurses

since last summer as part of its initiative to redesign how care is

provided. Joined by Region 3 Vice-President Andy Summers,

members went door to door to discuss the situation with people

living in the vicinity of the hospital. Research into TEGH’s model of

care shows it is fragmenting care and will not improve health out-

comes for our patients. ONA and the Registered Nurses’ Associa-

tion of Ontario fully support this research. Log onto www.rnao.org

to read more.

ONA Members Issue a May Day!

More Members “Attend” Annual Meetings thanks to technologyWhen you live in a region where members are as far as 400

kilometres apart, ensuring everyone is able to attend Local

meetings and receive ONA education can be a challenge,

but one northern Local is using technology to help bridge

the distance.

Local 10 has traditionally held its annual membership

meetings in the area with the largest population (Timmins),

but that still meant some people had to drive upwards of four

hours for what could amount to a one-hour meeting, and many

members couldn’t attend at all. To help alleviate the problem,

the Local decided to venture into the world of teleconferencing.

“When we held face to face meetings, we found the same

people attended,” said Local 10 Coordinator Helene Sobchuk.

“But with teleconferencing, many more people ‘attended’ our

meetings, including members from public health we had

never seen before.”

Members are also able to receive 15-20 minutes of

education from the ONA Labour Relations Officer during the

1.5-hour meetings on topics such as grievance complaints,

addictions and professional responsibility complaints. If

members are interested in a particular topic, the Local can

then arrange for the entire workshop, if available.

“This system is working for us and it’s fair,” concluded

Sobchuk. “We are definitely getting there.”

Interested in giving Feedback on scope of Practice guidelines?The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) is in the process of revis-

ing the guidelines for Utilization of RNs and RPNs, and the Utili-

zation of Unregulated Care Providers – and you can play a role.

ONA’s Professional Practice Specialists will take part in the

stakeholder consultation component, but we also encourage

all ONA members to participate in the consultation process

because changes in the guidelines could have a direct impact

on how front-line nursing care is given, and which classification

provides the care.

Stay tuned for further information. Once the draft docu-

ments have been released, we will provide you with key mes-

sages to assist you in providing feedback to the CNO.


JUNE 201010

Fighting Back!Cancer patient Marita Devries (back row, far right) is not just battling

her disease, she took her fight against London Health Sciences Centre’s

plan to cut nurses providing out-patient cancer care to Queen’s Park on

March 24, 2010, supported by (front row, left to right) Local 6 Coordinator

Carolyn Edgar, Local 100 Coordinator Jill Ross; back row (left to right)

London Health Sciences Centre Bargaining Unit President Diane

Strachan, Diane’s daughter Megan Strachan, Local 6 First Vice-

Coordinator Beverley Belfon.

ONA members across the province have

gathered for Day of Mourning activities to

honour the thousands of workers who have

lost their lives or been injured on the job.

On April 28, 2010, Region 3 Vice-President

Andy Summers and ONA members con-

verged on Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square (top photo), along with

fellow unions, community supporters and politicians, to call for vig-

orous use of the Criminal Code of Canada provision that enables

prosecution of corporate executives, directors and managers who act

wrongfully or negligently. In Ottawa (middle photo), Local 83 mem-

bers joined Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions President Linda

Silas for events at Vincent Massey Park. And in London (bottom pho-

to), Region 5 Vice-President Karen Bertrand and members from Locals

8 and 11 gathered at Coventry Gardens to plant a tree, lay a wreath

and release white doves as a tribute to fallen workers.

“RNs are among the most injured and ill of all professionals be-

cause of the high occupational health and safety hazards we encoun-

ter on a daily basis while caring for our patients,” said ONA President

Linda Haslam-Stroud. “This, combined with heavy workloads and the

risk of workplace violence as patients and their families grow impa-

tient with wait times, makes nursing an often dangerous occupation.

It is vital to remember the colleagues we have lost.”

Those colleagues include Heather Taylor, who died after acquiring

an infectious disease while on the job, Lori Dupont, who was murdered

by a colleague while working at Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital, and Tecla

Lin and Nelia Laroza, who lost their lives during the SARS outbreak.

In the first two months alone of 2010, there were 86 deaths and

38,184 claims for work-related injuries and diseases reported to the

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board in Ontario.

A Day to Mourn…and Remember



JUNE 2010 11

For one recent graduate, the alarming trend

of employers eliminating nursing positions

and hours to cut costs means that she has

no choice but to leave the province to do the

work she loves.

Erin Dykstra (pictured), who obtained her

BScN from Ryerson University in 2008, was

handed a layoff notice on March 10, 2010

from Toronto East General Hospital (TEGH)

where she began her career as part of the

government’s new-grad guarantee program two years ago, and then moved to a full-time

position in the Family Birth Centre, doing labour and delivery and post-partum care.

“The hospital is returning to team nursing, which they call a Coordinated Team model,

and so a lot of RNs are being replaced with RPNs and PSWs,” she said, adding that in the

next few months, there will be 16 nurses leaving that floor, 11 of whom do labour and

delivery exclusively, and who are not being replaced.

While Dykstra, a native of British Columbia who worked various jobs in North America

and Europe before settling into nursing, was told by TEGH she was welcome to apply for

other positions in the hospital, “when I asked if I would have float pool training if I applied for

a float position, they told me that I’d have a few shifts on each floor to get used to the area.

