Weekly Media Scan & Media Release Summary December 6 to 10, 2021 - Local 80
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Ontario Nurses’ Association
Weekly Media Scan & Media Release Summary
December 6 to 10, 2021
ONA coverage:
• Nurses employed by the Region of Peel at Malton Village, Peel Manor, Sheridan
Villa, Tall Pines and the Vera M. Davis Community Centre will get 1.75-per-cent
raises, effective April 1, 2020, and April 1, 2021 (Mississauga News, December 4,
2021). The Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) says it’s inadequate in relation to the
sacrifices they have made over the past two years. ONA is also concerned that the
pay increases don’t keep up with annual inflation, which was 4.4 per cent in
September. Even more disrespectful, in not-for-profit homes, annual pay increases
are capped by Bill 124.
• Team-based nursing has led to opposition from Ontarian nurses, including an
Ontario Nurses’ Association petition asking Southlake Regional Health Centre to
stop its implementation (The Toronto Star, December 8, 2021). The new staffing
model involves more experienced Registered Nurses (RNs) leading a team of
Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) or Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) to care for
patients, rather than one RN caring for each patient. DJ Sanderson, vice-president
of the Ontario Nurses’ Association Region 3, which covers Southlake, said the
model has never been implemented in Ontario ICUs before — a specific point of
concern. Team-based nursing can be beneficial when facing a worker shortage,
however this model compromises the overall quality of patient care.
• An arbitration award provides a guideline for sick pay entitlements for workers who
are forced to isolate after possible COVID-19 exposures (Law Times, December 8,
2021). ONA filed a grievance against Humber River Hospital over a policy that
denied sick pay to those who were required to isolate but who are asymptomatic or
tested negative for COVID-19. The arbitrator sided with the employer and dismissed
the grievance, affirming that only employees who are symptomatic or who test
positive for COVID-19 can be considered as ill and receive sick pay.
Nursing coverage:
• In Northeastern Ontario, at least 80 hospital workers were terminated for not
complying with vaccination policies (CBC News, December 6, 2021). Last week, 53
employees lost their jobs at Health Sciences North, including 17 nurses. At Sault
Area Hospital, 13 workers were fired, including eight nurses. The North Bay Hospital
and the Timmins and District Hospital terminated 11 employees each.
• Nurses in Ontario are quitting their jobs and going elsewhere (CBC News,
December 4, 2021). Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses Association of
Ontario says, “the pandemic has made an already bad situation worse” and nurses
1are feeling hopeless from being undervalued. They are finding new work where they
are more supported, such as starting their own companies, freelancing, working in
smaller clinics, and moving to the United States. The association has called it an
exodus. According to Grinspun, this should be a wakeup call to the province and
Doug Ford to repeal Bill 124.
• Alexandra Tymkiw was a patient at B.C. Women’s Hospital in Vancouver and victim
of fake nurse Brigitte Cleroux (CBC News, December 3, 2021). On December 15,
2020, Tymkiw had surgery to remove a polyp from her uterus and Cleroux oversaw
administering pain medication. Last Thursday, Tymkiw received a letter from the
hospital which informed her of Cleroux’s lack of credentials. Tymkiw reflects on the
surgery as “10/10 pain”. She asks, “All the trouble she went to fake being a nurse,
it's like, why didn't you just finish nursing school?”. Cleroux will appear in Vancouver
provincial court for the first time on Dec. 7.
• Nurses in New Brunswick have voted 92 per cent in favour of strike action (CBC
News, December 6, 2021). The New Brunswick Nurses Union and province are
scheduled to go back to the bargaining table on Tuesday, the first time since
September. So far, no strike or other job action is planned. Union president Paula
Doucet said they would like to get their deal at the table rather than the sidewalk.
• Stefanie Willoughby, a Tecumseh nurse, has been recognized with an Essex-
Windsor EMS award after performing CPR off-duty at a car crash one evening (CBC
News, December 8, 2021). The award has only been given out to eight people in the
past six years. "It's amazing when you do have those skills, that you really don't think
about what you're doing and you're more acting in the moment," she said.
