Ontario Nurses' Association

Ontario Nurses' Association We are 68,000 nurses and health-care professionals, and 18,000 nursing students. Stay in the Fight. And fight like a nurse.

Founded in 1973, the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) is the trade union that represents 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals and 18,000 nursing students providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry. This page is a space for members and the public to learn more about ONA, our work and advocacy. Constructive, respectful, and relevant discussion is encouraged. ONA is not responsible for content posted to this page by members of the public, but we reserve the right to moderate all posts and comments according to the following guidelines. Comments that contain any of the following will be deleted:

• Sexist, racist, homophobic or otherwise prejudiced or discriminatory language;
• Profanity or language deemed to be offensive;
• Personal attacks;
• False or defamatory statements or reports;
• Disclosure of others’ private information;
• Content deemed to be spam;
• Expressions of support for or against a particular candidate or slate in union elections. Users who post the above prohibited comments one or more times may be banned from ONA’s page. We will not tolerate harassment, discrimination or otherwise abusive conduct. We are committed to maintaining the integrity of our online space for users.

Each February, ONA celebrates Black History/Black Futures Month and honours Black Canadians whose achievements have shap...
02/21/2026

Each February, ONA celebrates Black History/Black Futures Month and honours Black Canadians whose achievements have shaped who we are today.

Check the ONA website for more information on the vital role Black health-care workers have played in the history of health care in Canada, as well as a listing of upcoming Black History/Black Futures Month events.

https://ona.org/news/black-history-black-futures-month/

Are you a Grand Erie Public Health health-care professional looking for more information about why ONA is the best union...
02/20/2026

Are you a Grand Erie Public Health health-care professional looking for more information about why ONA is the best union for you?

Join our virtual Town Hall on Monday, February 23, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., to hear from ONA representatives, ask questions and get the info you need to make an informed vote on Feb 26 and 27.

Registration is limited so sign up today to ensure your participation: https://ona.zoom.us/meeting/register/aTjGg01XSL2nz0KbYpb7kg #/registration

In his recent announcement about changes to OSAP, encouraged Ontario's students to go into in-demand fields, like healt...
02/19/2026

In his recent announcement about changes to OSAP, encouraged Ontario's students to go into in-demand fields, like health care. However, his cuts could well threaten the pipeline of new medical students precisely at a time when the province needs them most.

When asked about the impact this will have on new health-care professionals, ONA President Erin Ariss, RN, shared the following:

"Nursing students have a very heavy workload. Many of them can't work a part time or a full time job in addition to their education. They are strapped financially. They are stuggling already. And many of them rely on OSAP."

See the full story at our link in bio: https://sprout.link/ontario.nurses/

Yesterday ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN, spoke at a Queen's Park media conference hosted by Ontario NDP. She c...
02/18/2026

Yesterday ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN, spoke at a Queen's Park media conference hosted by Ontario NDP. She called attention to recent Ontario’s independent Financial Accountability Office reporting warning of a $10.7 billion shortfall in health care funding by 2027-28 if the FordNation government continues on its current path of cuts and underfunding.

Health-care professionals in Ontario already work under unsafe and unmanageable conditions, where they are constantly understaffed and as a result, face violence in their workplaces every day. This projected shortfall in funding will mean still fewer funded hospital beds, and fewer nurses and health care professionals, even as Ontario's population is increasing.

Ontario’s health-care system cannot sustain any more cuts. More than 60% of Ontario hospitals had a deficit in 2025. Some hospitals were forced to take out loans, paying millions of dollars in interest to private banks. And last year, nearly 700 front-line ONA positions were cut, further weakening our public health-care system.

In her remarks, Erin made it clear that Doug Ford's cuts are putting patients and health-care workers at risk. And she is demanding that this government invest in public health care, close the $10.7 billion funding gap, and invest in the safe staffing ratios the province needs.

“The Ontario government says they’re hiring thousands of new nurses, but I have yet to see that, especially in Northern ...
02/17/2026

“The Ontario government says they’re hiring thousands of new nurses, but I have yet to see that, especially in Northern Ontario. In fact, I’m seeing more nurses leave the profession than I’m seeing coming in.

It’s a slap in the face that male-dominated careers are being compensated more for the risks they face, while we are expected to face guns, knives and physical violence.”

It’s time to protect nurses. Make safe staffing a priority.
https://nursestalktruth.ca/

On behalf of the ONA Board of Directors, we are pleased to announce that health-care professionals at Ontario Health atH...
02/13/2026

On behalf of the ONA Board of Directors, we are pleased to announce that health-care professionals at Ontario Health atHome have voted to be represented by ONA. This is an important professional victory, and we are proud that they have chosen a union that understands health care and is prepared to stand up to tough opponents.