This, to a person who has never worked medicine, surgery or any kind of acute care. I felt

really let down because I might be fairly proficient in labour and delivery, but in every other

area, I’m a new graduate and felt I should be treated as one for the safety of my patients.”

Instead, Dykstra chose the option of accepting the layoff and working for four months.

Unfortunately, the layoff meant she had no choice but to decline her acceptance into the

Master of Nursing Program at Ryerson this fall because “I couldn’t commit to the tuition

costs without knowing what kind of income and hours I would have.”

After an exhaustive job search yielded nothing in the Greater Toronto Area, where

Dykstra has a lot of family and friends, and only part-time and casual work in the rest of

Ontario, she broadened her search to the rest of the country and overseas. Soon after,

she accepted a full-time position in the labour and delivery unit in a small town hospital

an hour west of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and will be moving this summer. But Dykstra admits

leaving Ontario will be bittersweet.

“I felt like I was just starting to put down roots here,” she said. “I will miss my team the most.

They’ve taught me so much and have been so supportive. I couldn’t possibly replace them.”

If a full-time job in the labour and delivery field she loves so much came up in Ontario,

Dykstra, who is meeting with TEGH’s CEO before she leaves, said she would consider returning.

“I’m leaving because I wasn’t supported in my job needs,” she concluded. “I find it frus-

trating that patient care is coming second or third on the government’s agenda. I under-

stand that our health care system is unsustainable as it is right now and there will need to

be changes to help it function properly in the future, but taking registered nurses out of

front-line care is not the answer.”

focus on….

New Graduate Erin Dykstra, Laid off and Leaving

Face to Face Engages MembersFor one Local leader, the key to engaging mem-

bers in the work of the Bargaining Unit and re-

solving issues is to meet with them face to face

and change their thinking from “I” to “we.”

Local 100 Bargaining Unit President Diane

Strachan (pictured), who works at London

Health Sciences Centre, has developed what

she calls a “nursing care plan” approach to the

building of unit representatives and affiliation

with her members.

“The way I view it, and the way my unit reps

are comfortable, is that they are leaders and my

job is more to manage barriers that they come

up against in daily work practice as well as the

collective agreement,” she said. “It’s from the

units up instead of the other way around.”

A key component of her approach is having

face to face contact with her members, which

means she walks the hallways, goes into units

she hasn’t heard from in awhile, and speaks to

members about how they are feeling about

their union and their ability to practice quality

patient care. She points to the fact that she has

only filed six grievances in the past four years

as an indication that her approach is working.

“A lot of that is because of the dialogues go-

ing on and the nurses being empowered, sup-

ported and coached to address issues on the

unit at the time,” she said. “Often times, when

you are ethically right, if the collective agree-

ment is handled really well, the grievance can

be avoided. And the only way to do that is

through direct contact with members. When

I understand, I am better able to keep them

thinking in terms of ‘we’ instead of ‘I,’ and that

is huge. It creates that link about how the col-

lective agreement furthers our professionalism,

and allows us to create a quality environment.”


JUNE 201012

NursiNg Week 2010Celebrating our Nurses across the Province!

Despite the difficulties you currently face in this health care envi-ronment, ONA members in every part of Ontario took the time to acknowledge and celebrate all you do for your patients/clients/resi-dents during Nursing Week 2010, May 10-16.

Throughout the week, ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, along with other members of the ONA Board of Directors, visited worksites and participated in special events, from dinners to pre-sentations to information pickets, under the theme, Celebrate Our Nurses: The Heart of Health Care!

These two pages contain a region by region pictorial, showing ONA RNs and RPNs, along with your colleagues and friends, enjoy-ing Nursing Week 2010. Thanks to all of you who submitted photos of your events.

Celebrate Our Nurses: The Heart of Health Care!

Region 1

Region 2


JUNE 2010 13

NursiNg Week 2010

Celebrate Our Nurses: The Heart of Health Care!

Region 3

Region 4

Region 5


JUNE 201014

industry and clinics

Health Canada’s Approval of CBS Proposal Baffles ONAONA has joined our nursing union counterparts in question-

ing the decision of federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq to

allow Canadian Blood Services (CBS) to conduct a pilot project

in Manitoba to replace nurses with unskilled workers for initial

blood donor screening.

While ONA and our fellow union affiliates of the Canadian

Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) lobbied against the CBS’s

proposal for a year, Health Canada decided in favour of a pilot

this past April. We have been calling for a transparent, inde-

pendent and thorough evaluation of the questionable chang-

es to blood donor screening.

“We reviewed the proposal with which the Minister made

her decision and we have concluded that there is no compel-

ling evidence to suggest that this change is needed or safe,”

said ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud. “RNs have the edu-

cation, skills and experience required to identify potential do-

nors who may not be qualified to donate blood and are highly

regulated as a profession, ensuring confidentiality for donors.”

Research commissioned by the CFNU found that nurses

and/or doctors are routinely used to screen potential blood

donors abroad; there is no evidence that the use of unregu-

lated workers would not jeopardize the blood supply or donor

health; and employers such as CBS could address retention and

recruitment issues by improving the quality of the workplace.

“The findings from the Krever Commission into the tainted

blood scandal of the 1980s showed that the drive for cost-effi-

ciencies can jeopardize blood safety, which is exactly what CBS

appears to be doing,” Haslam-Stroud added.

For more information, visit the website www.safeblood.ca,

launched by ONA and the CFNU in January.

The Princess and the PresidentONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud (right) chats with Princess

Anne, The Princess Royal, who is President of the Caribbean-Canada

Emerging Leaders’ Dialogue (CCELD), and other participants in St.