• The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) sent out a letter on Tuesday
asking all MPPs to demand the repeal of Bill 124 (Yahoo News, December 7, 2021).
The letter outlines the unfairness of the bill and its effect on nurses, stating that they
have reached their tipping point.
• Nurses are quitting at Richmond General Hospital in B.C. due to overwork and
stress (Richmond News, December 7, 2021). According to a recent survey
conducted by the BC Nurses Union, 35 per cent of nurses surveyed said they plan to
leave the profession in the next two years.
COVID-19 coverage:
• A Manitoba couple feels criminalized upon their return to Canada after seeking
medical care in South Africa (CBC News, December 5, 2021). Lennard and
Charlotte Skead were abroad when the travel ban was announced and struggled to
find a flight back home. Before they could re-enter the country, they had to take six
COVID-19 tests, which all came back negative. They spent a total of $23,500 on
flights, testing, and hotels. Skead says he wishes there were a grace period for
those who travelled before the ban was put in place.
• On Saturday evening, the federal government announced it would alter newly
implemented travel restrictions from South Africa (CBC News, December 5, 2021).
Canadians are now able to return home if they have a negative molecular COVID-19
2test taken within two days of departure and leave on flights transiting through
Frankfurt on or before Dec. 13. Many Canadians have either had difficulties coming
back or have been stuck in South Africa. Those returning must still abide by new
testing and quarantine restrictions.
• Ontario reported 1,184 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, which is the highest daily
amount in six months and the third consecutive day of reported cases being over
1,000 (CBC News, December 5, 2021).
• As COVID-19 cases surge, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit will soon limit
social gatherings to 10 people indoors, except for weddings and funerals, and 25
people outdoors (CBC News, December 5, 2021). They also encourage work-from-
home measures. Restaurants, bars and other indoor event and meeting spaces
must reduce their capacity to 50 per cent, to allow for physical distancing.
• The Omicron variant has been confirmed in Hamilton and Peel Region (CBC News,
December 4, 2021). A Hamilton resident who travelled to South Africa has tested
positive, while the case in Peel Region was in close contact to a confirmed case in
Halton region.
• A residence at the University of Windsor reports a COVID-19 outbreak after four
students tested positive (CBC News, December 6, 2021). According to the
university, the virus was found during wastewater screening on Nov. 27. As soon as
they were aware of this, testing of all residents and staff was encouraged. Those
who have tested positive have relocated, along with their close contacts.
• Schools in Waterloo region are seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases, as children aged
five to 11 have only just began getting vaccinated (CBC News, December 3, 2021).
There have been numerous outbreaks in schools. Public health has offered rapid
tests to students and parents, which is praised by Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region’s
medical officer. However, Wang says any student experiencing symptoms should
not use a rapid test and instead use a PCR test at a COVID-19 assessment centre.
• According to researchers, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 may have acquired at
least one of its mutations from picking up a bit of genetic material from another virus,
possibly one that causes the common cold, in the same infected cells (The National
Post, December 4, 2021). Omicron might be making itself appear more human as
the genetic sequence is ubiquitous in many other viruses such as the common cold
and also in the human genome. This might be why the variant can transmit more
easily, as it appears to be more human, and while causing mild or asymptomatic
disease.
• In Windsor-Essex region hospitals, patients should expect longer than usual wait
times as they battle capacity issues (CBC News, December 3, 2021). For the first
time in several months, Windsor Regional Hospital’s intensive care unit is seeing
double digits of patients with COVID-19. “It is a bit uncommon and unusual to see
this many, especially this many transferred outside of Windsor,” says Dr. Wassim
Saad, chief of staff at Windsor Regional Hospital. On top of COVID cases, there has
been an increase in comorbidities such as respiratory illnesses. The system is taking
the pressure for now, Saad says, but not for much longer.
• Ontario reports 928 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday and nine new deaths (CP24,
December 7, 2021). The province’s daily test positivity rate is 3.8 per cent, the
highest it has been since May 31.
