Ottawa-based nurse, Naomi Thick, RN, knows her way around Council and its committees.

The former Council president is chair of CNO’s Nominating Committee, which assists Council in making sure that committee members have the knowledge, skills and character to fulfill their duties, and she’s been part of Council and its committees for over seven years.

Thick is proud of the accomplishments she has contributed as part of Council and its committees. Those include decisions about the Code of Conduct, entry-to-practice changes, scope of practice updates and providing guidance on the Nurses’ Health Program.

“What an incredible privilege,” she said of being part of this work, which shapes nursing throughout the province.

She’s most proud of recent updates to the Council election process, which include introducing competency-based elections. It’s her hope that the changes make the election process more supportive than ever and encourage nurses across the province to put their names forward just like she did.

“When I talk to people about putting their hand up to run for Council or to submit their name for a committee appointment, one of the key messages I give them is something that’s very close to my heart: if you’re passionate about something, putting your hand up is a key way of making a difference. And with CNO, the way you do that is to put your name forward for a Council election or to be nominated to one of our statutory committees.”

In that process, she wants nurses to consider whether Council or a committee appointment is right for them. That’s in part because drawing from a large pool of people helps make sure that the diversity of the province is well represented.

“Ensuring that nurses have the knowledge, skill and ability—diversely—across the spectrum, at the decision-making table, makes a big difference.”

She added that different perspectives make for better outcomes. “We know from evidence, when we have diverse thinking at the table, better informed decisions for the public interest are made,”

Here’s a breakdown of the Council elections and committee appointments process, along with insights from Thick on why you should consider these opportunities.

Council elections

The Council election process begins on Wednesday, Oct. 9. That’s when interested candidates can begin submitting their nomination forms.

Unlike committee appointments, which are province-wide, Council elections occur in three districts. This year’s elections take place in:

Toronto: The City of Toronto, where two RNs/NPs will be elected
Central: The County of Simcoe and the regional municipalities of Halton, Peel and York, where two RNs/NPs will be elected
Central Eastern: The counties of Frontenac, Hastings, Lanark, Northumberland, Peterborough, Prince Edward, Victoria and Haliburton, the united counties of Leeds and Grenville, Lennox and Addington and the regional municipality of Durham, where two RNs/NPs and one RPN will be elected

RNs/NPs can nominate and vote for RNs/NPs, and RPNs can nominate and vote for RPNs. If your district isn’t listed, then it will be up for election in a future year.

Serving on Council is all about protecting the public by promoting safe nursing practice. Thick says it’s a great way to contribute to nursing in a system-wide way.

Some nurses might wonder whether they’re a good fit to run for Council. That’s why CNO is providing a detailed look at the skills that are needed on Council, so you can consider whether it’s right for you. There’re a lot of different competencies and attributes Council requires, but, as Thick says, it’s also not expected that any candidate will check every box.

“You don’t need to be able to tick all the boxes. You need to be able to tick a few of them,” she says. “We’re going to make sure around the whole table, we have each of those competencies represented.”

CNO encourages diverse voices, experiences and perspectives on Council. For the first time, we’re providing an optional space for candidates to share aspects of their identity with voters. This way, voters can consider how the background and lived experiences of candidates can help provide additional perspectives.

Voters will get their chance to vote beginning Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, up until Friday, Feb. 7, 2025.

Committee appointments

In addition to Council elections, CNO also has statutory committee appointments. These are a separate process from elections to serve on Council and are open to any nurse in the province.

The application is available as of Monday, Oct. 7. You must submit the application by Midnight on Friday, Nov. 29.

If you are appointed, you can serve on one of several statutory committees, including the Discipline and Fitness to Practise committees (common membership), the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC), the Quality Assurance Committee and the Registration Committee.

“Statutory committees support many of the core functions of CNO,” explains Thick.

A wide variety of skills are welcome on committees. For instance, nurses who speak French are encouraged to apply.

In addition to giving something back to public safety, Thick highlights that she has benefitted from the experience by gaining leadership opportunities and the chance to work with colleagues from across the province.

“My practice improved by being at those tables, by learning from that experience,” says Thick.

Protecting the public by promoting safe nursing practice.