Our History: 1980-1989

To go directly to a specific year, select from the following:

1980 - 1981 - 1982 - 1983 - 1984 - 1985 - 1986 - 1987 - 1988 - 1989

1980

Heather Dolan, RN, is ONA's first full-time president.

Breakthrough! Bonnechere Manor, the Corporation of the County of Renfrew, is first nursing home to be awarded professional responsibility clause.
ONA's recommendation to Ministry of Colleges and Universities Committee on Clinical Education for Diploma in Nursing is accepted. Recommendations include increased emphasis on geriatrics, clinical experience in various health care agencies, student nurses to work closely with staff nurses, student selection procedure to be improved and adequate orientation to be provided.
ONA introduces Legal Expenses Assistance Plan (LEAP) to assist members with legal costs for charges under the Health Disciplines Act. Members reimbursed to a maximum of $75 per hour and 85 per cent of expenses for appeals at Divisional Court.
Malpractice coverage automatically paid through dues deductions, as is LEAP costs.
Members approve lump-sum payments to assist chartered locals in attaining financial viability.
ONA joins Ontario Federation of Labour "Coalition on Medicare" to present brief to Health Commission looking into Ontario's health care system. Coalition expresses concern at Medicare's weaknesses, including bed cutbacks and inaccessibility to medical services.
ONA and OHA sign memorandum of conditions for joint bargaining. Ninety per cent (133) of OHA hospitals participate in this round of bargaining. EROs negotiate local issues at local level.
ONA expresses concern about new Unemployment Insurance Commission regulations pertaining to minimum insurable hours and how it will affect part-time nurses.
ONA holds press conference following St. Catharines General Hospital's failure to implement Nursing Assessment Committee recommendations.
ONA comments on CNO's "Statement Three: Policy on Special Procedures for RNs, Nursing and Technical Personnel - June 1980 and Added Nursing Skills and Sanctioned Medical Acts - July 1980."
Membership surpasses 29,000.
Members vote to lobby government to accept Charter of Rights Clause proposed by Status of Women's Advisory Council.

1981

Debra Cooper-Burger, RN, is president.

ONA supports strike of Professional Association of Residents and Interns of Ontario for right to arbitration.
ONA reps attend founding meeting of National Federation of Nurses Unions, but decide not to join at that time.
Central hospital negotiations break down, conciliation fails and outstanding issues go to
Board of Arbitration. ONA and OHA present brief regarding items in dispute.
Kay Lewis named ONA's first honorary member.
ONA writes to health minister expressing concern about air and ambulance travel.
Boards of Health found legally bound to establish joint Health and Safety Committees.
ONA questions validity of government accreditation program for public health units.
ONA's Health Disciplines (Professional) Committee questions whether CNO's "Blueprint for Nurses" reflects membership desires.
Public health position paper regarding "Proposed Health Protection Act" submitted to government.
ONA conducts media campaign to increase public awareness through newspaper advertisement "Where Have All The Nurses Gone?"
ONA stages information picket to protest lengthy delay in awarding of central agreement.
ONA holds press conference re unsatisfactory settlement for crown employees.
Central award handed down: salary increases reflect a 31 per cent rise at the starting level and 29.2 per cent at maximum on seven-year level; part-time nurses given additional 2 per cent in lieu of benefits; restructuring of grievance procedure imposes strict time limits.
Board of Director terms expanded to two years.
ONA members support principle of block membership in RNAO.

1982

Ethyllynn Phillips, RN, is president.

ONA presents brief to Select Committee of Legislature on Pensions. Highlights include expansion of CPP, coverage of part-time employees, expansion of old-age security. Committee's final recommendations a great disappointment to ONA.
More than 500 notices to arbitrate are filed since the release of central award, a matter of six months.
ONA releases statement deploring deterioration in health-care system since doctors considered strike action when salary negotiations broke down. ONA accuses government of allowing two-tier system by encouraging opting out of OHIP.
RNAO members vote for block membership.
Niagara Regional Health Unit nurses' strike ends after four months with imposition of wage restraints.
Negotiations between ONA and staff union break down. ONASU strike ends after eight weeks; settlement brings 14.25 per cent salary increase.
ONA lobbies to get part-time nurses on equal footing with full-time nurses.
Lemmex Associates study clarifies roles and responsibilities of ONA staff and Board; two task forces review internal staff function and role of Board of Directors.
ONA protests Ontario wage and price controls. Inflation Restraint Act halts negotiations and arbitration procedure. Hospital nurses locked into mandatory wage restraints for maximum period of time; financial progress of majority of Association's hospitals, public health and nursing home nurses severely affected. ONA accuses government of singling out public sector as scapegoat.
Dues increase for full-time members to $30 per month or $360 annually and part-timers to $22.70 per month or $272.40 annually.

