Ontario Nurses’ Association

ONA is taking a major step to challenge legislation that denies nurses and health-care professionals working in hospitals & long-term care meaningful collective bargaining rights and the ability to strike. #onpoli #onlab #fightlocal More: https://ona.org/news/20260901-hldaa-notice-of-application/

ONA is demanding answers from the Ford government and Health Minister Sylvia Jones following the announcement that St. Joseph's Health Care London is cutting more than 120 registered nurses (RNs). Full release: https://ona.org/news/20261016-st-josephs-london-cuts/ #onpoli #onhealth #fightlocal

Ontario's emergency departments are in deep crisis due to understaffing & chronic underfunding, and Ford's latest “action team” will only make matters worse, says ONA President Erin Ariss, RN. More: https://ona.org/news/20261008-emergency-department-understaffing/ #onpoli #onhealth #fightlocal

Ford's plans to shift towards health care privatization is costing Ontarians more money and time! https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/how-doug-ford-s-health-plan-costs-taxpayers-billions-and-privatization-is-making-it-fail/article_46cdf5e5-41c3-4585-96b6-bf5927027078.html #onpoli #onhealth

It's National Occupational Therapy month, a time to recognize the important work occupational therapists do in helping Canadians overcome physical, mental and cognitive barriers. Learn more about the importance of this month: https://www.ona.org/news-posts/national-ot-month/ #OTMonth

Today is the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation in Canada. We urge members, staff and allies to take this opportunity to learn about and reflect on our past and how we can meaningfully participate in reconciliation in Canada. Learn more: https://ona.org/news/ndtr/ 🎨 by Hawlii Pichette #NDTR

Today is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: a time to recognize the intergenerational harm that residential schools caused to Indigenous families & communities, and to honour those affected by this injustice. More: https://ona.org/news/ndtr/ 🎨 by Hawlii Pichette #TruthAndReconcilliation

16 Sept

ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss isn’t one to miss an opportunity. Especially when he’s staring her right in the face. Read the full article: https://onamag.org/fuse/hallway-politics/informing-ford/

15 Sept

RNs & NPs, members of ONA, are entering conciliation tomorrow to reach a fair new contract with employer, Guelph Community Health Centre, so they can continue providing primary care services to 1000s of patients in their community. Full release: https://ona.org/news/20260915-guelph-chc-conciliation/

7 Sept

Labour Day falls on the first Monday in September. While many Canadians may think of Labour Day as the unofficial end to the summer, it is actually a day of great significance for the labour movement and workers' rights. Learn more: https://ona.org/news/labour-day/

3 Sept

ONA is raising serious safety concerns about more than 215 registered nurse (RN) positions cut across Ontario hospitals in the past two months alone. #onpoli #onlab #onhealth See the full release: https://ona.org/news/20260903-hospital-rn-cuts/

(10/11) “As Ontario faces unprecedented challenges, nurses and health-care professionals are fighting to restore our constitutional rights and our collective bargaining power.”

(11/11) The Charter challenge will proceed to a court hearing, which will soon be scheduled, where ONA will present evidence supporting its application. Affidavits from Ariss, front-line ONA members and expert witnesses will be filed as evidence. #onpoli #onlab #fightlocal

(8/11) An arbitration decision released earlier this month largely maintained the status quo for more than 4,000 nurses and health-care professionals who care for vulnerable residents in for-profit nursing homes.

(9/11) Nurses and health-care professionals in most of Canada have some ability to take job action, including strike action, while maintaining essential patient care.

(6/11) "That hurts our members, hurts patients and hurts our public health-care system,” said Erin Ariss, RN, ONA Provincial President. The failures of HLDAA were on full display during provincial bargaining between ONA and 210 for-profit nursing homes corporations earlier this year.

(7/11) Rather than meaningfully negotiate a settlement, nursing homes CEOs relied on an arbitrator to decide the outcome. "When employers rely on arbitrators to impose contracts, that is not meaningful collective bargaining. It is exactly why this system needs to change," says Ariss.