John’s, Newfoundland on April 23, 2010, to mark the beginning of

the countdown for the first CCELD. The CCELD brings together future

leaders from Canada, Bermuda and the Caribbean, who will partici-

pate in a unique leadership development conference and travel to-

gether in small groups to visit select locations in these three regions.

At its meeting in February, the ONA Board of Directors approved a

$20,000 donation for Caribbean union leaders to attend the CCELD,

which will take place May 28-June 11, 2011. In 2007, Haslam-Stroud

attended the Commonwealth Study Conference in India and CEO

Lesley Bell attended the 1992 conference in England as Canadian

union representatives.

Always Tired at Work? You’re not Alone, Nursing Report ShowsA disturbing report prepared by the Canadian Nurses Association and the

Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario shows that 55 per cent of the 7,000

nurses surveyed feel almost always fatigued at work, while 80 per cent indi-

cate they always felt fatigued after finishing work.

In the study Nurse Fatigue and Patient Safety, nurses said fatigue not only

depleted their energy levels, but interfered with their ability to make good

judgments and sound decisions. Nurses point to relentless and excessive

workloads, ongoing staffing issues and sicker patients as the key reasons for

their fatigue. Coupled with cognitive, physical and emotional strains of work-

ing in high-stress environments, the report concludes that fatigue is taking a

heavy toll on nurses.

Key recommendations of the report include: ensuring governments at all

levels provide adequate funding to increase the number of RNs to ensure safe

care for all patients; requiring organizations to make public annually their

overtime and absenteeism statistics; and supporting nurses to assume more

responsibility for mitigating and managing fatigue while at work, including

using professional approaches to decline additional work assignments.

ONA News


JUNE 2010 15

long-terM care

Staffing Standards Must be Included in Retirement Homes Act, ONA SaysRetirement homes should be regulated by

the health ministry with limitations set on

the appropriate level of care, ONA has stated

in a written submission on Bill 21, Retirement

Homes Act, 2010.

While Bill 21 is built on a self-regulatory

model for the retirement home industry with

a board dominated and controlled by indus-

try representation, ONA’s view is that retire-

ment homes should be regulated, inspected

and enforced by the Ministry of Health and

Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), which should also

take over responsibility for the carriage of Bill

21 from the Minister Responsible for Seniors.

We are also concerned that Bill 21 does

not define the level of care that is appropri-

ate in the retirement home context, set out

staffing requirements or specify who should

deliver care. We believe that Bill 21 must be

amended to provide clear limits on the care

that can be provided in retirement homes

and provisions for how any publicly-funded

interim beds are to be used.

Other observances in our submission to

the Standing Committee on Social Policy in-

clude:

• A culture of health and safety for re-

tirement home staff must be included

in the Act.

• Whistleblower protection is not strong

enough.

• Too many details are in the regulations

rather than in legislation.

ONA’s full submission is available on the ONA

website at www.ona.org.

HoMe care

Competitive Bidding Re-emergesA provincial moratorium on competitive bidding for home care services has now ex-

pired and the government has decided not to restore the ban.

In December 2008, the government suspended the controversial competitive bid-

ding process, which pits for-profit corporations against non-profit agencies for con-

tracts to provide home care services, thanks, in part, to strong lobbying efforts from

ONA. But competitive bidding is expected to rear its ugly head again as the Ontario

Association for Community Care Access Centres (OACCAC), which has now become the

voice of all 14 CCACs with the government, has announced a tentative spring 2010 start

for the Request for Proposal rollout of the more than 600 home care contracts that will

come up for renewal.

While the OACCAC, which is establishing benchmarks for provincial quality, told

ONA that the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has continued to identify that a

high priority driver for awarding contracts is consistency and quality, we believe the

bottom line is the real motivator.

“Competitive bidding has done nothing but provide a lack of continuity of care

for our clients and a lack of job security for our members,” said ONA President Linda

Haslam-Stroud. “Despite this setback, we will continue to demand the government re-

vises its whole approach to home care, and restore the moratorium while it does so.”

ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud (right)

chats with Doris Grinspun, Executive Director

of the Registered Nurses’ Association of

Ontario (RNAO), during a break at the RNAO’s

85th Annual General Meeting in Toronto on

April 15-17, 2010. Under the theme, Nurses:

Vision, caring and strength from our

roots, delegates watched as President Wendy

Fucile handed the torch to David McNeil, the

second male president in the association’s

history; heard speeches by politicians,

including Premier Dalton McGuinty, who said

nurse practitioners could soon be allowed to

admit and discharge in-patients to ease the

flow of traffic at the province’s hospitals;

debated resolutions; and networked with

their colleagues.

A Meeting of the (Nursing) Minds


JUNE 201016

News in BriefE A recent issue of Inside Queen’s Park features an in-depth

interview with ONA President Linda

Haslam-Stroud. In the interview, Haslam-

Stroud not only touches on her history

with nursing and the labour movement,

but outlines to readers the ins and outs

of the nursing profession and ONA, and

the current health care environment in

this province.

E A battle is brewing over the ability to drink and eat at work

stations at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). The Ministry

of Labour said the crackdown has to do with infection control,

but LHSC Bargaining Unit President Diane Strachan told the

media there are more pressing matters at hand than keeping

coffee out of the ER. Because nurses don’t get breaks, they take

their sustenance where they can, but that would never include

patients’ bedsides, she added.

E Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews has left open the possi-

bility that she may go after doctor compensation to find savings

after the current contract expires. While the Minister intends to

honour the existing agreement with the Ontario Medical Asso-

ciation, which pushed about $1-billion in new funding to the

province’s doctors over a four-year period, she said “we cannot

continue to increase spending and health care at the rate we

have done in the past. Those days are over.” ONA President Linda

Haslam-Stroud said tweaking salaries won’t get at the more im-

portant cost-saving measure of preventing diseases.

E A group of 450 nurses who determine people’s eligibility for

Canada Pension Plan disability benefits has won a battle in a

long war over whether they should be paid and treated like

doctors who do much the same job. The Federal Court dis-

missed an application for judicial review of a 2007 Canadian

Human Rights Tribunal decision that ordered the federal gov-

ernment to stop discriminating against the nurses.

E British Columbia has announced a new funding system for 23

of the province’s largest hospitals, which will see them paid per

patient in an attempt to reduce wait times and cut costs. Under

the new model, hospitals will have a financial incentive for

treating patients faster because they’ll be competing with

other facilities to get money.

Excellent Care for All Act doesn’t go Far Enough, oNA FearsWhile ONA agrees with the overall direction of Bill 46, the Excellent

Care for All Act to create quality committees and publicly report on

quality improvement in hospitals, we believe the processes for doing

so requires additional legislative language, not development in regu-

lations.

If passed, the legislation would make health care providers and

executives accountable for improving patient care by requiring hos-

pitals to develop and post annual quality improvement plans; create

committees to report to hospital boards on quality-related issues; link

executive compensation to achievement of quality plan performance

improvement targets; and implement patient and employee satisfac-

tion surveys and a patient complaints process.

ONA knows that some existing hospital committees are not meet-

ing their mandate as set out in regulation under the Public Hospitals

Act. We are concerned about setting up an additional hospital com-

mittee when we know some existing committees are not functioning

as intended, especially without clear details in the Bill on the structure

and operation of the quality committees. We also have reservations

about the expanded mandate of the Ontario Health Quality Council

without additional safeguards to protect the public interest.

ONA recently provided a submission recommending changes to

the Act, including:

• Amendments to Reg. 965 under the Public Hospitals Act so that

hospitals are in compliance with existing regulations to establish

Fiscal Advisory Committees that are functioning and effective.

• Amendments to ensure that the composition and objectives

of Quality Committees are in legislation, not left to regula-

tions, including representation of front-line staff RNs on Quality

Committees.

• Definitions and safeguards to make sure that quality improvement

plans and committees are not used to justify cuts to patient care

and elimination of RN positions.

Our full submission is available on the ONA website at www.ona.org.

ONA News


JUNE 2010 17

CounterpartsE The United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) has asked for mediation in its

negotiations with the province on behalf of 24,000 RNs. UNA

President Heather Smith said Alberta Health Services (AHS) has

proposed rollbacks in all but 10 of 44 negotiation areas, noting if

the province isn’t willing to negotiate an agreement, the member-

ship will decide what it’s prepared to do. The UNA asked for a two-

year deal with a 4 per cent raise in each year, while AHS’s four-year

proposal calls for two years of no pay increases followed by two

additional cost of liv-

ing raises.

E The Manitoba Nurses Union (MNU) has reached a tentative three-

and-a-half year agreement with the province, which calls for a

lump sum payment of 2 per cent, 1.1 per cent for pension deficit

reduction over two years and a 4 per

cent salary increase in the third year.

A long-service increment will also be

paid in the third year to nurses with

20 years or more experience.

E As a result of its 2009 arbitration award, the Prince Edward Island

Nurses’ Union (PEINU) and the government have returned to the

table to discuss wages for the final year of the contract. The union

said the government has little interest in the need to retain and re-

cruit additional nurses in the province, and has requested concilia-

tion…Mona O’Shea, a Liaison Coordinator for Continuing Care in

Charlottetown, assumed the role of

President of the PEINU this month

following an election in May.

E As it continues to negotiate for a new collective agreement, Federa-

tion interprofessionnelle de la santé du Quebec (FIQ), which repre-

sents 58,000 of the province’s health professionals, has brought a

new bargaining chip to the table: the support of the public. A new

FIQ survey suggests 80 per cent of Quebecers support the union’s

proposal that all part-time nursing shifts become full-time shifts.

The same proportion also favours reducing nurses’ five-day work

week to four, although the number of hours worked per week re-

mains the same. The results came two weeks after FIQ negotiators

returned to the bargaining table after walking away

when the province refused to consider reducing the

use of private-agency nursing personnel to fill the

gaps in hospital work schedules.

Recent Studies

E Approximately 24 per cent of Canadian nurses are working over-

time hours each week, an increase over the past four years and 4

per cent higher than the rest of the working population, a study

from the Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare

shows. Trends and Costs of Overtime among Nurses in Canada found

that the highest number of these hours are in the emergency, in-

tensive care and general medicine departments. Efforts to lighten

the burden of overtime should be focused at the department lev-

els, and more full-time positions should be created out of over-

time hours, the study recommends.

E From 2001 to 2006, Canada’s health care providers were less likely

to move from one province or territory to another, with migration

rates decreasing to their lowest levels in two decades, a study

from the Canadian Institute for Health Information has found. De-

spite these findings, the study, Internal Migration of Canada’s

Health Care Workforce: Summary Report Update to 2006, states the

health care workforce was still more mobile than the general

population. Alberta continued to be the prime destination for

health care workers who moved between provinces, followed by

British Columbia, the report revealed. For more information, log

onto www.cihi.ca.