1983

Joy Leacock, RN, is president.

Provincial Standing Committee on Social Development agrees to include definition of public health nurses in Bill 138 of the proposed new Health Protection Act. ONA is granted standing before committee during clause-by-clause analysis of the bill - an unusual event at this stage.
ONA and OHA settle central collective agreement covering 141 hospitals; wage increase in October 1982 is 9 per cent and in October 1983, 5 per cent, as per the Inflation Restraint Act.
ONA Education Department develops audio-visual production "Grievance Procedure" to assist local executives and nurse representatives in handling grievances.
ONA and RNAO reps meet with Ministry of Health to develop strategies for better health care for the elderly.
ONA supports Canadian Nurses' Association position on drafting Canada Health Act. ONA urges membership support of Act via letters and telegrams to government.
ONA pleased government finally taking action to improve air-ambulance transfer services. Safety of nurses on such trips is hospitals' responsibility.
ONA Board authorizes search for appropriate property for the construction of new office building. Both RNAO and the CNO are invited to share in the building, but both decline.
ONA makes recommendations to CNO on its Report on the Role of the RNA after overwhelming reaction by ONA membership.
ONA group membership in RNAO takes effect May 1st.
ONA reinstates grey-listing policy for agencies that handle employee relations inappropriately.
ONA warns health ministry that understaffing in hospitals is now the norm as a result of budget restraints.
ONA spearheads establishment of the Community Health Nurses Steering Committee to promote community health nursing achievements, facilitate pilot projects and continue to encourage ongoing communication between community health nursing groups
ONA redesigns bargaining objective-setting process as directed by membership.
ONA introduces new regulations for lump-sum locals.
Two ONA representatives appointed to RNAO Foundation Board.
Inflation Restraint Board shows total disdain for nurses by rolling back compensation increases negotiated by employers and ONA.
ONA, RNAO and the CNO plan joint response to health ministry's proposed changes to Health Disciplines Act.
ONA represents over 37,000 nurses.
ONA celebrates 10th anniversary.

1984

Mary Anne Fish, RN, is president.

Negotiations to purchase a parcel of land for ONA's new office building in downtown Toronto completed. At Elizabeth and Grenville Streets, it is adjacent to Toronto's hospital district and a five-minute march from Queen's Park.
ONA joins a coalition of public-sector unions to fight the provincial government's restrictive wage-restraint program.
ONA submits a brief to the government on behalf of its 98 per cent female membership demanding equal pay legislation.
June - ONA submits a second brief to the Health Professions Legislation Review addressing midwifery, registered nursing assistants (ONA advocates the CNO continue to define RNA practice) and patients' rights.
Under new Board policy, the Chief Executive Officer is now required to be a nurse; also, employment relations officers.
ONA joins forces with the National Action Committee on the Status of Women and other women's groups to discuss pensions.
ONA is assured by the Labour Minister that changes to the interest arbitration system are forthcoming. ONA continues to lobby to have PHNs designated essential-service providers so that they can use the arbitration process.
An earlier arbitration award is upheld giving nurses shift differential payable in the final hours of an extended-tour day shift.
October - The OHA and health minister report a surplus of nurses with a provincial vacancy rate of 0.36 per cent.
PHNs at the Bruce County health unit are locked out after unsuccessful mediation talks. The nurses are the lowest paid PHNs in Canada.

1985

Rose Briscoe, RN, is president.