(4/11) The Notice of Application names the Attorney General of Ontario, the Minister of Labour, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Long-Term Care as respondents.

(5/11) “HLDAA has created a system where employers can sidestep meaningful collective bargaining, leaving nurses and health-care professionals without the power to negotiate improvements to the working conditions they face every day....

(2/11) ONA moved its Charter challenge forward by filing a Notice of Application[KR1.1][TB1.2] to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice challenging the Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act (HLDAA), a 1965 law that imposes one of the most restrictive labour relations regimes in the world.

(3/11) Enacted before the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms existed, HLDAA imposes a ban on job action for more than 90 per cent of Ontario's health-care workers, the vast majority of whom are women.

28 Aug

In their 30 years of nursing experience, this member has never seen their long-term care home so short staffed, and there's no help coming from management! Read their vent: https://onamag.org/fight/the-vent/suffering/ Submit your own: https://onamag.org/contact/ #onhealth #onlab #fightlocal

26 Aug

RNs, NPs and health-care professionals at Haldimand Family Health Team have voted to join the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA), using their collective voice to improve their working conditions and care for all Ontarians. Full release: https://ona.org/news/20260826-haldimand-family-health-joins/

19 Aug

Today Registered Nurses from ONA, joined other health-care workers from the OPSEU and CUPE Ontario today at a rally to protest large staffing cuts at Queensway Carleton Hospital and Foundation (QCH). Read more: https://ona.org/news/20260819-queensway-carleton-cuts/ #onpoli #onlab #onhealth

18 Aug

The latest arbitration decision released for RNs, RPNs & health-care professionals working in Ontario's for-profit nursing homes is more evidence that the system is broken and should be scrapped! Read more: https://ona.org/news/20260818-nursing-homes-arbitration-decision/ #onlab #onpoli #onhealth

12 Aug

ONA has now received the arbitration decision of William Kaplan between ONA and the Participating Nursing Homes and will be reviewing the decision with members on Tuesday, August 18 from 5:00-7:00 pm ET. For more details and to register: https://ona.org/bargaining-updates/#nursing

11 Aug

RNs, RPNs and PSWs providing care to patients of Marigold Hospice Care have voted to join ONA and its 68,000 members as they fight for improved working conditions and better care for their patients. Read our full media release:

5 Aug

For Ontario Health atHome members, collective bargaining starts in late fall 2026, so now is the time to get together with other members to discuss issues, strategize and make a plan to win a great contract. Register now for your regional meeting: https://ona.org/news/ohah-regional-forums/

30 July

29 July

Today, nurses at Brant Community Healthcare System delivered a banner calling on the CEO to reverse 21 RN position cuts and to maintain RN-only levels of care in the Critical Care Unit (CCU) and Medication Clinic (MC). Full release: https://ona.org/news/20260519-brant-community-healthcare-cuts/

28 July

The ONA Retiree Network offers the opportunity for retired members to connect with other retirees and current members to take action on the issues that matter to you. Join the next advisory team meeting Sept. 11, 9:30-11 a.m. on Zoom. Learn more: https://ona.org/news/retiree-network-meeting/

24 July

LAST CALL: ONA's hospital members, today is your FINAL chance to share your priorities for your next contract in our bargaining survey! So be sure to complete your survey before end of day today, July 24: https://ona.org/news/2026-hospital-bargaining-survey/

23 July

The Vent section of ONA's F-Word digital magazine is where you share your stories of your fight and solidarity in action. In today's vent, a member questions how a pandemic-era policy became the new normal at their hospital. Read it here: https://onamag.org/fight/the-vent/new-normal/ #onhealth

22 July

Over the last week, ONA members from many Locals have attended neighbourhood events in communities like Sudbury and North Bay to talk truth about the state of health care in Ontario. See all the photos: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1522026469969851&type=3