E Canada’s shortage of nurses, doctors and other health care pro-

fessionals tops the list of key health challenges for the country, a

survey conducted for Health Canada shows. The annual survey

found one in five Canadians identified the shortage of health care

professionals as a top priority, followed by long wait times for

medical care, the H1N1 pandemic, cancer research and preventa-

tive health care.


JUNE 201018

E Ontario has announced plans to reform

the prescription drug system to provide

better access to lower-cost generic drugs

for patients, while continuing to increase

annual funding to the drug system as a

whole. These proposed changes include:

• Lowering the cost of generic drugs by at least 50 per cent, to 25 per cent

of the cost of the original brand name drug for Ontario’s public drug

system, private employer drug plans, and people who pay for drugs out-

of-pocket, saving taxpayers millions.

• Eliminating abuse of the system by ending so-called “professional

allowances” – payments generic drug companies make to pharmacy

owners intended to fund patient services, but are instead being used

by many pharmacies as rebates to fund fringe benefits, bonuses and

overhead costs, and boost profits.

• Ensuring pharmacists are fairly compensated for helping patients by

increasing dispensing fees and paying for additional services provided

to patients.

• Supporting access to pharmacy services in rural communities and under-

serviced areas with new dedicated funding.

Noting that Ontario already spends 10.7 per cent more on drugs per capita than

other provinces, ONA is pleased that the government is turning its attention to

reducing provincial drug costs. Front-line registered nurses certainly share the

government’s concern about the rising costs of pharmaceuticals, which have

been consuming a large portion of health care funding.

E The regulation under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007 (LTCHA) was re-

leased on April 1, 2010 and will be effective on July 1, 2010, when the LTCHA

comes into force. In May and September 2009, the Minister of Health and

Long-Term Care invited written comments on the first and second sets of

proposed initial draft regulations under the LTCHA, and ONA participated.

All comments received during the public consultation periods were re-

viewed and considered in the development of the regulation. At the time

of proclamation of the LTCHA, the current legislation governing long-term

care homes (Nursing Homes Act, Charitable Institutions Act, and Homes for

the Aged and Rest Homes Act) will be repealed and the accompanying regu-

lations revoked. The current Long-Term Care Homes Program Manual, con-

taining inspection standards, criteria and policies, will no longer apply.

E Ontario is calling for applications for 14 new nurse practitioner-led clinics,

which offer a team-based approach to front-line care. Applicants will be se-

lected from groups or individuals across the province, including registered

non-profit organizations, local community-based organizations and nurse

practitioners. The call for applications closes on June 25, 2010 and the new

clinics will be awarded this summer.

QUEEN’S PARk Update OccUPATIONAl Health and Safety

Amendments to oH&s Act Now in Effect thanks to oNAONA’s persistent efforts to

end workplace violence

have come to fruition in the

form of significant amend-

ments to the Occupation-

al Health and Safety Act

(OHSA), which come into

effect this month.

The amendments to the

Act mean that, as of June 15, 2010,

employers must develop programs with specific steps

to prevent physical injury from workplace violence,

including domestic violence spillover from home to

work; workers who believe they are at risk of physical

injury due to possible workplace violence may refuse

work and the Ministry of Labour must respond as

needed; and employers must develop specific poli-

cies and programs about workplace harassment.

Other notable amendments to the Act include:

• A requirement for employers/supervisors to alert

certain workers of the risk of workplace violence

from persons with a history of violent behaviours.

• Employers and supervisors must provide workers

who may encounter such persons at work with as

much information as needed, including personal

information, to protect the worker from physical

injury.

• A clear requirement for the workplace’s Joint

Health and Safety Committee and others to be

notified by the employer if a worker is disabled

or needs medical attention due to workplace

violence.

“These changes have come about thanks to our

members championing this issue in your workplac-

es and beyond,” said ONA President Linda Haslam-

Stroud. “With your continued efforts, we look for-

ward to a day when all of our workplaces will be

free from violence and harassment and safer for our

members and patients.”

E Starting April 1, 2010, all hospitals

are required to use a surgical safety

checklist. The surgical safety check-

list, covering the most common tasks

and items that operating room teams

carry out, has been shown to reduce

rates of deaths and complications

among patients. Some of the items

included are the review of test results,

administration of antibiotics and

post-surgery recovery plans. Hospi-

tals will be required to report publicly

twice a year on complying with the

use of the checklist. The first public

reporting will take place on July 31,

2010 and will cover the period from

April 1 to June 30, 2010.


JUNE 2010 19

STUDENT Affiliation OccUPATIONAl Health and SafetyStudent Affiliate Member

Ontario Nurses’ Association

CNsA President

Front Lines: Why did you choose to enter

the nursing profession?

Branden Shepitka: I chose to enter the nurs-

ing profession because of the large number

of opportunities that it provides. I always

knew that I wanted to work in health care,

but did not necessarily know how. Nursing

gives me the flexibility to work in any sector

that I want once I graduate, while knowing

that I will always be helping people.

FL: Tell us a bit about your history with

the CNSA.

BS: My introduction to the CNSA was actu-

ally kind of haphazard. I was the President of

the Laurentian University Nursing Students’

Association, and the director of our nursing

program informed me that someone was

needed to represent the chapter at the table.