April 18 - President Rose Briscoe and Chief Executive Officer Anne Gribben grab shovels and at the sod-turning ceremony for ONA's new head office. Construction begins.
June - Nurses from all sectors rally on the front steps at Queen's Park to fight the wage disparity between PHNs and hospital nurses. A Public Health Committee is established to plan future bargaining strategies for PHNs.
A new Political Action Committee educates nurses in the political process.
A voluntary benefits package for members not covered under collective agreements is set up, as well as a program for retiring members.
A research officer specializing in occupational health and safety is added to ONA staff.
Rising costs due to increased demand for services and budget cutbacks force hospitals to rationalize and consolidate services. An ONA committee of staff members studies the effect of rationalization on employees.
A study looking into the impact of 12-hour extended tours is undertaken. ONA stays neutral on extended tours until the study is completed, but draws up standard provisions for inclusion in the collective agreement.
A Search Committee is established to find a CEO to replace the retiring Anne Gribben, RN.
The Grievance Review Committee meets with OHA representatives to discuss alternatives to the grievance arbitration system which would facilitate processing of grievances and reduce the long time delay.
A Financial Post survey of Canada's 30 largest unions indicates ONA is the fastest growing union in the country with a growth of nearly 29 per cent between 1981 and 1984.
October - A province-wide advertising campaign kicks off with a quarter-page ad in 13 major daily newspapers indicating ONA's support for proposed legislation to ban extra billing by doctors. Along with the ad, ONA produces a position paper based on a Goldfarb poll indicating that 70 per cent of Ontario residents oppose extra billing. The ad and position paper are the first in a series of eight that will run through 1986 on such issues as preventive health care, workplace safety and care for the elderly. A ninth done in 1988 addresses the nursing shortage.
Concerned that the increasing use of health educators threatens PHNs' job security, the Board adopts the position that all health educators be registered nurses with additional preparation as required.

1986

Donna Alexander, RN, is president.

June - The cornerstone is laid for ONA's head office on Grenville Street. We move into the new building in July and then in September, ONA stages a gala event and tour to officially launch our new headquarters. Jean Lowery, RN, ONA's founding president and current Director of Human Resources, shares in the ribbon-cutting ceremony with President Donna Alexander, RN.
Glenna Cole Slattery, RN, is appointed successor to the retiring Anne Gribben, RN, as CEO and begins her orientation in February. Ms. Cole Slattery has extensive background in labour relations and political lobbying, and holds a nursing diploma, B.Sc. and Masters in Public Administration.
The Scott arbitration award puts casual part-time nurses on the same salary grid as regular part-time nurses with one increment level for every 200 tours of seniority.
Ontario doctors stage a 25-day strike during the summer to protest legislation that would ban extra billing, however Bill 94, the Health Care Accessibility Act, passes. ONA lobbies staunchly in favor of legislation with briefs, position paper, media interviews and letter-writing campaign.
Durham Region community health nurse Liz Calvin tells CBC interviewer Joe Cote that the doctors' strike has created a "crisis situation" in her district and that nurses have had to fill the void. Says Calvin, "The doctors strike has served to heighten public awareness of the need to shift our attention to prevention, and also awareness of the services we provide."
Kitchener's St. Mary's General Hospital is the 12th of 13 hospitals to settle a dispute with ONA over extended tours. ONA files Section 89 (unfair labour practice) complaints when the hospitals discontinue the 11.25-hour shifts in a dispute over holiday pay rate. In the dispute with Ottawa Civic Hospital, ONA also files for a declaration of illegal lockout and cease-and-desist order but is turned down by the labour board. ONA grey-lists the Civic as the dispute continues.
The CNO brings out its proposals for nursing practice requirements, including a stipulation that nurses have at least 1,125 hours of practice in the preceding five years to be placed on the practice register. ONA's reaction is swift and strong. ONA will not support any proposal that threatens the job security or professional status of its members.
The Health Professions Legislation Review team announces that new legislation will incorporate continuing competency programs, which would have significant impact on ONA members: a registered nurse who does not meet program requirements could lose her licence. The ONA Board adopts a Professional Committee recommendation to conduct a membership poll on continuing competency and a questionnaire is enclosed in the September, 1986 ONA News.
VONs in Sudbury and Espanola vote to strike in a dispute over terms of their first collective agreement. Muskoka-Parry Sound Health Unit ends a 36-day lockout after a settlement is mediated in June.
A Supreme Court of Ontario ruling prohibits trade unions from using mandatory dues for political purposes and allows for their use only in collective bargaining and collective agreement administration.
ONA raises concerns on health care for the elderly in a meeting with the Minister for Senior Citizens' Affairs, addressing funding, standards, coordination of services, education and residents' rights.
After three years of discussion, federal and provincial governments agree to implement the national Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS), which calls for evaluation and identification of potentially hazardous materials and worker education programs.
ONA tells a provincial task force on overtime and work hours that employers use overtime as a way to cut costs and avoid hiring new staff, putting the additional workload on existing staff and jeopardizing patient care. ONA recommends the statutory maximum work hours be reduced to 40 per week from 48, that nurses not be required to work overtime and that all overtime be made strictly voluntary.
After studying a report from the Workload Committee, the ONA Board approves the hiring of three more EROs and the addition of satellite offices in Kingston and Windsor.
Lawyer Maureen McTeer urges about 200 ONA members to become more vocal on health care issues during an ONA workshop on legal issues in nursing held in Toronto.
ONA staunchly condemns a proposed amendment to the federal Bankruptcy Act that would allow companies to alter or cancel existing collective agreements in the event of corporate insolvency. The amendment would directly affect ONA members in privately-owned nursing homes.
August - ONA loses a great friend and loyal supporter in Kay Lewis, who dies at the age of 71. She has tirelessly devoted nearly 25 years of her life to the social and economic advancement of nurses.
Anne Gribben, RN. ONA's CEO since 1974 and RNAO Director of Employment Relations from 1964-1974, retires.

