“Lasting Impact, Forging Our Future”: Ontario Nurses’ Association Marks Nursing Week 2023

TORONTO, ON., May 5, 2023 – From May 8 through to May 14, 68,000 members of the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) are celebrating the nursing profession and focusing on forging their future during Nursing Week 2023.

“This is a pivotal year in Ontario health care,” says ONA President Erin Ariss, RN. “ONA members are rising to the occasion, fighting for quality health care for all our patients, residents and clients, and also seeing a return to the roots of our union as we mark ONA’s 50^th anniversary this fall.”

For Nursing Week 2023, ONA has chosen the theme Lasting Impact, Forging Our Future (Créer un impact durable, bâtir notre avenir). Ariss says that in many ways, the issues facing nurses today bear a marked resemblance to those of 50 years ago.

“ONA members and leaders today stand on the shoulders of those who came before us to found our union and fight for better working conditions and patient care. Clearly, nurses will always be called on to fight for respect for our profession, for high-quality patient care, and we will have to be as loud and outspoken as the founders of ONA were 50 years ago,” she says.

Citing a series of public actions that ONA nurses are undertaking, Ariss notes that, “Nurses do not give up. As we fight for the best care for others, we are counting on Ontarians to celebrate – and support – nurses in every Ontario community.”

This year, nurses will be celebrating with events across Ontario. While nurses continue to face a myriad of challenges – including the Ford government’s determination to privatize the public health-care system and harm patient care – nurses are honouring the profession they are so passionate about.

“For 50 years, ONA nurses have proven we are unrelenting in advocating for better patient care,” says Ariss. “We will continue to hold protests, rallies and more to call out policies that harm patients and the nursing profession. This government should know that we will not back down. We are steadfast in our commitment to fight for the future of our profession, and for the public health care we all rely on.”

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

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To arrange an interview, contact:

Katherine Russo katheriner@ona.org