After experiencing my first CNSA conference

and business meeting, I was inspired by the

organization and decided to run for the posi-

tion of Ontario Regional Director, to which I

was elected in 2009.

Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions, as an

ex-officio, non-voting member.

FL: How are you able to balance the CNSA

presidency with your nursing studies?

BS: From the time I began high school, I

worked heavy hours at part-time jobs, while

maintaining my grades and participating in

extra-curricular activities – so by now it has

become second nature. However, I do lend

a large amount of my ability to balance this

role with my studies to the administration,

professors and clinical educators at Lauren-

tian University, who have been very support-

ive of my involvement with CNSA.

FL: Where do you want to take CNSA

during your term as President?

BS: I want to increase the inclusiveness of our

organization. We currently represent regis-

tered nursing students, registered/licensed

practical nursing students, and psychiatric

nursing students. However, I would like to in-

crease the number of the two latter groups,

as currently the large majority of our mem-

bers are following a program leading to be-

coming a registered nurse. I would also like to

increase the presence of bilingualism in busi-

ness meetings, conferences and publications,

keeping in line with our newly redesigned

Bilingualism Policy.

FL: How important is it that ONA

members voted for a student affiliation

membership?

BS: It is extremely important. As an organiza-

tion that represents Canadian nursing stu-

dents, we appreciate every opportunity that

we are given to provide the input of nurs-

FL: Why did you choose to run for

President?

BS: I chose to run after seeing the work of the

CNSA under the leadership of past-Ontario

Regional Director, and now past-President

Tyler Kuhk. Through my term as a Chapter

Delegate and as Ontario Regional Director, I

saw so much positive change with the asso-

ciation. I saw the work that he had done and

wanted to continue with the immense prog-

ress that had been made.

FL: What does that role entail?

BS: My role is to represent Canadian nursing

students on the national stage. I chair our

Board of Directors, which consists of 13 direc-

tors, in addition to our Administrative Officer,

a representative of the Canadian Association

of Schools of Nursing, and five other officers

of the Board. Our Board meets three times

each year in person, and in-between we

hold teleconferences and make many de-

cisions by e-mail to keep the organization

running smoothly. I also sit on the Board of

the Canadian Nurses Association and the

In April 2010, Branden Shepitka, a fourth-year nursing student from

Laurentian University in Sudbury, assumed the presidency of the

Canadian Nursing Students’ Association (CNSA). Front Lines wanted

to know his goals for his one-year reign, what ONA’s student affiliation

means to him, and where he sees himself as a young nursing graduate.

A Chat with Branden shepitka,


JUNE 201020

ing students. We are the future of the nurs-

ing profession, and feel that we have a great

deal of energy and great number of ideas to

contribute. The relationship between CNSA-

Ontario and ONA has provided us with the

perfect venue to provide the student angle

to front-line nurses.

FL: What can we learn from each other?

BS: We can learn a lot from each other. As

nursing students, we appreciate the tremen-

dous amount of knowledge and experience

that front-line nurses lend to us in our forma-

tion as future nurses. Nurses can also learn

from students, as we have been taught from

the beginning of our education to seek out

the newest evidence when thinking critically

and performing procedures. We also provide

a vision for how we want nursing to be in the

future.

FL: What advice would you have for ONA

members mentoring nursing students?

BS: I would ask you to remember back to

when you were a student. You are on a new

floor, in a totally new setting. You are ner-

vous, and maybe a little confused as to your

role. Front-line nurses play a direct role in the

education of student nurses. We like to hear

when we are doing this incorrectly – a little

constructive criticism never hurt anyone;

but it’s also nice to hear when we are doing

something correctly to reinforce our learning.

FL: Where do you see yourself in the next

few years?

BS: In the next few years I see myself work-

ing in a dynamic environment, such as emer-

gency or mental health – in-patient or out-

patient. I’ve completed three mental health

rotations thus far, one on in-patient and two

with an Assertive Community Treatment

Team, and have discovered that this is an area

of nursing that I am very passionate about.

OHc News

E Rural and northern patients feel they are treated unfairly and “lesser than their urban

counterparts” when it comes to health, a report from the Ontario Health Coalition

(OHC) finds. Following a month of public hearings attended by more than 1,100

people, including many ONA members, in 12 communities throughout the province,

the OHC compiled the report, Toward Access and Equality: Realigning Ontario’s Approach

to Small and Rural Hospitals to Service Public Values, which reveals that a disturbing lack

of proper planning, policy and evaluation processes for changes in hospital services is

in evidence, and public opposition to Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and

the erosion of democratic principles in hospital boards and public policy is universal.

The report provided 24 recommendations, including:

• Stepping up efforts to train, recruit and retain nurses, health professionals,

physicians and support workers in areas that are suffering from poor access to care.

• Placing a moratorium on closures of emergency departments.

• Phasing out LHINs within three years.

• Restoring democratically-elected hospital boards.

• Building processes that respect and involve staff in decision-making.

• Increasing hospital funding towards meeting the national average.

• Taking real measures to contain exorbitant hospital executive costs and setting

reasonable expectations for remuneration. To read the entire report, log onto www.ontariohealthcoalition.ca.

Taking our Message to the StreetsFed up with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s anti-democratic approach to

hospital restructuring and its disregard for public needs and concerns, the Ontario Health

Coalition organized a protest outside of the Royal York Hotel in Toronto on April 7, 2010,

where Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Deb Matthews was giving a speech, justify-

ing cutting and closing local hospital services as “quality” care. Region 3 Vice-President

Andy Summers, ONA members and staff were only too willing to lend their voices at the

protest.

