For as long as RN Stephanie Peltier can remember, she’s wanted to be a strong advocate to help improve her profession. As the voice for nurses for 100 years now, RNAO has provided her with opportunities to do just that, she says.

After enjoying a year-long term as policy and political action network (PPAN) officer for RNAO’s Chatham-Kent Chapter, Peltier became chapter chair to gain more leadership experience and continue to engage with her community. In this role, she has heard from a lot of chapter members about the Chatham-Kent encampment sites (in late 2024 there were 10, with new municipal funding announced late last year to address the issue by building tiny transitional cabins).

“This is a priority in our community,” Peltier explains of the homelessness crisis. “In any area of health care…you're going to run into people experiencing poverty…homelessness…(and) the health repercussions that invariably come from these conditions of living, and (nurses) care about it deeply.”