1987

Gloria Lynn, RN, is president.

The Ministry of Health reports there may be as many as 3,000 unfilled nursing jobs in Ontario, many of them in Metro Toronto. The nursing shortage, especially in critical care areas, becomes one of the big news events of the year in Ontario, just three years after a reported surplus. The shortage is the strongest indicator to date that nurses are unhappy, with a litany of complaints that includes inflexible shifts and hours, lack of recognition for skills and knowledge, poor working relations with doctors and management and inadequate compensation. Federal MP Sheila Copps quotes CEO Glenna Cole Slattery during a discourse on the nursing shortage in the House of Commons, saying "the bottom line is that women do not have to come into nursing anymore - the poor working conditions, pay scales that don't recognize grueling shift work and special skills, and apathy in government and among administrators are driving people to quit."
ONA speaks out strongly against the Canadian Nurses' Association's entry to practice position as it is structured, which would make a bachelor's degree the minimum requirement by the year 2000. ONA appeals to membership for an endorsement of the Board's stand and receives overwhelming approval by way of a ballot circulated in the ONA News.
The CNO's proposals for the revised standards of nursing practice are released in the Communiqué. ONA says it will not support the proposals until a number of key concerns are addressed, including a clearer definition of levels, and circulates a questionnaire to members.
A membership poll on continuing competency indicates that the most acceptable program is mandatory continuing education, as long as it is conducted on employer time and is readily available and accessible. In response to the poll, ONA lobbies the government for an increase in funding to universities and colleges to expand nursing education programs.
ONA membership surpasses the 45,000 mark. Part-time membership continues to increase and now accounts for 45.9 per cent of membership. Full-time membership shows a slight downturn.
Lots of job action on the community health front as about 10 locals are actively involved in negotiations. By December, the 100 nurses in Durham Region and 60 nurses in Etobicoke have ratified new agreements, but close to 90 nurses in the Sudbury area are in the throes of a bitter 5 1/2-month strike, and about 60 nurses in Windsor-Essex are embattled as well.
A 47-day lockout of 29 nurses at the Lambton Health Unit in Sarnia finally ends when an agreement is reached at mediation. The 50 nurses who run blood donor clinics in Metro Toronto also receive a strike mandate, but reach a settlement before taking job action.
ONA expresses extreme disapproval in the narrow scope of Ontario's pay equity bill, which makes such exclusions as casual employees and all-female establishments. In a letter to Labour Minister William Wrye, ONA says the legislation is "replete with exclusions, loopholes, disincentives and a lengthy implementation timetable". The proposed legislation is later expanded to include the "broad public sector", including hospital staff, municipal employees, colleges and school boards.
ONA asks Health Minister Murray Elston to appoint a public inspector to investigate reports on the quality of care at Port Colborne General Hospital after nurses go public with a professional responsibility complaint. The hospital fails to implement the 23 recommendations made by a Nursing Assessment Committee.
The Big Mac - The Macintosh II Desktop Publishing System makes its debut in the ONA Communications Department. The ONA News, with a monthly circulation now of over 41,000, is designed and produced entirely on the computer for a faster, more cost-efficient publication. Meanwhile, computerization is beginning to have a significant impact on nurse practitioners and implementation is put on the agenda for the annual meeting. The Board devises a policy and checklist to assist members prior to implementation of computers, including items like workload, training and continuing competency.
ONA founding president Jean Lowery, RN, is named to the Ontario Health Coalition's Board of Directors. The broad-based consumer advocacy group lobbies government on health-care policies.
