Lauren Gilchrist, Lindsay This Week, February 23, 2006

In an attempt to balance its budget, the local hospital is laying off 21 registered practical nurses and four registered nurses.

Hospital board members approved the move at a board meeting Wednesday night.

Even with these changes, the hospital still faces a $1.1 million deficit this fiscal year and a projected $4.4 million deficit next year.

At this time, there will be no loss of beds or cuts to services. ... Nurses

Heather Ennis, Brampton Guardian, February 19, 2006

The provincial government is banking on the fact that providing more training opportunities for Ontario nurses will help keep them here and lead to better care for patients.

"The knowledge, skills and compassion nurses bring to our health care system are absolutely critical," said Minister of Health George Smitherman while announcing $40-million trust fund to pay for nurses to get the additional education and training necessary to advance their careers. ... Nurses

Canadian Press, February 6 2006

Nurses who want to upgrade their skills may qualify for free training under a government program designed to fill 100 vacant nurse-practitioner jobs across the province.

Registered nurses living within 100 kilometres of communities where there has been a vacancy for a year or more will be paid up to $110,000 to cover their lost salary and any fees or other education costs incurred while they leave work to train to be a nurse practitioner.

They will be required to work at least two years in the community that sponsors them, Health Minister George Smitherman said at a news conference. ... Ontario

Heidi Ulrichsen, Northern Life, February 3, 2006

Sudbury Regional Hospital is attempting to fight off a nursing shortage by encouraging young nursing school grads to fill dozens of positions that will be left vacant by their baby boomer colleagues in the next few years.

“The average age of our nurses is between 40 and 45, and we do have a number of key retirements coming up in the next few years, and we will start to see that impact,” says SRH chief nursing officer David McNeil, who sent out a press release this week encouraging young nurses to work in Sudbury. ... Nurses

John Miner, London Free Press, February 2, 2006

Nurses are frustrated and looking for a way out of the profession in the wake of the announcement by London hospitals that 117 full-time and part-time jobs are being eliminated.

"It makes for a very frustrated, disheartened workforce," said Dawn Blenkhorn-Bax, local co-ordinator of Ontario Nurses Association Local 100, representing about 1,600 London nurses, allied health-care, blood services and nursing home employees.

Many of the 117 cuts will be done by not filling current vacancies and through attrition. Blenkhorn-Bax said it remains unclear if any nurses will be handed layoff notices. ... Job

Ontario Nurses' Association, January 30, 2006

Toronto - Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN said today that the Ontario government's proposed Local Health System Integration Act is a recipe for the erosion of health care, the promotion of privatization and the creation of health care chaos.

"While ONA believes that effective integration is fundamental to health care reform," says Haslam-Stroud, "Bill 36 does not protect access to, nor delivery of, quality comprehensive health care for Ontarians." ... ONA

Ron Slater, Parry Sound, Parry Sound North Star, December 21, 2005

Without any requests from my daughters, both of whom are senior nurses in Ontario, I am displaying on my car bumper a message from the Ontario Nurses Association. “Still not enough nurses - act now patients can’t wait.” The real work of addressing the concerns of registered nurses is their recruitment, their working conditions and their overall responsibilities, which has to come from the government.

In my experience it is not only about salaries and related matters, but also some degree of appreciation and acknowledgement of worth. ... Safety

CP, December 15, 2005

Ontario’s Labour Ministry should investigate the brutal murder of a nurse at a southwestern Ontario hospital to prevent such workplace violence from happening again, the Ontario Nurses’ Association said today.

Nurses also want an inquest into the stabbing death of nurse Lori Dupont, who was attacked by a colleague and former lover in the recovery room of Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital while stunned colleagues worked nearby. ... Nurses

Ontario Nurses' Association, December 15, 2005

Toronto - The Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) is calling for a Ministry of Labour investigation into the workplace murder of member Lori Dupont, RN. Dupont was stabbed to death by a co-worker - an anesthetist - while working in Windsor's Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital last month. ONA is mystified as to why the Ministry of Labour has not begun to carry out a fatality investigation. ... Ontario

Ontario Nurses' Association, December 14, 2005

Toronto - Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) President Linda Haslam-Stroud, RN will call for an immediate and full investigation into nurse Lori Dupont's workplace murder.

Haslam-Stroud will speak about the many unanswered questions about Lori's death. She will be joined by Fatima Hage, RN, ONA bargaining unit president at Hotel-Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor, and a colleague of Lori's. ... Ontario

Toronto Star, December 5, 2005

Canadians mark tomorrow as a national day of remembrance and day of action on violence against women. This year's remembrance ceremonies will be particularly poignant and painful for Ontario's registered nurses.

Not only are nurses three times more likely to suffer violence in the workplace than any other professional group, but they are mourning the loss of two registered nurses, both of whom died in violent attacks this year. ... Nurses

Peggy Chapman, Dundas Star News, December 2, 2005

The need for nurses in this province is a pressure hospitals are trying to cope with everyday - especially when it comes to geriatric care. Hamilton is no exception.

As the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) works on filling the gaps through training and increased staffing in hospitals, Hamilton feared losing one of the most needed registered nurses at St. Peter's Hospital. ... The mother of four young children, and RN at St. Peter's, thought she was facing possible deportation back to her native land of Uganda. ... Future

Sudbury hospital privatization another blow to public health care, nurses say.
David Helwig, SooToday.com, December 1, 2005

Sudbury - The government's decision to privately finance Sudbury Regional Hospital's capital construction project is setting off alarm bells among front-line caregivers.

"Alternative Financing and Procurement is just another expression for privatization," said Ann Kennealy, Local 13 Bargaining Unit President of the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA).

"Sudbury Regional Hospital is in great financial health now, with a $1.5-million budgetary surplus in 2005," she noted. ... Nurses

mykawartha.com, November 18, 2005

The provincial government is working to improve the education of nurses by investing $355,200 for Trent University and Sir Sandford Fleming College to purchase clinical simulation equipment.

Local MPP Jeff Leal made that announcement Wednesday on behalf of George Smitherman, the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. The funding is part of $10 million being provided to nursing schools across the province. ... $s

LaSalute.net, November 18, 2005

Toronto - Nursing students got $10 million in funding for state-of-the-art training dummies Wednesday but the Ontario Nurses Association suggested it's the province's health minister that's the dummy. The association, which has long complained about shortages of full-time nurses and hectic working conditions, said the money would be far better spent on hiring more nurses. ... Funding