Midwives keep winning in fight to close the pay gap
Date: June 13, 2022
Midwives have emerged winners once again, following another failed legal appeal initiated by the Ford government. Now the highest court in the province, the Ontario Court of Appeal, has also ruled unanimously in favour of midwives. Affirming the government of Ontario is responsible for systematically discriminating against midwives because their work is so deeply associated with women’s care work, the court upheld earlier court orders directing government to take concrete action to close the gender pay gap.
#MidwiferyDataMatters: Examining the rise in out-of-hospital birth during the COVID-19 pandemic
Date: June 7, 2022
The increase in demand for home births during the COVID-19 pandemic has been reported anecdotally, but is this trend evident in the available midwifery data? To answer this question, the AOM looked to midwifery data collected through BORN Ontario, the Ontario perinatal database. The data on actual …
Standing up for reproductive justice: Ontario Election 2022
Date: May 25, 2022
This election, the Association of Ontario Midwives is calling on all political party leaders to commit to the following priorities: PRIORITY: Government invest in bringing birth home to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities PRIORITY: Government to (finally!) close the gender pay gap for midwives PRIORITY: Government to prioritize reproductive health care
Informed decision-making in politics: How the major Ontario political party platforms address midwifery priorities
Date: May 18, 2022
The AOM encourages all midwives and their supporters to make a plan to vote. What motivates a person’s vote is influenced by their personal and community context, of which midwifery and reproductive justice may be one factor. Election day is June 2, and advance polls are open between May 19 and May…
Making waves: Legal precedent set by Ontario midwives cited in 66 cases involving discrimination
Date: May 13, 2022
When midwives took the provincial government to court in 2013 it was a last-straw effort, having exhausted all other options to work with government to hold them accountable for devaluing midwifery work due to its deep association with women. Without any guarantee that years of being underpaid woul…
Recognizing Outstanding Midwifery Leaders: Liz Darling
Date: March 1, 2022
After 14 years of engagement on numerous AOM committees, work groups and task forces, Dr. Liz Darling is taking a step back from active involvement in association work. During this time, Liz led and/or participated in several important projects that have been instrumental in the advancement of t…
AOM's Emergency Skills Workshop 2021: Year in Review
Date: February 22, 2022
The ESW program had a busy 2021, recertifying a record 465 midwives despite having to cancel seven ESWs due to COVID lockdowns. AOM staff worked hard to ensure midwives could receive in-person training in emergency skills safely with measures and precautions (PDF, 788 KB) to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. See the ESW 2021 Year in Review Infographic for a snapshot of 2021 ESW achievements.
Ministry of Health releases summary of GBA+ assessment
Date: December 1, 2021
The Ministry of Health has released a summary of the GBA+ report conducted by Canada Equality Consulting (CEC), as directed by the Remedial Order of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO).
Midwives defend gender-based rights against government at the Ontario Court of Appeal
Date: November 19, 2021
On November 10, 2021, the AOM’s legal team defended the decisions of the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) and the Divisional Court of Ontario, which found government was responsible for gender-based discrimination in its compensation of midwives.
More than just numbers: The value of returning birth to Indigenous communities evident in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
Date: June 15, 2021
The ceremony of birth is being reawakened in First Nations as well as in urban and rural Indigenous communities. Bringing birth home is the focus of the work of the Indigenous Midwifery team at the Association of Ontario Midwives, the 35 Indigenous midwives and 40 Indigenous students and apprentices within various educational environments across the province. Two midwifery apprentices, Tewahséhtha Brant and Iekonsiio Brant, have been on their midwifery education journey for some time now. Related through marriage, both are members of the Kanyen’kehá:ka nation at Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. The pair study and provide services to fellow members of their home community as well as to Indigenous clients in local communities through Kenhtè:ke Midwives.