ONA President to Speak in Toronto. Ontario Nurses' Association, April 27, 2007 Toronto - The 53,000 members of the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) will join thousands of other Ontarians today in marking the Annual Day of Mourning. ONA members - registered nurses and allied health care professionals - will participate in a variety of activities to honour those who died on the job. ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN, will speak at a gathering at Larry Sefton Parkette in Toronto (Bay and Hagerman Streets, immediately behind Toronto City Hall) at noon. "Front-line nurses continue to be the most ill and injured profession in this province," notes ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN. "I will join others in remembering the colleagues we have lost on the job - recently to SARS and one to workplace violence." ... Ontario

Lisa Queen, Scarborough Mirror, April 26, 2007

Proposed provincial legislation fails to protect front-line healthcare workers, among the most vulnerable casualties during the severe acute respiratory syndrome crisis four years ago, one of Ontario's top nurses complains.

"This is a major glitch in the legislation," Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) president Linda Haslam-Stroud said.

"If we do not have all the appropriate precautions in place, there is a great potential we will not be protecting (health) workers so yes, there could potentially be an outbreak of a new disease."

Haslam-Stroud said the proposed Health Systems Improvement Act ignores key recommendations of Justice Archie Campbell's task force on SARS.

Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, April 26, 2007 Toronto - The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is appearing before the Standing Committee on the Legislative Assembly today to urge all parties to support Bill 164. The bill entitled "Recognizing a Fundamental Right: The Community Right to Know Act would strengthen the public's right to know about potential hazards in consumer products and provide better access to information about toxins and pollutants. "RNs are engaged in health promotion, disease prevention, and illness care. Our goal is to keep Ontarians healthy and care for them when they are sick and that's why we are speaking out about the environment," says RNAO President Mary Ferguson-Paré. ... Nurses

Henry Bury, Belleville Intelligencer, April 25, 2007

Picton – A critical nursing shortage has prompted Quinte Health Care to offer financial incentives to attract new registered nurses.

Its board of directors adopted the incentive program at the monthly meeting Wednesday at the Prince Edward Masonic building here.

Registered nurses who join QHC in a clinical nursing position, such as the intensive care unit, will now be eligible for a $5,000 incentive, paid over two years.

As well, any staff member at QHC can receive a $500 bonus for referring a clinical registered nurse candidate that successfully leads to a new hire.

“These new incentives are part of the aggressive recruitment and retention strategies that Quinte Health Care is undertaking to ensure we can meet the needs of our communities today and in the future,“ said CEO Bruce Laughton.

Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, April 24, 2007 Toronto - Ontario nurses will honour one of their own tomorrow during a launch to promote the publication of a new book called The Making Of A Nurse. The book, written by RN Tilda Shalof, tracks her journey from the time she was a child taking care of her sick parents to her current position on an Intensive Care Unit team in one of Ontario's largest hospitals. Shalof says her experience as a caregiver was her introduction to the profession. She describes the book as an honest account of life in a hospital and the events that have shaped her vision of nursing over 25 years working in three different countries. ... RN

ONA Says Bill 171 Threatens Nurses' Privacy, Ignores SARS Key Recommendations. Ontario Nurses' Association, April 23, 2007 Toronto - Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) 1st Vice-President Vicki McKenna, RN, will make a submission to the Standing Committee on Social Policy today regarding front-line nurses' concerns with Bill 171 - the Health Systems Improvement Act, 2006. McKenna will tell the Standing Committee that the proposed legislation ignores key recommendations in Justice Archie Campbell's final report on SARS - to expressly adopt the precautionary principle in the Health Protection and Promotion Act, as well as all relevant health statutes, and to integrate worker health and safety into the new Ontario agency for health protection and promotion. ... Front-Line

Premier Praises Progress Made To Speed Up Access To Care, Build A Stronger Health Care System. Office of the Premier of Ontario, April 20, 2007 Markham - Premier Dalton McGuinty today thanked nurses for working hard to improve care and build a stronger health care system for Ontario families. "Nurses are the very heart and soul of our health care system," said Premier McGuinty. "Your strength, passion and commitment are what set you apart from nearly every other profession." In a major speech to the 82nd Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario's Annual General Meeting, Premier McGuinty highlighted the government's support for nurses, including ... McGuinty

