Life and Death Matters

02/27/2026

Today I read a fabulous article titled "Beyond Public and Private" addressing the ongoing discussions that seem to segregate and challenge the differences between public and private colleges, community and regulated colleges.

Ted and I have been so fortunate to work with educators from many colleges in the past twenty years. We have been impressed and inspired by leaders who care, who strive to provide the best education. We have found excellence in both public and private education.

This is a great article addressing the need for practical education, and the reality that we are all in the same ecosystem.

Thanks Jasreen!

I read our Minister’s Honourable Myles McDougall, BA(Econ), MBA, ECA remarks at NAIT’s trades event and Michael Sangster comments on employment outcomes for career colleges. Both were speaking to workforce demand and both were correct in their own way.

02/27/2026

As Black History Month comes to a close, our President, Tiara Sisson, invites us to take a moment to reflect on how Life and Death Matters has marked this significant month. She also calls on us to honour the history, leadership, and contributions of Black individuals and communities, while acknowledging the inequities that continue to shape health and carers’ experiences today.

This reflection doesn’t end with the month. It’s part of an ongoing commitment to equity, cultural safety, and compassionate support for people living with serious illness and those at the end of life.

02/26/2026

Our theme this month has been Caring While Black — and the stories shared by Yinka Oladele and Donna Lawrence bring the realities of that experience into sharp focus.

Every day, Black clinicians and caregivers navigate culturally unsafe systems, microaggressions, and disproportionate scrutiny all while continuing to care with compassion and integrity. Their experiences aren’t isolated. They reflect persistent patterns across the health system that create chronic stress, emotional exhaustion, and barriers to equitable care.

In our latest blog, we not only witness these truths, we also share what culturally safe palliative care must look like and the actions needed to build a system where we all feel safe, included and seen.

Read the full blog: Link in comments

02/25/2026

🌿 Recognize Excellence: Nominate a PSW Making a Difference

Nominations are open for The Life and Death Matters Frances Montgomery Personal Support Worker Hospice Palliative Care Award.

This award is looking for PSWs who demonstrate:
💛 Excellence in hospice palliative care or integrating a palliative approach in any setting
💛 Invaluable contributions as essential members of the care team
💛 Commitment to advancing quality hospice palliative care in Ontario

The award winner receives a $1,500 scholarship package, including:
⭐ Full registration to the HPCO Annual Conference, with travel and accommodation covered
⭐ Formal celebration at the conference
⭐ A one‑year HPCO membership
(The scholarship is a complete, non‑transferable package.)

Nominate someone who deserves to be recognized: Link in comments

ward

02/24/2026

If you missed our recent Life and Death Matters webinar, Caring While Black: Lived Experiences in Canadian Palliative Care, you can now watch the full session online.

It’s an important conversation about equity, lived experience, and the realities of care.

Catch up here: https://f.mtr.cool/puzqcfjrzx

02/21/2026

🌍 International Mother Language Day

Today we honour the power of mother languages — the first words that root us in identity and community. In Canada, this day carries deep meaning as Indigenous languages continue to be revitalized despite generations of suppression.

At Life & Death Matters, we believe language is central to dignity in care. When people can learn, speak, and receive care in their mother language, they feel seen, respected, and understood. For First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples, language revitalization is healing and an act of cultural strength.

We stand with communities working to protect and pass on their languages.

02/20/2026

🌍 World Day of Social Justice

Today we stand with the global call for dignity, fairness, and equal opportunity. Social justice means challenging the barriers that create exclusion, poverty, and inequity — and building systems that protect and uplift everyone.

At Life & Death Matters, our work is rooted in the belief that every person deserves equitable, compassionate, and culturally safe care. Social justice in healthcare means seeing the whole person, honouring their story, and ensuring that access to quality palliative care is not determined by geography, income, identity, or circumstance.

Social justice in healthcare include the workplace. PSWs, nurses, and educators deserve fair wages, safe working conditions, equal recognition — and access to inclusive education that supports their growth and wellbeing.

02/19/2026

The CPCNA Awards are now open — a chance to honour the palliative care nurses whose compassion and expertise make such a difference across Canada.

Two awards are now accepting nominations:
- The CPCNA Leadership Award
- The CPCNA Lifetime Achievement Award

If you know a nurse or nurse practitioner who has made an outstanding contribution to palliative care, palliative care nursing and/or the CPCNA, now’s the time to recognize them.

Nominations close March 15, 2026.

🔗 Learn more on the CPCNA website (link in comments)

02/18/2026

Happening tomorrow!

No Fixed Address: The White Cart Memorial comes to Victoria on February 19 — a powerful documentary honouring the grief, love, and community of people experiencing homelessness.

The film shines a light on how loss is carried and witnessed when someone has no fixed address, and why compassionate, community‑held memorials matter. After the screening, a panel of filmmakers and grief practitioners will deepen the conversation.

Free event, registration required.

More details: Link in comments.

02/17/2026

Black excellence in palliative care deserves to be celebrated — and so does the truth about the racism Black clinicians and caregivers continue to face.

In her new blog, Donna Lawrence, RN, Nurse Educator, and Director of Care reflects on the powerful leadership of Black caregivers across Canada, what makes caregiving in palliative care so sacred, and the realities of racism that she has faced on the job.

Donna considers reporting racism and concludes that: It should never fall on the harmed person to prove racism as it compounds the trauma. A just approach asks instead "How do we demonstrate that racism is not present?”

Her reflections are honest and essential reading for anyone committed to creating care environments where safety, dignity, and belonging are the norm.

👉 Read Donna’s full blog: Link in comments

02/16/2026

🚨Starting today 4pm EST / 1PM PST!

Join us for "Caring While Black: Lived Experiences in Canadian Palliative Care" — a powerful conversation with Black clinicians and caregivers who are naming the realities, the resilience, and the quiet leadership behind “Caring While Black.”

If you care about culturally safe palliative care, equity, and the truth of lived experience, you won’t want to miss this.

👉 Register and join us: Link in comments

Come learn, listen, and be part of the change.

02/15/2026

Continuing our reflections, we’re honoured to spotlight Yinka Oladele — a Canadian counsellor, caregiver, entrepreneur, and community leader advancing culturally responsive palliative care, cancer support, and mental health equity for Black communities.

On February 16th, Yinka will join Donna Lawrence and Maria Panzera Rugg for our FREE webinar, Caring While Black: Lived Experiences in Canadian Palliative Care, where together they’ll explore the realities Black clinicians and caregivers face, and what meaningful allyship and systemic change must look like.

👉 Webinar link in comments