The Ontario government unveils a new health strategy emphasizing promotion, prevention, community-based services and alternatives to institutional care. Also launched is the Premier's Council on Health Strategy. ONA sharply criticizes the government for failing to include staff nurses on the various Ministry of Health committees and task forces.
ONA seeks a meeting with Health Minister Elinor Caplan to discuss a report of the Task Force on the Implementation of Midwifery which contains 70 recommendations, including that midwifery be a self-regulating, direct-entry profession with its own independent regulatory body. ONA wants basic nursing preparation with advanced preparation in midwifery as entry to practice.
The Health Professions Legislation Review releases proposals for legal and procedural issues governing nursing and all other health professions, including holding public disciplinary hearings. ONA wants hearings to remain closed.
ONA members are asked to participate in a waste anaesthetic gases study being conducted by a University of Toronto research team investigating abnormal pregnancy outcome for nurses exposed to waste gases in the workplace.
ONA calls proposed legislation to amend the federal Patent Act provisions on prescription drugs "retrogressive". The legislation would extend the patent on new drugs to 10 years, delaying the manufacture of less-expensive generic drugs. ONA says the legislation could lead to an increase in the cost of drugs.
ONA asks that regulations on first-aid requirements in the workplace be amended to provide for enforcement "with suitable penalties for non-compliance", and asks that a review of first-aid equipment and facilities be included on health and safety tours conducted by Ministry of Labour inspectors.
The province approves more funding for nursing homes and introduces amendments to the Nursing Homes Act to give residents a legally-enforceble statutory bill of rights, including the right to refuse medical treatment. In lobbying the government for changes to the act, ONA recommends the bill of rights and a monitoring system that would include employees and union reps. ONA also lobbies the government for standards for rest homes and on such issues as pensions, privatization, occupational health and safety, health care accessibility, vocational rehabilitation, unemployment insurance, first-contract legislation and allocation of provincial funding.
November - At a stormy annual meeting, delegates vote to withdraw ONA's block membership of the RNAO citing a number of reasons, including philosophical differences on such issues as the CNO practice proposals and entry to practice. Also approved is a new rep-by-pop voting structure that gives locals votes based on membership percentage, as well as an ONA malpractice insurance plan. Health Minister Elinor Caplan is guest speaker to open the meeting and tells members she will continue to seek ONA's opinions on key health issues. Also at the annual meeting, about 750 nurses sign a petition taking issue with the CNO's proposed revised standards of nursing practice.
Wages and pension plans are identified as the most important bargaining objectives in the ONA Have A Say III questionnaire, circulated to members to identify key issues for the next round of contract negotiations.
ONA's Research Department gets a grant of about $67,000 from Labour Canada to study the impact of technology on working conditions for nurses.
Board rejects mandatory AIDS testing in the workplace and says universal precautions and education are the best methods of protecting the worker.
Improvements to the Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan are announced, including better early retirement benefits, however, the Ontario Hospital Association announces it will take a pension contributions holiday because of a surplus in the fund. Estimate cost of the pension holiday: $80 million.
Glenna Rowsell, a pioneer in the organizing of nursing trade unions in Canada, dies on Nov. 27 after a lengthy illness.
December - ONA and the 167 participating hospitals reach a negotiated settlement on Dec. 14. Members vote in the new contract in the New Year.
Heather Dolan, RN, a former ONA president (1979-80), is named Chief Operating Officer.

1988

Monica Leslie, RN, is president.