Canada's health-care system provides best care. Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, April 18, 2007 Toronto - Ontario's nurses are welcoming new evidence that compares the American and Canadian health-care systems. They say the evidence should raise a red flag to those in this country who believe there's nothing wrong with for-profit delivery. "This study adds to the solid body of evidence that shows our single-payer, not-for-profit health-care system provides good quality, efficient health care for all Canadians," says Mary Ferguson-Paré, President of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO). "It confirms for all Canadians that moving to a parallel, for-profit system will worsen any problems we currently have." ... Ontario

Ontario Nurses' Association, March 29, 2007 Toronto - Case managers and placement coordinators employed by the South West Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) have voted to make the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) their union. "We are thrilled that the professionals of the CCACs have recognized the high-quality services that our union provides," says ONA 1st Vice-President Vicki McKenna, RN. "ONA has always prided itself on representing health-care workers in all sectors, and in fact, case managers are among the founders of our union. We look forward to continuing to serve our current members and welcome our newest members. We're sure they will find ONA membership to be of value now and in future." ONA representative Caroline McWhinney says she looks forward to working with her peers across the south west following this historic vote. ... South

Heidi Ulrichsen, Northern Life, February 19, 2007 Instead of implementing real solutions to the city's health-care crisis, the board and administration of Sudbury Regional Hospital are putting “a band-aid on top of a band-aid on top of a band-aid,” says the president of the Ontario Nurses Association Local 013. “There's nothing concrete that we see and I guess that's frustrating on the part of the nurses,” says Ann Kennealy. “We don't see any end in sight and we don't feel that even when we move into the one-site (hospital) any of the problems are going to be solved.” ... President

Health and Safety Breaches Grievances Result in Steps to Improve Safety. Ontario Nurses' Association, February 13, 2007 Toronto - After lengthy negotiations, the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) and North Bay General Hospital have reached a settlement on a number of health and safety grievances filed in 2003. "It has been a very long process, but ONA believes the measures included in this settlement will help to improve the health and safety of all the staff of North Bay General Hospital," says ONA President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN. "Keeping registered nurses safe from workplace injury, illness and violence continues to be a top priority for this union, and we think this agreement goes a long way to improving awareness of the issue throughout North Bay General Hospital." ... Ontario

Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, January 24, 2007 Toronto - As Ontario's politicians prepare to face voters this year, more than 100 registered nurses are heading to Queen's Park to share their views on issues that promise to criss-cross the campaign trail, including health care, poverty and the environment. Mary Ferguson-Paré, President of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), says nurses are in a unique position to see how government policies - from income distribution and minimum wage levels, to social assistance rates and environmental protection - affect Ontarians everyday. ... Ontario

Long-Term Care Legislation Must Include Staffing & Care Standards. Ontario Nurses' Association, January 17, 2007 Toronto - Front-line registered nurses (RNs) believe the government's new Long-Term Care Act must include minimum staffing levels to improve resident care and prevent another tragedy like the Casa Verde nursing home murders. Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN, will make a presentation to the Standing Committee on Bill 140 this afternoon at Queen's Park that recommends the government amend the bill to add minimum staffing standards and other provisions to improve care. ... Ontario

J. Douglas Bell, MD, Dundas, Hamilton Spectator, January 15, 2007 Re: 'Not enough SARS protection' (Jan. 10) Justice Archie Campbell's final report on the mishandling of the 2003 SARS outbreak in this province will make for interesting analysis, discussion, and, hopefully, practical solutions for future crises in public health. The point I wish to emphasize at this juncture is the recognition of the nursing profession. Unquestionably, they performed their duties with distinction and with a pride in themselves and their profession well beyond that which could have reasonably been expected. As a colleague, I salute them. J. Douglas Bell is a retired family physician. Contents copyright 1991-2005, The Hamilton Spectator. All rights reserved.

Joanna Frketich, Hamilton Spectator, December 2, 2006 Hamilton Health Sciences is looking into using electronic tracking to monitor its employees. The Privacy Commissioner of Canada has been asked to give an opinion on using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags to track the whereabouts of staff and certain patients. "At this point, do we have plans to do it? No," said Bill MacLeod, vice-president of research at Hamilton Health Sciences. "I can't say we're never doing it because the technology has that potential." ... Nurses