21 July

On July 2, members of the BC Nurses' Union (BCNU) hit the picket lines to ensure everyone in their province benefits from a stronger public health-care system. How can you support their fight, and how does it affect Ontario? Findout: https://onamag.org/fuel/solidarity/striking-bc-nurses/

Ontario Nurses’ Association reposted

ONA80

@ona080.bsky.social

19 July

✅ 100+ signatures ✅ 100+ insightful conversations 👉 One message to @fordnation @ontarionurses.bsky.social & #ONA80 CALL: Stop privatization❗️ Legislate safe nurse-to-patient ratios❗️ Safe nurse-to-patient ratios = Safe patient care #Onpoli #ONHealth #FIGHTLOCAL

20 July

FINAL WEEK! This is a reminder to ONA's hospital members that you have until this Friday, July 24, to share your priorities for your next contract in our bargaining survey! Complete your survey today: https://ona.org/news/2026-hospital-bargaining-survey/

16 July

A key part of ONA's F-Word digital magazine is The Vent section, where you share your stories of your fight in action. Today, a member questions what health care management truly values in the face of mounting cuts to health-care professionals. Read it: https://onamag.org/fight/the-vent/flipside/

16 July

LAST CALL: Ontario Health atHome Members, today is your final chance to tell us your priorities for your first collective agreement! Take the survey: https://ona.org/news/2026-ohah-bargaining-survey/ For the smoothest experience, we recommend completing your survey on a laptop or desktop computer.

15 July

In February 2022, a member we’ll call Terry (not their real name) tested positive for COVID. The WSIB agreed it was related to work and paid them loss of earnings. But their story didn't end there: https://onamag.org/fuse/rights/long-covid-win/

13 July

FINAL WEEK: Ontario Health atHome Members, you have until this Thursday, July 16, to tell us your priorities for your first collective agreement! https://ona.org/news/2026-ohah-bargaining-survey/ For the smoothest experience, we recommend completing your survey on a laptop or desktop computer.

10 July

ONA has been tracking the cuts to registered nurses (RNs), nurse practitioners and health-care professionals from Ontario health-care facilities, and we're sounding the alarm on a tsunami of new cuts! Watch the full video here: https://sprout.link/ontario.nurses/ #onpoli #onlab #fightlocal

10 July

A key part of ONA's F-Word digital magazine is The Vent section, where you share your stories of your fight in action. Today, a member shares their opinion of colleagues who complain that their union "does nothing." Read it here: https://onamag.org/fight/the-vent/fcked/

8 July

ONA is sounding the alarm on a tsunami of new cuts from across the province that will worsen working conditions and leave patients in a number of communities with less care. More at https://bit.ly/4h0oBTp

6 July

Since Feb 2026, ONA members have submitted 8,540 petition signatures to the Ontario Legislative Assembly, calling on Ford to mandate safe staffing ratios. We finally got his response. Demand safe staffing ratios: https://ona.org/campaign/health-care-for-all/#action #onpoli #onlab #fightlocal

6 July

Registered nurses and registered practical nurses working to provide high-quality primary care to patients at Unison Health and Community Services have voted overwhelmingly to join ONA. See the full release: https://ona.org/news/20260703-unison-joins/

1 July

The Vent section of F-Word is where you share your stories of your fight and solidarity in action. A member shares how their employer will boast about all the great things they're prioritizing, only to miss issues critical to patient care: https://onamag.org/fight/the-vent/atrocious/

30 June

ONA, tracking the latest round of cuts to nurses and health-care professionals from Ontario health-care facilities, says that Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre has cut 12 nurse positions, leaving patients with less care. Read the full release: https://ona.org/news/20260629-royal-victoria-cuts/

26 June

Ontario's home-care system is being pushed to the brink, as the province's lowest-paid nurses head into conciliation demanding fair wages, safer working conditions and respect for the essential care they provide. See the full release: https://ona.org/news/20260626-von-conciliation/