Two years ago, the Ford government ordered the 14 Ontario Health atHome (OHaH) branches to be merged into a single entity under Ontario Health. At that time, workers across the province were represented by several different unions. The Ontario Labour Relations Board subsequently ruled that the more than 8,000 workers would be divided into two bargaining units: a “professional” bargaining unit representing about 6,000 workers and a “clerical/support” bargaining unit representing about 2,000 workers. In the vote for the professional bargaining unit, ONA won the support of health-care professionals.

“We are incredibly proud and thrilled to have earned the trust and support of thousands of Ontario Health atHome health-care professionals,” said Erin Ariss, ONA Provincial President. “OHaH staff were clear about what they wanted: a union with a proven record of winning strong wages, delivering results at the bargaining table, and showing up in workplaces to fight for members.”

To read the full media release please visit the link below: https://ona.org/news/20260213-ohah-healthcare-vote/

In health-care organizations, “sustainability” is often presented as a neutral and rational criterion – an objective sta...
02/12/2026

In health-care organizations, “sustainability” is often presented as a neutral and rational criterion – an objective standard used to decide which initiatives continue and which are quietly withdrawn.

In practice, sustainability is rarely neutral. It’s shaped by decisions about who holds responsibility, who provides labour and who controls recognition.

The following article, written by an RN member of ONA who we’re keeping anonymous, examines nurse-led recognition initiatives through a nursing inquiry lens, focusing on sustainability, accountability and power dynamics in health-care workplaces.

Read the full article: https://onamag.org/fight/stories-from-the-streets/silencing-tool/

Registered nurses working to provide high-quality care to those at Crown Ridge Place Long-Term Care voted unanimously to...
02/12/2026

Registered nurses working to provide high-quality care to those at Crown Ridge Place Long-Term Care voted unanimously to join ONA recently.

“These registered nurses care deeply about their residents and have voted to strengthen the power of their advocacy by joining Canada’s largest nurses’ union. We welcome them to ONA and look forward to working with them to fight for the respect they so deserve,” notes ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN.

Ariss says that along with so many other nurses and health-care professionals, the new Crown Ridge Place Long-Term Care ONA members are deeply concerned about having a say in working conditions and are seeking improved transparency from their employer.

“By joining with ONA’s more than 68,000 members, these nurses will have the support to raise their collective voices to improve their working conditions – and especially their ability to provide the best care possible. We welcome them and look forward to supporting them in their fight.”

See the full media release: https://ona.org/news/20260205-crown-ridge-joins/

“The fear of going to work is actually an anxiety that takes a lot of energy out of you. That leads to burnout – it’s a...
02/11/2026

“The fear of going to work is actually an anxiety that takes a lot of energy out of you. That leads to burnout – it’s a big reason why you see nurses leaving the profession and finding jobs that are less stressful so that they can live happier lives.”

It’s time to protect nurses.
Make safe staffing a priority.

Take action: https://nursestalktruth.ca/mailer

In this piece, we hear more from ONA's newest Vice President, John Lowe, and how he's drawing on 22 years of experience ...
02/11/2026

In this piece, we hear more from ONA's newest Vice President, John Lowe, and how he's drawing on 22 years of experience as a Registered Nurse, 10 years of experience as a Local Coordinator and two terms as a municipal councillor to represent members from ONA Region 5.

Read the full story: https://onamag.org/fuse/inside-ona/push-back-together/

Nurse practitioners, registered nurses and registered practical nurses working for Trent Hills Family Health Team in Cam...
02/10/2026

Nurse practitioners, registered nurses and registered practical nurses working for Trent Hills Family Health Team in Campbellford have overwhelmingly voted to join ONA, Canada’s largest nurses’ union.

“These dedicated and highly-skilled nurses have put their trust in us to represent them, enabling them in turn to focus on providing high-quality patient care,” says ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss, RN. “We are a powerful movement of health-care professionals committed to fighting for each other and those we care for. ONA confronts governments, administrations and other policymakers head on to fight for high-quality publicly funded and publicly delivered health care.”

As members of ONA, the nurses at Trent Hills Family Health Team join with 68,000 nurses and health-care professionals, using their collective voices to improve working conditions, fight attacks on our publicly funded and delivered health-care system and improve patient care.

“Currently, the nurses at Trent Hills Family Health Team are fighting for improved workloads and respectful wages. We welcome them to our union and will work to fight for a strong collective agreement, which they have more than deserve,” says Ariss.

See the full media release: https://ona.org/news/20260204-trent-hills-joins/

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