The government recently introduced Bill 195: Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020. If passed, this Act would enable to extension of some pandemic emergency orders over the next year. Under current legislation, the province can only issue emergency orders while the state of emergency remains in place. The proposed new legislation would alter this by allowing the provincial government to extend some emergency orders by a month at a time. The law would expire one year after its passage.
WeRPN is aware that some RPNs have expressed concerns about the impact of this legislation on their collective agreements. We fully support nurses’ rights to collectively bargain their employment contract rights and support Ontario unions in advocating on behalf of RPNs. Unlike a union, WeRPN is a professional association and by law we are not party to the negotiation of collective agreements or the grievance process. We urge Ontario RPNs who have concerns about Bill 195 to connect with your union representatives or to voice those concerns directly to your local MPP.
As we work together in this fight against the pandemic, we will continue to advocate on your behalf on key nursing professional practice issues.