Winter-Spring 2026

The provincial government released its 2026 budget on March 26, which included a funding boost to $3.4 billion for primary care and $1 billion in additional funding for home care over three years.

RNAO member and professor of nursing, Dr. Bukola Oladunni Salami is co-chair for RNAO’s new best practice guideline (BPG) titled Addressing Anti-Black Racism in Nursing (AABR).

RNAO President NP Lhamo Dolkar’s letter about co-payments for asylum claimants was published (Globe and Mail, March 5, 2026). 

On Feb. 12, RNAO’s Windsor-Essex chapter hosted a webinar that focused on strategies to prevent violence against nurses. The event was co-hosted by RNAO’s Mental Health Nurses Interest Group and Sigma Tau Epsilon. 

On March 16, the Ontario government announced it would end funding for the remaining supervised consumption services (SCS) sites in Ontario as of June 13.

In January 2026, the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) changed the evidence of practice requirement for internationally educated nurses (IEN) looking to join the workforce. Applicants must prove they have had nursing experience in the past three years.

St. Lawrence College nursing professors and RNAO members Dr. Andrea Rochon and Julie Dyke have been awarded a grant valued at almost $360,000 to support a three-year research program they hope changes the way future generations of nurses view careers in long-term care (LTC).

RNAO members Tilda Shalof and Lisa Mochrie have co-authored a book called The Handover: A Nurse’s Last Shift. The title is a play on the practice of a handover from one nurse to another on the next shift. This exchange of knowledge is a critical part of safe, effective nursing practice.

As I round out my presidency this spring, I am filled with the overwhelming sensation that I’ve lived several lives (at times exhausting but always fulfilling) over the last two years. I am grateful for each and every experience that has impacted me personally and professionally.