Critical Illness Survivor Plan is underwritten by Western Life Assurance Company andadministered by Johnson Inc. MEDOC® is a registered trademark of Johnson Inc.MEDOC® is underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company of Canada andis administered by Johnson Inc. Johnson Inc. and Royal & SunAlliance InsuranceCompany of Canada share common ownership. All other available benefits are underwritten by Manulife Financial and administered by Johnson Inc. Some conditions may apply. LRP.04.09

Voluntary Benefits

A Benefitfor Everyone,Active or Retired

For more information, contactthe ONA Program Administrator:

Johnson Inc.1595 16th Ave., Suite 700Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3S5(905) 764.4959 (local)1.800.461.4155 (toll-free)

• Long Term Disability• Extended Health Care &

Semi–Private Hospital• Dental Care• Critical Illness• Life Insurance• Accidental Death &

Dismemberment• MEDOC® Travel Insurance

ONA2a_Apr09, 2.625x10.25_CMYK:Layout 1 4/21/


JUNE 2010 21

HUMAN RIgHTS and Equity

A recent conference on issues affecting lesbian, gay, bi-

sexual and trans (LGBT) people has given ONA’s Human

Rights and Equity Team even more leverage to move

our work in this important area forward.

Robin Fern, the Human Rights and Equity Team

member for LGBT members, recently attended Rain-

bow Health Ontario’s (RHO) 2010 inaugural confer-

ence in Toronto, supported by ONA’s Human Rights and Equity Scholarship. RHO is funded

by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to improve access to services and promote

the health of Ontario’s LGBT communities through education, research, outreach and public

policy advocacy.

The conference provided a forum for health and social service workers, community mem-

bers, researchers and policy makers to share knowledge, experience and ideas that specifical-

ly address the health needs, service access challenges and health inequalities of LGBT people

in Ontario.

LGBT people are as diverse as the general Canadian population in their experiences of

health and well-being. Social determinants of health, such as income, housing status and

education level, impact the health of all of us in different ways. But there are some specific

health issues that are generally more likely to affect LGBT people, largely as a result of social

marginalization and the stress of coping with prejudice and discrimination. In addition, LGBT

people do not have the same access to health care that many Canadians take for granted, as

they often face several barriers when attempting to access health care.

Passionate debate during one of three plenary sessions focused on the roots of the cur-

rent LGBT health movement in Ontario. A panel of experts and long-time social activists hon-

oured the history of LGBT people, and acknowledged the key struggles and achievements

along the way – some that are unique to the LGBT movement and others that are linked to

other human rights movements.

A second plenary identified strategies for using research and program knowledge to

inform public policy and program development. During workshop-style breakout sessions,

there were exciting opportunities for health and social service workers, community mem-

bers, researchers and policy makers from across the province to collaborate, network and

share effective strategies on improving the health status of LGBT communities. Clearly, this

organized, province-wide LGBT health movement is positioning itself to make significant im-

provements in the lives of LGBT communities across Ontario.

The next ONA Human Rights and Equity Caucus in November 2010 is a forum where mem-

bers can consider how to work with wider social movements to improve the health and work-

ing lives of LGBT people.

For more information and resources about LGBT health issues, visit RHO’s website at

www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/home.cfm.

Working to Improve Access and Equity in Health for LGBT People

Critical Illness Survivor Plan is underwritten by Western Life Assurance Company andadministered by Johnson Inc. MEDOC® is a registered trademark of Johnson Inc.MEDOC® is underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company of Canada andis administered by Johnson Inc. Johnson Inc. and Royal & SunAlliance InsuranceCompany of Canada share common ownership. All other available benefits are underwritten by Manulife Financial and administered by Johnson Inc. Some conditions may apply. LRP.04.09

Voluntary Benefits

A Benefitfor Everyone,Active or Retired

For more information, contactthe ONA Program Administrator:

Johnson Inc.1595 16th Ave., Suite 700Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3S5(905) 764.4959 (local)1.800.461.4155 (toll-free)

• Long Term Disability• Extended Health Care &

Semi–Private Hospital• Dental Care• Critical Illness• Life Insurance• Accidental Death &

Dismemberment• MEDOC® Travel Insurance

ONA2a_Apr09, 2.625x10.25_CMYK:Layout 1 4/21/


JUNE 201022

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 on the ONA website at www.ona.org.

AwARDS AND DEcISIONS: The work of our Union!

RightsArbitrator rules RAI Coordinator position in oNA’s Bargaining UnitONA and Sheppard Village Inc.

(Jesin, April 5, 2010)

In this case, ONA challenged the nursing

home’s decision to post a Resident Assess-

ment Instrument (RAI) Coordinator position

as non-union. The language of the collective

agreement cited ONA as the bargaining rep-

resentative for all RNs employed in a nursing

capacity.

The home hired an RN to fill the position,

but argued that she was not working in a

nursing capacity in the role of RAI Coordina-

tor, as she was not involved in resident care

per se; rather, she was responsible for the

collection of information for the purpose of

funding. ONA argued the nurse in the posi-

tion worked in a nursing capacity, as the job

specifically required her to possess the quali-

fications and professional competence of a

nurse, and that her nursing skills, knowledge

and qualifications were utilized in the role.