Jan. 29 - ONA members ratify a new three-year agreement for roughly 38,000 nurses at 167 participating hospitals for the first freely negotiated settlement ever achieved between ONA and the Ontario Hospital Association. Highlights include an eighth step on the salary grid and a wage increase of about 16 per cent; ONA gears up for its 15th anniversary celebration.
Health Minister Elinor Caplan refuses to legislate inservice education for nurses. Instead, she advocates "creative approaches" such as nursing rounds and the use of clinical nurse instructors.
Hundreds of hospital workers across Ontario stage noon-hour demonstrations to protest the OHA's decision to take a pension contributions holiday. ONA does not take part in the protest, despite opposing the pension holiday.
ONA's Executive Committee approves a $10,000 line of credit for the 11,400 striking Alberta nurses, who settle on Feb. 12 after 19 days on the picket line. The nurses' union incurs a number of heavy fines for disobeying cease-and-desist orders in the illegal strike.
ONA meets with members of the federal Atomic Energy Control Board to discuss hospital radiation safety after a recent spill of radioactive dust in the nuclear medicine department at Toronto's York-Finch General Hospital. The AECB prepares guidelines for the handling of radioisotopes.
Health Minister Elinor Caplan sends a letter to ONA President Monica Leslie, RN, stating that the government would not support an amendment to the Health Disciplines Act that would establish the baccalaureate as the minimum educational requirement for entry into nursing practice. Says Ms. Caplan, "It is clear that high-quality nursing services are being provided by nurses prepared in community college programs...we certainly support opportunities for diploma prepared nurses to improve their educational qualifications." Ms. Caplan also says her ministry will make every effort to ensure that staff nurses are included on government committees relating to health care.
Over 250 members of ONA Local 94 at Toronto's Wellesley Hospital sign a letter to the Health Minister expressing displeasure over working conditions for nurses in Ontario. Replies Ms. Caplan, "The Ministry of Health has no direct involvement in the bargaining process... May I suggest you and your colleagues take steps which ensure that your Association as well as your hospital are clear on the issues you wish to have negotiated at the bargaining table this year."
Apr. 11 - The nurses at the Sudbury and District Health Unit ratify a new collective agreement, ending a bitter 5 1/2-month strike. Three main issues are resolved, including wage parity with hospital nurses, contracting out and hours of work.
ONA launches its latest position paper. An Industry in Crisis, indicating results of a Goldfarb poll on the serious nursing shortage in Ontario. The position paper, ONA's 9th, is backed by an ad campaign that runs in 13 major daily newspapers across the province. The District 11 executive of the Ontario Medical Association sends a letter to ONA in support of the position paper and says it will ask the OMA Board to issue a statement also supporting the paper.
In response to ONA's complaint that the Premier's Council on Health Strategy and various other government committees do not contain staff nurse representation. Premier David Peterson writes, "The members...were chosen because of their breadth of experience and perspective, and not as representatives of particular interest groups or associations...you will be consulted on issues of importance to staff nurses..."
Negotiations slow but ongoing between OHA and labour groups to implement pay equity for hospital workers. ONA opposes OHA's "provincial approach" and proceeds with negotiations at the local level.
Ninety-six hospitals or almost half of Ontario's 222 public hospitals project deficits this year, however the province sticks by its policy not to cover hospitals for budget shortfalls.
Hospitals say they may have to resort to layoffs, bed closings or a hiring freeze to reduce and balance their budgets. ONA President-elect Pat Bethune, RN, and Chief Operating Officer Heather Dolan, RN, participate on a Ministry of Health committee set up to review 23 hospitals with chronic financial problems, strongly supporting the recommendation that changes in hospital programs and services be made only after consultation with staff and the health ministry.
Members of ONA Local 3 join an information picket with CUPE to protest service cutbacks and layoffs at Peterborough's St. Joseph's Hospital.
Nurses at Norfolk General Hospital stage a press conference to publicize the hospital's failure to remedy serious workload problems on two units that prevent nurses from providing proper patient care.
The Ministry of Health launches a review of the Windsor-Essex health unit, which continues to be plagued with internal problems. Nurses complain about poor relations with management, which have been ongoing since the 3 1/2-month strike.
The Health Professions Legislation Review recommends that the governing body of each health profession establish a committee to develop and administer continuing competency programs. The CNO sets up a committee to design a program to be presented to the Council. Results of a survey that ran in the September, 1987 ONA News found that the most acceptable program to ONA members was mandatory continuing education provided on employer time and available to all nurses.
About 100 nurses in the Regional Municipality of York give a solid strike mandate when negotiations reach an impasse in June. Wages are a prime issue.
An ONA brief to the provincial task force on the provision and use of medical services supports the government's plan to redirect services toward promotion and prevention and to seek more cost-effective ways of providing health services. However the brief emphasizes that quality of care as well as quantity of care should be a key consideration in any plans to streamline the system. ONA also stresses it wants to be consulted on any matters that impact on nursing.
The CNO and labour arbitration boards determine that nurses are accountable and legally liable for the care provided by students.

1989

Pat Bethune, RN, is president.