3• Ontario reported 887 new COVID-19 cases on Monday (CBC News, December 6,
2021). The number of COVID-19 patients in the province’s ICUs climbed to 168, the
highest level in more than two months.
• Unvaccinated staff at Maplehurst Correctional Complex have been put on unpaid
leave, amid a COVID-19 outbreak (The Canadian Press, December 6, 2021).
• Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott says the Omicron variant of COVID-19
means vaccine passports are here to stay “for at least another several months”
(Toronto Star, December 6, 2021). The government had planned to begin phasing
out the QR code pass in January 2022.
• The Middlesex-London Health Unit says it’s “very likely” the Omicron variant is
involved in a cluster of at least 30 new COVID-19 cases in the region (CBC News,
December 6, 2021). The number of high-risk close contacts linked to the cases is
rising and will likely surpass 100.
• An online survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies found most
Canadians support strong border measures to respond to the Omicron variant of
COVID-19 (The Canadian Press, December 7, 2021). More than 80 per cent of
respondents supported closing the border to travellers coming from specific
countries where the variant is present. Almost two out of three Canadians say we
should consider closing the border with the United States for a period.
• Patients and pharmacists in Niagara region say limited supplies are impacting the
rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots (St. Catharine’s Standard, December 6,
2021). “There’s more demand than there is capacity in the system,” says Niagara-
on-the-Lake pharmacist Sean Simpson. “It’s not fair what we’re dealing with.”
Simpson says the stipend pharmacies receive for administering vaccine doses is not
worth the aggravation and abuse they are receiving from those seeking a booster
shot. Ken Marciniec, who spent hours on the phone and computer to schedule a
booster for his mom, blames the Conservative government for the poor rollout, and
public health cuts that ran “right up until they were overwhelmed with the pandemic.”
• Canada’s first homegrown COVID-19 vaccine shows an overall efficacy rate of 71
per cent against all variants studied and up to 75 per cent against the dominant delta
variant (CBC News, December 7, 2021). Medicago and GlaxoSmithKline are now
preparing for their final regulatory submission to Health Canada.
• Canadian scientists are quickly trying to understand more about the omicron variant,
but it could take them weeks (CBC News, December 8, 2021). Several cases have
been identified in Canada, but not all are linked to international travel, leaving
experts worried there is already an outbreak. For now, delta remains the dominant
variant in Canada.
• Companies with vaccination mandates are pondering whether COVID-19 boosters
will be a requirement for employees (CBC News, December 7, 2021). Currently, to
be fully vaccinated means to have two doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine or
one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The National Advisory Committee on
Immunization is reviewing findings that suggest a third dose should be included in
this definition. On Sunday, federal health minister Jean-Yves Duclos insinuated that
the definition could expand to a third dose.
4• Premier Doug Ford’s government has decided to extend its COVID-19 sick pay
program into the new year, despite its planned expiry at the end of this month (CBC
News, December 7, 2021). Ontario is recently averaging more new daily cases of
the virus than in the past six months, and these numbers are projected to rise into
January. The sick pay program requires employers to provide three paid days off to
their employees for reasons related to the pandemic.
• Quebec will receive 10 million rapid testing kits from Ottawa (CBC News, December
8, 2021). It is unsure how many will be available before the holidays. For now, the
Legault government is prioritizing distribution to early childcare educators.
• The Twitter account, COVID Test Finders, hopes to be the next Vaccine Hunters,
but to help people find COVID-19 rapid tests rather than vaccines (CBC News,
December 8, 2021). Dr. Dalia Hasan, a Kitchener-based physician, started the page
three months ago to share information about testing and where to find rapid tests. It
has also taken on an advocacy role as these tests are hard to find in Ontario.
Ultimately, Hasan hopes for the account to become obsolete as the provincial
government steps up at safeguarding the public.
• Public health units in northeastern Ontario are seeking more tax dollars in response
to the COVID-19 pandemic and frozen funding from the provincial government
(December 8, 2021, CBC News). On Tuesday, Sault Ste. Marie city council voted to
increase the budget for Algoma Public Health in 2022, which will primarily go to
hiring 15 new employees.
