RNAO to march for jobs, justice and the climate in Toronto rally
TORONTO, June 30, 2015 /CNW/ - Ontario nurses are hitting the streets alongside other social and environmental advocates to fight for a healthier future. Members of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), including President-Elect Carol Timmings, will join a countrywide grassroots campaign at the March for Jobs, Justice and the Climate July 5 in Toronto.
Thousands of concerned Canadians will gather at Queen's Park at 1 p.m., just days before the Climate Summit of the Americas and the International Economic Forum of the Americas' global meeting are to be held in Toronto. Demonstrators will discuss building an economy that creates good jobs for everyone while protecting the environment and addressing climate change. Following the rally, participants will march from Queen's Park to Allan Gardens.
"Without jobs that provide a living wage and a strong and stable environment, Ontarians' health and well-being are at risk," says Timmings, who is also director of healthy living and chief nursing officer for Toronto Public Health. "As a society, we can no longer afford to ignore these issues."
RNAO has long spoken out about the social and environmental determinants of health, as part of nurses' holistic approach to health promotion and disease prevention.
"From advocating for a $14 minimum wage to helping stop coal-fired power and the use of cosmetic pesticides to defending our not-for-profit health system, Ontario's nurses know that protecting the province's health isn't limited to clinical settings," says RNAO CEO Doris Grinspun.
She added that current economic models in most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, including Canada, work against the social and environmental determinants of health. "This weekend, we're taking health care onto the streets, and sending a message to our government that a healthy economy is one that creates good jobs, and tackles poverty and climate change – all of which are paramount to advancing health."
For more details, visit the March for Jobs, Justice and the Climate website.
This year marks the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario's (RNAO) 90th anniversary. RNAO is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health-care system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario
For further information: To arrange an interview with a nurse, please contact: Daniel Punch, Communications Officer/Writer, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 416-408-5606
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