The College is increasing the amount of electronic communication with you. The decision to make email addresses mandatory was based on a number of factors. For example, ongoing surveys of members indicate that an increasing number of you prefer to receive information electronically, and almost 92 percent of you have already provided us an email address. By having your email address, the College can deliver important information to you in a timely and efficient manner.

We have no intention of filling your inbox. We will only send email about significant regulatory developments at the College, membership renewal notices, developments in practice standards, or emergency situations affecting health care workers across the province. You may also receive the occasional survey that is being conducted by the College or notices about opportunities to get involved at the College, such as Council elections or committee appointments.

You can log in to Maintain Your Membership and add an email to your information now, or you can provide an email when you complete your annual membership renewal, which starts in October. Members who do not supply an email address will not be able to complete their renewal, as a valid email address will be required to renew. You will also not receive notice when a new issue of The Standard is online, renewal deadlines are approaching, or when changes to provincial legislation, College by-laws or practice standards have come into effect.

An email address will also more easily allow you to retrieve your online account information if you can't remember your username, password or security question answers when you log in to your Maintain Your Membership account. Rather than making you call the College for assistance, we will be able to send you reset information to the email address you provided.

The by-law states that members must provide "the member's primary email address that is checked personally by the member on a regular basis." To ensure that you consistently receive College email messages, consider choosing an email address that you check at least once a week and that you do not share with other people (such as a spouse). Also, select an email address that you won't have to change too often.

Go to the Maintain Your Membership section of www.cno.org, log in to your account and add one. If you provided an email address before, visit your account to check that it is current.

You can easily register for an email address through many different providers. Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo are among the most common and are free.

Members are responsible for checking and reading email from the College. Computers with web access can be found at local libraries, community centres or internet cafes. If your workplace permits, access your email there, or ask to borrow a friend or family member's computer or mobile device.

You can log in to your account in the Maintain Your Membership section on the College's website and update your information there. Or, you can add or update your email when you renew your membership in the fall. Members are responsible for keeping their email addresses up to date.

No. Your email will only be used for College-related business. We will not share it with third parties without your permission, and we will not post it on Find a Nurse.