Council Elections

What's Council?

Council is CNO’s board of directors, and it’s comprised of nurses and members of the public. Council makes important decisions that shape the regulation of nursing and promote public safety. Together, Council and CNO have one purpose: to protect the public by promoting safe nursing practice. 

Is council for me?

If you’re passionate about patient care, then sitting on Council will be a personally and professionally rewarding experience. It’s also a significant accountability.

Step 1: Verify you’re eligible to participate in this by-election

To be eligible to run as a candidate, you must:

• live or work in the electoral district holding an election this year
• be a current member of CNO
• complete a conflict of interest form. (We will provide this to you when we receive your nomination.)

This year, we’re holding elections in the Metro Toronto and Central districts for RNs (including NPs), and in the Central Eastern district for RNs and RPNs. If you are eligible to participate in this election, check your email inbox — we contacted you on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021.

You can also learn more about the electoral districts by reading Where are Elections Taking Place this Year?

The following disqualifies you from running for Council:

• Any terms, conditions, or limitations on your registration with CNO
• Any revocation or suspension of your registration within the last six years, for any reason other than non-payment of fees
• Any professional misconduct, incompetence or incapacity findings in the past three years
• Being referred to the Discipline or Fitness to Practise committee
• Being disqualified by Council from serving on Council or a committee in the last three years.

Step 2: Watch is Council right for me?
If you are considering putting your name forward for election, your next step is to learn about CNO’s Council. Review the information about Council, watch the brief video series, consider the time commitment and reflect on the questions. This information will help you decide if becoming a member of Council is right for you. The video series takes about nine minutes to watch.

Step 3: Review the board profile and reflect on your own skills and attributes 
To see if you have what it takes, review our list of career knowledge and experience, functional skills, and our affinity and character attributes. No one person will have them all, but you should be able to identify and articulate which skills and attributes from the list you will bring to Council.

Step 4: Reflect on your availability 
Participating on Council requires you to devote time. If elected, in addition to serving on Council, you will be expected to serve on a statutory committee. You can expect to participate in meetings 1-3 days per month.

You will need to be able to review materials in an online portal (CNO will provide equipment and training) and to actively participate in Zoom meetings in a space that offers privacy and where you will not be interrupted.

If you are passionate about patient safety and quality nursing care, this could be your opportunity to make a difference.

Step 5: Complete your nomination form

What is the schedule?

Questions?

Send an email to elections@cnomail.org

Page last reviewed October 13, 2021