• Health Canada has approved human trials to start in the new year for two inhaled
COVID-19 vaccines (CBC News, December 7, 2021). The trials will take place at
McMaster University in Hamilton, led by professor Fiona Smaill. The study, funded
by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, will include at least 30 healthy
volunteers.
• On Tuesday, Ontario reported a record high of 219 active COVID-19 outbreaks in
elementary schools (The Toronto Star, December 8, 2021). Experts stress that
additional public health tools are critical to protect in-person learning. To prevent
whole-school dismissals, a “test-to-stay” approach was launched in October for
students using rapid-antigen screening. Experts believe this program was rolled out
too slowly. Suggestions have been made to introduce regular rapid testing for
students to combat the high infection rates in elementary schools.
• Ontario reports 1,300 new COVID-19 cases today, the highest single-day case count
in six months (CP24, December 9, 2021). The seven-day rolling average of new
cases hit a more than six-month high at 1,055.
• The omicron variant has been detected in Kingston, in a case where the individual
has no apparent travel history (CBC News, December 8, 2021). There were 88
COVID-19 cases reported in the region on Tuesday, a new one-day record.
• Ontario’s COVID-19 science table recommends weekly rapid tests for COVID-19, in
settings including schools and workplaces, in areas where new cases are near 50
per million people per day (The Canadian Press, December 9, 2021). If new daily
cases in an area approach 250 per million, rapid testing two to three times a week of
those who are unvaccinated and partially vaccinated is recommended.
5• Experts warn Canada is “grossly underutilizing” rapid tests for COVID-19 (CBC
News, December 9, 2021). The federal government purchased more than 94 million
rapid tests as of Nov. 30. Nearly 80 million were distributed to provinces and
territories but millions of those remain unused.
• Pfizer says a booster of its vaccine may offer protection against the omicron variant
of COVID-19 (The Associated Press, December 8, 2021). While two doses may not
be strong enough to prevent infection, tests showed that a booster dose increased
by 25-fold people's levels of antibodies capable of fighting off omicron.
Industry coverage:
• A parent is calling for better mental health services after her son’s suicide attempt
(CBC News, December 6, 2021). Jill Joseph’s son visited emergency rooms 13
times within the past year, including multiple times the week before he tried to kill
himself. Joseph blames the strain on the health-care system and lack of available
mental health resources. Although some investments have been made to the
system, as mental health care has been highlighted throughout the pandemic,
Joseph says it’s still not enough.
• Canada’s Food Price Guide says 2022 will see the biggest annual increase in food
bills on record, with Canadian families expected to spend an average extra $966 on
groceries (CBC News, December 9, 2021). Factors including pandemic supply chain
issues and climate change are converging to push food price inflation to between
five and seven per cent.
• There are 12 confirmed cases of blastomycosis in Constance Lake First Nation
(CBC News, December 8, 2021). Another nine probable cases are in hospital and
119 people have symptoms.
• New Zealand is planning to ban people aged 14 and under in 2027 from ever
purchasing cigarettes in their lives (Thomson Reuters, December 9, 2021).
Proposed legislation will also limit the number or retailers authorized to sell tobacco
and cut nicotine levels in all products.
Labour coverage:
• Almost 200 workers at Emterra Environmental are striking due to working conditions,
poor uniforms, PPE, and compensation (CP24, December 6, 2021). The employees
walked off the job on Monday morning, after voting against management’s latest
offer. The strike will impact a large amount of Peel Region, as many will experience
pickup delays and a suspension of recycling collection.
• Canadian employers are being forced to accommodate unvaccinated candidates
due to a labour shortage (CP24, December 5, 2021). Companies are opting for
COVID testing rather than vaccine mandates as a compromise. Job vacancies have
doubled in Canada this year, as business owners struggle to find workers during the
6pandemic. However, companies must be careful not to soften their policies too
much, as they run the risk of ruining their reputations.
