Ontario Nurses’ Association to Attend First Court Appearance for Southlake Regional Health Centre Today

ONA watching that employer be held accountable for failure to comply with obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act

NEWMARKET, February 7, 2020 – The Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) will be in attendance today as Southlake Regional Health Centre makes its first court appearance in relation to the nine charges it is facing for failing to keep staff safe and meet its obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

ONA President Vicki McKenna, RN, says that, “This employer has an abysmal record of complying with the law, and front-line registered nurses and health-care professionals have been subjected to workplace violence because of that. Since 2013, incidents of violence have repeatedly occurred at Southlake. The Act clearly lays out the responsibilities of employers, and Southlake has failed to comply.”

In January 2019, a registered nurse at Southlake Regional was viciously attacked and suffered critical injuries; a security guard was also injured. ONA repeatedly tried to work with Southlake to put in place several measures to protect workers and their patients; many of these measures have not been implemented, including providing adequate self-protection training to staff.

The hospital also failed to meet its basic obligations: to immediately report the attack to ONA, to the Joint Health and Safety Committee, and to the Ministry of Labour. In addition, it did not secure the scene, as required by law.

ONA will be closely following the proceedings, beginning with today’s appearance at the Provincial Offences Court at the Tannery Courts in Newmarket. “Nurses should be safe at work, and so should their patients.”

ONA is the union representing more than 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals, as well as more than 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care facilities, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

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For more information:

Sheree Bond (416) 964-8833, ext. 2430; cell: (416) 986-8240; shereeb@ona.org

Ruth Featherstone (416) 964-8833, ext. 2267; ruthf@ona.org