Coverage of the 16th Annual Health Care Conference

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April 13, 2018

On April 12 and 13, our annual health care conference was attended by approximately 107 stewards from health care and community care facilities across the province. Our Local 175 Recorder and Nurse, Karen Vaughan was our host for the conference.

Our first day kicked off with a welcome from President Shawn Haggerty who spoke to the group about the upcoming election and the need for activism at this important time. President Haggerty stressed the importance of voting and not allowing other people to decide your future. He encouraged members to vote for someone who represents themselves, their families and other working people.

We then heard from Natalie Mehra from the Ontario Health Coalition. Natalie spoke about the current campaigns that the coalition is working on. She also told us how Ontario compares to other provinces in terms of health care funding, and sadly reported that every other province funds health care better.

She expressed how we need to demand that our province budget for health care so better, so that we can afford a safe and dignified workplace for our health care workers. We need action and we can win if we work together. We must make health care reform an important factor in the upcoming election.

Tim Deelstra, Engagement & Media Relations Strategist for Local 175, gave an overview of the Fair Workplaces and Better Jobs Act that recently passed into law and answered question from our stewards.

The remainder of the training was spent with Dr. Leeno Karumanchery who provided a thought provoking look at diversity, our unconscious bias and promoting inclusivity in the workplace and our daily lives.

Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in the photo contest. The winner will be announced at the completion of the contest.

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