Nursing Week 2025 reveals record member engagement
From gala dinners to meet-and-greets, lunches and other fun activities, Nursing Week was a whirlwind with record member engagement. It’s a welcome opportunity to lift our spirits, and for grassroots members to connect with their union and each other.
Nursing Week activity has perked up in the last few years. With the COVID pandemic restricting social interactions, forcing us to rely on virtual events, it seems to have taken a few years to get back on track.
If the barometer for normal is how much activity is going on and how many events are being planned, 2025 has been a banner year.
What makes this year different? It may be that all the actions, rallies and events across the province are creating more engagement. The energy and enthusiasm generated by all this activity seems to have extended to Nursing Week.
ONA Provincial President Erin Ariss clocked nearly 3,750 kilometres on a whirlwind tour visiting worksites and attending events, seeing thousands of members over the week. Of 17 invitations for Nursing Week events, Ariss was able to attend 13.
“Meeting grassroots members puts fuel in my tank, and every single one I spoke to was positive and engaged,” she says. “They know what’s going on in their union. They want to be out there. They want to be active.”
Ariss also notes that she was stunned to see ONA124 leaders create charcuterie boards for every one of their members at Southlake Regional Health Centre. They hand-sanded thousands of pieces of lumber and created a custom ONA124 branding iron for the boards.
“It was extraordinary! I was so proud to see that,” she says.
Cathy Cleverdon, ONA7 Bargaining Unit President at Brant Community Health System, says her unit has been holding an open house for the last few years, but this year had a whopping 175 members coming through. They hosted the open house in a room at their workplace from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m., and people came in and asked questions, collected gifts and enjoyed refreshments.
“It was a great opportunity to socialize and also discuss serious workplace issues,” she says.
Special guests dropping by were Ariss, ONA First Vice-President Alan Warrington and Region 4 Vice-President Grace Pierias. The members were thrilled, adds Cleverdon.
“They took a tour of several of our units in the hospital, and it gave members a great chance to interact with our provincial leaders.”
Cleverdon says her members shared their concerns and stories and were delighted to have the opportunity to be heard first-hand. The Board members toured areas where our workload reporting process had been triggered, and members achieved a resolution before needing an Independent Assessment Committee investigation.
ONA staff also dropped by to answer questions and provide support and information, including Anu Lokre of the Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression Team and Professional Practice Specialist Sandy Paproski.
Cleverdon, the Region 4 rep on the provincial Nursing Week Advisory Team this year, says it was rewarding to see people engaged, asking questions and enjoying themselves, and recognized the prep work taken on by her executive.
“We count on each other’s strengths.”
Her advice for leaders planning Nursing Week activities is to use the digital planning guide and other resources, available on the ONA website.
The face-to-face with members really allows us to get to know them, hear their issues and for them to feel supported.
Irene Aguiar, Bargaining Unit President at ONA8, Iler Lodge in Region 5, says Ariss and Warrington visited her Local for their Nursing Week event, and the members were delighted.
“They took the time to make sure they talked to members, who thought they were very down-to-earth and approachable. They made sure they got around to everyone!”
Ariss delivered a delightful and engaging speech to kick off an evening event and the members found it inspiring, she notes.
“It really was a great evening!”
Serge Ganzburg, ONA80 Local Coordinator and Sunnybrook Bargaining Unit Vice-President and Grievance Chair, is certainly no stranger to planning spectacular Nursing Week events, holding a large gala each year.
Open to all ONA80, more than 400 members and guests attended the gala this year.
“We had a joyful evening filled with dancing, fine food, many door prizes and a real sense of unity,” says Ganzburg.
The entire week was devoted to special events.
Just before Nursing Week started officially, ONA80 held an exhibit called, “Legacy of Care: A Tapestry of Healing,” weaving together the past and present of international nursing.
“The exhibit highlighted a journey from the rich heritage of nursing pioneers to today’s trailblazers," he adds. “It celebrated contributions from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, North America and beyond, honouring the stories and cultural traditions that shape nursing worldwide.”
At an evening reception for members who worked on the night of the gala and couldn’t attend, ONA80 drew another 300 members who vied for door prizes.
And on Friday, May 16, ONA80 held a special memorial for dear friend and colleague Connie Belfon, a former Local Coordinator and Bargaining Unit President. Member Marva McCalla from the ONA80 executive wrote a beautiful poem in loving memory of her.
The memorial was attended by members, colleagues, friends and Belfon’s family.
At Unity Health, ONA95, Local Secretary Andrea Michailoff-Russell, also a member of the Nursing Week Advisory Team for Region 3, decided to join the provincial team to help with the Nursing Week process beyond her Local.
“I had a chance to see the extraordinary amount of work that is done on behalf of all members, and it was a big learning curve for me to see and hear experiences across the region,” she explains. “The evaluative process at the end of it all showed we had tackled what we needed to do in the time that we had.”
Michailoff-Russell’s Bargaining Unit includes several sites of various sizes, so the Bargaining Unit Presidents from smaller units were encouraged to engage their members in ways they felt would be well received and reflect the uniqueness of their community.
They know what’s going on in their union. They want to be out there. They want to be active.
“Some of our smaller sites do a lunch for the nurses; multiple sites received donated swag from local businesses that are very supportive of nursing and nurse practitioners," she adds. “Last year, we raffled off many wonderfully themed baskets, but this year decided to put that energy into the raffles we have at our Bargaining Unit meeting a week prior to Nursing Week, which is open to all sites.
“This year, we raffled off gift cards and the value of ONA dues for one month. We also have bursary draws for a nursing-focused gift.”
Michailoff-Russell says Zoom technology provided a huge boost in the number of members involved in Nursing Week activities.
“We engage close to 200 members each meeting and had record-breaking attendance. This platform, although not as intimate, does allow members on days off, traveling to or from work or getting ready for nights with an opportunity to connect and engage with their Local in ways they couldn’t before, due to time, distance and logistical challenges. This also allows our entire Local to come together, engaging all sites and allowing for more inclusiveness and involvement.”
For in-person gift card distribution days, they reached well over 70 per cent of members, and on those days, the leaders made themselves available for all shifts.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to engage with members, strengthen our rep resources and educate members in the work of our union. Those we miss, we make arrangements to connect with on other days. The face-to-face with members really allows us to get to know them, hear their issues and for them to feel supported in the day-to-day issues affecting all of us in the organization.”
Overall, her members were quite happy with the events this year.
“We have started brainstorming some new ideas for next year already! Keeping it diverse, fresh and inclusive is very important to us, considering the size of our Local.”
When asked how she felt about planning for Nursing Week as a member of her unit’s executive, Michailoff-Russell replies it was “definitely a pleasure!”
Her advice? Engage the executive. If they aren’t engaged, it won’t work and it won’t be enjoyable for anyone.
“Start early and take advantage of quieter times in your Local calendar. And take lots of notes of what people liked or didn’t like and what worked for the executive as well.”
Finally, she says, make every effort to reach all your members.
“We all have an impact on patients, their care, our units and its members. Nursing Week is a time to make everyone feel a little special and appreciated for the work and sacrifices RNs and health-care professionals perform every day.”
For more pictures from Nursing Week, head to ONA’s Facebook page.
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