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Submissions

  • Submission: RNAO Submission on Bill 47: Making Ontario Open for Business Act
    November 15, 2018

    The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses (RN), nurse practitioners (NP), and nursing students in all roles and sectors across Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contributions to shaping the health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve.

    RNAO appreciates the opportunity to provide feedback to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs on Bill 47, An Act to amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000, the Labour Relations Act, 1995 and the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009 and make complementary amendments to other Acts, known in its short title as, Making Ontario Open for Business Act, 2018.

    Nurses see, in their daily work, the impact of poverty on people’s ill-health. To improve health and decrease health inequities, RNAO has been advocating for more than 15 years that the minimum wage be increased and labour laws be strengthened and enforced. Ontario's $14 per hour minimum wage is scheduled to increase to $15 per hour on Jan. 1, 2019 and then be indexed to inflation every October. RNAO has consistently supported this increase to the minimum wage that became law under Bill 148, Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017 as well as other regulatory safeguards to support workers' health such as paid sick days.

    Fair wages and decent work are essential for the health of individuals, families, communities, and our province. Decent work and wages advance Ontario's "vision of a province where every person has the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential" as envisioned by the Poverty Reduction Act, unanimously passed by all parties in May 6, 2009. As RNAO previously testified in our Changing Workplaces Review submission, decent work with fair wages is an important issue to RNAO and its more than 42,000 members – it affects their multi-faceted lives as health professionals, family members, workers, employers, neighbours, and citizens.

  • Submission: RNAO Submission on RN Prescribing Competencies to the College of Nurses of Ontario
    November 14, 2018

    RNAO welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) on RN prescribing competencies. RNAO has long advocated for independent RN prescribing. RNs are autonomous health professionals who practise independently and collaboratively within interprofessional teams. With more than 100,000 RNs registered to practise with the CNO, RN prescribing has huge potential to increase access to care across the province.

  • Submission: RNAO Submission to the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare
    September 26, 2018

    RNAO is pleased to participate in this national consultation on how to implement affordable national pharmacare. RNAO also welcomes the appointment of Dr. Eric Hoskins as the Chair of the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare (the Council). Dr. Hoskins has an excellent understanding of the importance of pharmacare. We urge the federal government to move quickly on this long overdue expansion of the Canada Health Act.

  • Submission: RNAO Submission to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on the Application to Renew the License of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station
    May 7, 2018

    RNAO welcomes this opportunity offered by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to respond to Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) application to renew its nuclear power reactor operating licence for the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station (Ref. 2018-H-03). OPG is requesting the renewal of its licence from its current expiry date of August 31, 2018 for ten years. OPG plans to end commercial operations at Pickering by December 31, 2024. The issue matters a great deal to nurses because of its health implications and because they are heavily involved in any disaster responses (see the appendix). RNAO urges the CNSC to adopt a precautionary approach that prioritizes human  health.

  • Submission: RNAO's Response to Bill 6: Correctional Services Transformation Act, 2018
    April 27, 2018

    Introduction

  • Submission: Submission on proposed new regulation made under the Health Sector Payment Transparency Act, 2017
    April 10, 2018

    Introduction

    RNAO is pleased to offer its submission on the draft regulation under the Health Sector Payment Transparency Act, 2017, (HSPTA) posted to Ontario's Regulatory Registry on Feb. 21, 2018. The Health Sector Payment Transparency Act, 2017 was created by Schedule 4 of Bill 160, the Strengthening Quality and Accountability for Patients Act, 2017. According to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), the latter was designed to support Ontario's Patients First: Action Plan for Health Care.

  • Submission: RNAO comments on proposed amendments to O. Reg. 79/10 under the Long-Term Care Homes Act, 2007
    March 29, 2018

    Introduction

  • Submission: RNAO comments on proposed regulations under the RHPA, 2018
    March 22, 2018

    The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses (RN), nurse practitioners (NP), and nursing students in all settings and roles across Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contributions to shaping the health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve.

  • Submission: RNAO feedback on: Proposed Places of Use Regulations under the Cannabis Act, 2017
    March 5, 2018

    As a partner in the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy (SFO) for more than a decade, RNAO knows it is critical not to undermine advances that have been made through the Smoke-Free Ontario Act. The primary public health concerns with respect to use of cannabis in public spaces are: harms from second-hand cannabis smoke; potential harms of exposure to second-hand cannabis vapour; and concern about the social renormalization of smoking.

  • Submission: RNAO response to proposed regulation under Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017
    March 2, 2018

    RNAO welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) on proposed regulation under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017.

    RNAO support for comprehensive end-game strategy