04/10/2022
We are very excited to have Ellen presenting on Indigenous Midwifery on Friday, October 14th. Ellen will also be part of the Advancing Leadership panel discussion following immediately after her presentation.
Ellen Kanika Tsi Tsa Blais is from the Oneida Nation of the Thames. As an Indigenous adoptee, Ellen believes in the reclamation, resurgence and revitalization of Indigenous midwifery including birth practices and ceremony as integral to the health of Indigenous communities and nations.
Ellen graduated from the midwifery program at Ryerson University in 2006. She currently works as the Director, Indigenous Midwifery at the Association of Ontario Midwives. The Indigenous midwifery team at the AOM focuses on the call from Indigenous communities to “Bring Birth Home!” Under her leadership, Ontario now has over 9 Indigenous midwifery programs core funded by the Ministry of Health to serve Indigenous communities, in remote, rural and urban locations. https://www.ontariomidwives.ca/bring-birth-home-indigenous-midwifery-summit-report
Ellen is the former National Co- Chair for the National Aboriginal Council of Midwives (NACM) and is currently a member of the core leadership.
Ellen is also the co- founder of Seventh Generation Midwives of Toronto, the first midwifery practice in Ontario to focus on providing midwifery services to a midwifery practice with an Indigenous focus and is a board member of the Toronto Birth Centre.
Ellen has worked at the Ministry of Health (Toronto Central LHIN) where she was the Indigenous Health lead and co-created the inaugural Toronto Indigenous Health Strategy and Toronto Indigenous Health Advisory Circle with Toronto Public Health. For that work, she received the City of Toronto, City Managers Award. The City Manager’s Awards of Excellence are the highest form of recognition for outstanding achievement by the Toronto Public Service. The Awards are presented to divisions, program areas, service providers and/or project offices that have achieved a high and measurable standard of excellence.https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/9457-tph-tihac-health-strategy-2016-2021.pdf
Ellen is passionate about creating policy changes to support the growth of Indigenous midwifery and midwives in community. She has fought to support the inclusion of Indigenous midwives who work under the exception clause in Ontario to be provided with billing numbers. She is also an advocate for equity and Indigenous led governance processes for the Ministry of Health in Ontario through her work at the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access advisory group. Most recently, Ellen was awarded with the Inaugural Jack Layton Indigenous Leadership Award https://www.ontariomidwives.ca/ellen-blais-receives-inaugural-layton-indigenous-leadership-award
Ellen Blais receives inaugural Layton Indigenous Leadership Award May 6, 2022 Media Release TORONTO: On May 11, 2022, at 1:00pm at the Native Canadian Centre, Indigenous midwife Ellen Blais will be awarded the inaugural Layton Indigenous Leadership Award. "Through this award, we carry on Jack's lega...