Jan. 25 - Nurses take Queen's Park by storm. About 400 nurses stage a vocal march on the Legislature in freezing temperatures to protest the nursing shortage and poor working conditions for Ontario hospital nurses. The nursing shortage makes headlines throughout the year and reaches critical proportions as beds close at hospitals across the country; the crunch is felt in particular at hospitals in the Metropolitan Toronto area.
Health Minister Elinor Caplan announces early in the year a major change in regulations under the Public Hospitals Act, requiring hospital administrators to include staff nurses and nurse managers on major committees. This will give nurses direct access to administrative, financial, operational and planning decisions in hospitals.
ONA appears before the Standing Committee on Resources Development at Queen's Park to urge the provincial government to abandon Bill 162, legislation to amend the Workers' Compensation Act, and to draft a new bill that would create a fair system of workers' compensation in Ontario. The bill receives royal assent on July 26, despite intensive lobbying efforts by labour and the injured workers' movement to have it defeated.
Part-time nurses are deemed eligible to join the Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan by order of the Ontario Superintendent of Pensions. Over 18,000 nurses are affected at 300 hospitals.
Nurses from Local 88 at Sunnybrook Hospital stage a lunchtime boycott of the hospital's cafeteria to protest administrative policy changes that close the cafeteria to staff members on night shift from midnight to 3 a.m. and reduce hours during the evening.
Local 230 at Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital sets up an information picket on August 25 to protest their lack of a contract. Negotiations for a first collective agreement for about 250 nurses are ongoing since June 10. 1987.
Further unrest among nursing unions across Canada is featured in the late summer and early fall, with B.C. nurses going on strike for 13 days. Quebec nurses walked off the job for a week, incurring serious penalties for failing to comply with the province's Essential Services
A number of noteworthy nominations to key Ontario health committees: On October 6, Chief Executive Officer Glenna Cole Slattery, RN, is informed in a phone call by Premier David Peterson that she has been named to the heavyweight Premier's Council on Health Strategy. Ina Caissey, RN, Region 11 rep on the ONA Board of Directors, is named to the provincial Interim Regulatory Council on Midwifery and Wayne Smith, RN, Region 13 rep, is appointed to the Northern Ontario Health Advisory Committee.
The Supreme Court guarantees staff nurses undisputed direct access to Ontario hospital board of governors and trustees as full members of key fiscal committees in a September 22 I ruling. The decision by Justice J. McKeowan clarifies the new regulations under the Public Hospitals Act requiring hospitals to involve nurses in administrative, financial, operational and planning decisions. The ruling comes as the result of court action launched by ONA on behalf of members in ONA Local 155 and 97, who challenged the Toronto Hospitals' election process for staff nurses to its Budget Committee.
In a precedent-setting unanimous decision that could benefit thousands of working women and many of ONA's nurses, the Supreme Court of Ontario on Nov. 24 upholds a ruling of the Pay Equity Hearings Tribunal allowing for the potential comparison of the jobs of Haldimand-Norfolk public health nurses and nurses who work in nursing homes to regional police. The ruling means that workers previously excluded from provincial pay equity legislation can now look outside their own workplaces for male job classes with which they can compare themselves in negotiating pay equity adjustments. Haldimand-Norfolk appeals the decision, with the backing of Attorney-General lan Scott.
ONA Local 94 wins a court challenge of Wellesley Hospital's election process for electing staff nurses to planning and advisory committees under the Public Hospitals Act. Regulation 83/89 re staff nurse participation on hospital committees. The Supreme Court of Ontario finds the Wellesley elections are invalid because the hospital fails to enact a number of by-laws required under the act prior to conducting the elections.
ONA President Pat Bethune, RN, finishing up her 1989 term of office, is named the provincial nursing coordinator for Ontario, a new position that is designed to address the problems of recruitment and retention of nurses in the face of a critical nursing shortage. CEO Glenna Cole Slattery, RN, makes the announcement to an ecstatic assembly at the 1989 annual meeting, and when Ms. Bethune returns to resume the chair, she is greeted with a loud and lengthy standing ovation. ONA member Melda Okoye, RN, Local 155, is named to the provincial Pay Equity Tribunal, an independent body which conducts hearings and makes final decisions on questions arising under the Pay Equity Act.
All recommendations from the year-old Ad Hoc Francophone Committee to address the needs of ONA's French-speaking membership are carried at the annual meeting, including the provision of a number of ONA publications in French and English, such as the ONA grievance form. ONA is to continue to provide French and English versions of the hospital central agreement.