• Average hourly wages are on the rise in Canada and new hires are the ones
benefitting (Toronto Star, December 7, 2021). The average monthly wage for new
hires rose by 10 per cent in the last 24 months. Canadian Federation of Nurses
Unions President Linda Silas says wage bumps and bonuses, that aimed to attract
new hires to address a critical nursing shortage, also provoked resentment from
tenured employees. “The bonuses have created division. As much as we need to
recruit new workers, long-term members have found it insulting when they’ve been
working for 10 years to hold the system together, yet they’re not getting the raises
they deserve.”
• Labour force data, analyzed by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives,
highlights economic disparities during the pandemic (Toronto Star, December 7,
2021). Precarious jobs, pandemic layoffs and virus exposure gave Indigenous and
racialized workers, especially women, a higher rate of economic insecurity than
white workers.
• An Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled in favour of Premier Doug Ford’s
controversial campaign advertising restrictions (Toronto Star, December 7, 2021).
Justice Ed Morgan dismissed a challenge by the Working Families coalition of
unions. “The EFA violates free speech but has been enacted with section 33
protection. It therefore operates notwithstanding that violation,” ruled Morgan,
referring to the Conservative government’s invoking of the “notwithstanding” clause
of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “There is nothing in the legislation
itself that is politically slanted in the way alleged by the applicants. It may
disadvantage them and their allies in the labour movement today, but it may equally
disadvantage corporate economic interests tomorrow.” A lawyer for the Working
Families coalition, says the unions are disappointed with the decision and are
“reviewing it very carefully in order to determine whether we will appeal (it) to the
Court of Appeal.”
• A report from the Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee recommends the
provincial government create a “portable” benefits program for workers who move
between jobs without insurance coverage (CBC News, December 9, 2021). The
report includes 21 recommendations from the committee tasked with addressing the
changing nature of employment, including issues that came to the forefront during
the pandemic. They also recommend changes to the province’s employment laws
that would guarantee a minimum wage for people working for apps like Uber and
DoorDash.
Political coverage:
• Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole will not reveal the vaccination status of four MPs,
who have been absent since the House of Commons tightened its mandatory
COVID-19 vaccination policy (The Canadian Press, December 6, 2021). O’Toole
told reporters to ask the MPs directly, adding that “all of our MPs will follow the
rules.”
7• Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is calling for a House of Commons investigation
into allegations of workplace harassment made against Conservative MP Shannon
Stubbs (CBC News, December 6, 2021).
• MPP Belinda Karahalios was removed from the Ontario Legislature on Tuesday
(CBC News, December 7, 2021). Karahalios recently tested positive for COVID-19
and must be out of the chamber for 90 days, but argued she should be allowed to
attend because she provided proof of a negative rapid antigen test.
• In the Toronto Star, columnist Martin Regg Cohn writes that Doug Ford seems
poised to win the 2022 provincial election (December 8, 2021). A “much-changed”
Ford, who has grown throughout the pandemic, “can continue to count on the
opposition gifts that will perhaps keep on giving all the way to June 2 — an NDP
leader unchanged, and a Liberal leader unknown.”
8Ontario Nurses’ Association Marks Canada’s
National Day of Remembrance and Action on
Violence Against Women
TORONTO, Ont., December 6, 2021 – The Ontario Nurses’ Association’s (ONA) 68,000
front-line registered nurses (RNs) and health-care professionals are pausing today to mark
Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
“As front-line health-care workers, RNs and health-care professionals not only see the
impact of violence against women – treating those who have suffered injuries and abuse –
but face violence on the job every day from patients, their families and sometimes
coworkers,” says ONA President Vicki McKenna, RN. She adds that ONA member Lori
Dupont, RN, was murdered at work in Windsor in 2005 by a physician with whom she had
been personally involved with. In addition, two other nurses have lost their lives by domestic
violence, ONA says.
“Statistics have shown that violence against women has skyrocketed during the pandemic,
as people experience more isolation and risk-factors increase,” says McKenna. “We will
not be silent as Indigenous women, racialized women, women living with disabilities, trans
women and non-binary people continue to experience higher rates of violence. We vow to
continue our efforts to end violence.”
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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