The arbitrator agreed with ONA, finding

that the home’s own expectation was that

the incumbent would use her nursing skills

in the performance of the job, as evidenced

in the job description and job posting. The

arbitrator distinguished an early award, Per-

ley and Rideau Veteran’s Health Centre, which

held that the position of RAI Coordinator

was outside of ONA’s Bargaining Unit, on the

facts, ruling that there was more evidence in

the case before him to demonstrate that the

nurse was indeed utilizing her nursing skills

to carry out the role of the RAI Coordinator.

This award is a significant win for ONA, as

there are several RAI grievances currently at

arbitration.

wSIBEmployer loses appeal, WsIB confirms workplace injuryWest Hospital

(March 25, 2010)

The employer appealed a WSIB to allow claim

and payment of health care benefits to a

worker who injured her knee on night shift.

On leaving the nursing station, she real-

ized she had left something behind and made

a quick turn to go back. She wrenched her

knee, causing a gastrocnemius (muscle which

runs from knee to sole of the foot) tear at her

knee. The employer argued that as walking

was a part of her normal duties and was an or-

dinary fact of life, there was no employment

factor or external event to cause her injury.

The Appeals Officer upheld the original

decision of the adjudicator to grant benefits.

She found that physical exertion can fatigue

muscles of the body and make a worker pre-

disposed to muscle injury. She accepted that

the gastrocnemius tear is compatible with a

twisting injury to the knee and that the work-

er’s duties as a nurse on the orthopedic floor

may have fatigued the muscles of the leg and

contributed to the injury.


JUNE 2010 23

Importance to ONA: This win underscores

the difficulties that can arise when an injured

worker seeks approval of benefits from WSIB.

In this case, WSIB originally allowed the obvi-

ous claim, but the worker still had to endure

an appeal of the employer.

lTDdecision based on a previous recovery periodRegion 1 Hospital

(April 15, 2010)

In this case, the carrier claimed that a nurse

should have been able to return to work

from a pulmonary embolism prior to the

benefits being due.

This was based on the diagnosis that she

could return to light duties of her position

as a diabetes educator, and on a recovery

period cited by her physician from her first

pulmonary embolism that she could return

to work following the second pulmonary

embolism with no follow-up medical from

the doctor. The nurse continued with treat-

ment and had additional absences follow-

ing her initial return.

In October 2009, she saw a doctor from

the Toronto Pain and Stress Clinic, who in-

dicated that she should be off work. The

Appeal contained this medical and the new

medical since the carrier’s initial decision.

The member had returned to work in De-

cember 2009 to full hours and full duties.

The carrier reversed its decision and ap-

proved benefits in full to the date of return

to work.

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

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


ONTARIO NURSES’ ASSOCIATION

85 Grenville St., Ste. 400

Toronto ON M5S 3A2

In today’s environment of instant in-formation in the palm of your hand, it stands to reason that the personal digi-tal assistant (PDA) – a handheld mobile device that combines computing, tele-phone/fax, Internet and networking features – would make its way into the nursing workplace.

While they are currently not stan-dard in all facilities, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care recently em-barked on a $3-million PDA pilot project, which provided such devices, equipped with evidence-based practice resources, to front-line nursing staff at 31 provin-cial health care sites across the province. And research indicates that more and more nurses are making the choice to use PDAs at the bedside.

PDAs have the potential to enhance nurses’ abilities to provide timely, high quality and safe delivery of patient care, reduce errors and increase confidence and satisfaction in their professional practice by offering such information as drug reference programs, medical math calculators, medical texts and practice guidelines right at their fingertips. And while studies have shown that using PDAs could impact clinical excellence at the point of care and improve patient outcomes, and that the software is easy

generational differences in the Use of PdAs“Stop Playing at Work!”

to use, not all nurses are embracing this technology.

In its ONA-assisted research paper, From Textbooks to Texting: Addressing Issues of In-tergenerational Diversity in the Nursing Work-place, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions concluded that while younger nurs-es (dubbed “Millennials” or “Generation Xs”) will look to a blackberry and computer to find additional information on the care of a patient, a procedure or policy, as they have for the most part grown up with such technology and may have been expected to purchase PDAs and download evidence-based resources in nursing schools, more mature nurses (called “Boomers” or “Veter-ans”) may be more comfortable seeking out a manual or a paper-based source, as they were brought up to do.

Younger nurses “perceive the Boomers and Veterans as nervous about technol-ogy and reluctant to adapt to technologi-cal tools,” the report states. “On the other hand, Boomers feel that Millennials are making too much use of these tools, spend-ing far too much time on their cell phones, texting with their friends, etc.” And while it’s crucial for young nurses to understand the apprehension felt by some older nurses, it’s equally important for Boomers and Vet-erans to realize that what appears as “play-ing” on a PDA may actually be working.

“I use my iPhone all the time at work for accessing nursing information,” said ONA member and recent graduate Tyler Kuhk, who is also the former President of the Canadian Nursing Students’ As-sociation. “I use it to look up drugs, as it is usually the most convenient. I also look up diseases and drug interactions. I have encountered some situations where people think I am texting or something, but once I show them the program, they think it’s pretty cool!”

Regardless of nurses’ comfort level with and acceptance of PDAs in their practice, one thing is for certain: As tech-nology evolves, PDAs are not going to go away and will, in fact, only get better.

If you are documenting patients’ health records using a PDA, remember you must follow the College of Nurses of Ontario’s practice document, Documentation Re-vised 2008, available at www.cno.org/publications.


Front Lines June 2010

Documents

Transcript of Front Lines June 2010