ONA members Ruby Panna (left) and Karen McCoy weren’t discouraged by the damp weather as they, and several other members, knocked on Hamilton doors to hand out and discuss our leaflet on RN cuts and safe staffing ratios.
It’s going to take more than a little precipitation to stop ONA members from spreading our key messages about cuts to care.
Timed to coincide with the rally to St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton to protest RN cuts during the June Provincial Coordinators Meeting (PCM), the pilot brought together 10 members, who knocked on doors in pairs to discuss with residents how those cuts are impacting their health care.
“The goal of the pilot was to build member capacity and confidence in door-to-door canvassing as a core campaign tactic, while engaging the public on protecting and strengthening publicly funded health care,” says Member Mobilizer Tania Liu, who oversaw the canvass with Government Relations Specialist Andre Fast.
“We received a training presentation on Teams prior to attending the PCM,” says ONA214 Local Coordinator Karen McCoy, who was only too happy to participate in the pilot when asked by Fast. “Staff provided an overview of the area we were canvassing, reviewed the [Code Black and Blue campaign] leaflets we were going to hand out, along with safety tips, such as to canvass in pairs and not go inside houses, and gave us an opportunity to ask questions.
And they’re off! ONA canvassers pose for a quick photo with staff before heading out in the rain to knock on doors and hand deliver the leaflets they’re displaying.
“Also, just prior to the canvass, we reviewed the talking points as a group, were given a reminder about the safety tips and were provided with an opportunity to role play with the person we were paired up with.”
And then, wearing ONA rain ponchos, the group, which also included Monica Bovett, Paula Branton, Kenny Bird, Angela Preocanin, Duane Stockley, Ruby Panna, Ley-an Rufo and Alison Heisz, set off in the rain.
“It went very well,” explains McCoy, who was paired with Panna. “Despite the rain, our energy wasn’t dampened. “Tania and Andre were there as support and checked in with us in case we didn’t have a positive response.”
Luckily, most Hamilton residents who opened their doors were very receptive.
We were able to generate some engaging conversations.
“We were able to generate some engaging conversations,” notes McCoy, “We told people that we were registered nurses and advocating the Ford government for safe staffing ratios, appropriate funding of our public health-care system and an end to nurse and health-care job cuts. We told them understaffing increases the likelihood of violence and unsafe working conditions.”
Canvassers also asked residents to scan the QR code on our leaflet and email Premier Doug Ford and their MPP demanding they stop the cuts and mandate safe staffing ratios, which most said they would do.
Members Kenny Bird and Paula Branton speak to a Hamilton resident during our pilot door-to-door canvass.
For Bird, ONA31 Local Coordinator, and his partner Branton, the response of residents was a little more direct.
“When we presented our pitch to one homeowner, she gave us a look that would impress any poker table. I asked politely if she would kindly take our leaflet and scan the QR code. She then double fingered the world and yelled, ‘f*ck, Doug Ford!’ You can imagine the chat we had after that! If you’re wondering where her frustrations are coming from, it turns out that she and her husband are teachers and her sister is a nurse.”
The duo also spoke to a retired psychiatric nurse who had worked in the Hamilton area for the past 44 years.
“She and her husband were very pleasant and also agreed to scan the QR code,” Bird reveals. “Just before we left their porch, she quietly said, “f*ck Doug Ford, quickly flipped up her middle finger and just as quickly put it down again!”
No one home? No problem! Canvassers left hand-signed ONA leaflets behind so residents could read about our concerns and how they can join us in our fight.
For houses where no one answered the door, “we left a leaflet in their mailbox,” explains McCoy. “We wrote on it ‘sorry, we missed you’ and signed our names. It gave a more personal touch.”
There was a quick debrief on the sidewalk after the canvass concluded before the canvassers joined the rally, which was returning from St. Joseph’s and met up with them along the route.
“This was 100 per cent a worthwhile endeavour,” McCoy says. “It was a great opportunity to engage with the public and talk about safe staffing, privatization and the impact on them, their families and the community. Overall, it was a very positive interaction with residents.”
Bird couldn’t agree more, calling the experience “awesome” and thanking ONA for the opportunity he admits he was initially somewhat skeptical of.
For the first time in a very long time, I really felt that I made a difference.
“You’ve really made a believer out of me. For the first time in a very long time, I really felt that I made a difference and I couldn’t have done so without ONA, and of course, my canvassing partner, Paula. The next time our amazing union decides to canvass again, I want to be kept in mind.”
He’s so keen, in fact, that he’s bringing this work closer to home.
“I look forward to receiving my box of leaflets from ONA, so that I can do some canvassing around here!”
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