Latest News

Embedding equity in health systems: Lessons from 'Remi Ejiwunmi on midwifery models at Trillium Health Partners

Date: April 15, 2026

Midwife ‘Remi Ejiwunmi, Vice President of the future Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children, shared reflections at Minofest 2026, the Racialized Reproductive and Maternal Health Conference held at North York General Hospital, on why midwifery is key to designing equitable health systems.   This year’s theme explored how data is used in perinatal and reproductive health care, raising important questions about who it serves and excludes, and how systems can be redesigned to better support marginalized communities. For Black and racialized families in Canada, these are urgent, lived realities.

Cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program beginning May 1, 2026

Date: April 14, 2026

Effective May 1, 2026, the federal government is introducing co-payments for health-care essentials like medication, mental health support and vision care to the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) for eligible beneficiaries. While doctor visits and hospital care will remain fully covered under the IFHP with no co-payments required, the potential impact of harm as a result of other increased costs can still be significant. The IFHP provides health-care coverage for victims of human trafficking and family violence, protected persons under Canadian law, resettled refugees and refugee claimants, including many who are receiving care from midwives.

ESW 2025: Year in review

Date: March 10, 2026

Midwives are required to have specialized skills and training to handle emergencies that occur in both community and hospital settings. The AOM’s Emergency Skills Workshop (ESW) is a comprehensive, high-quality, College of Midwives of Ontario–certified course, designed and taught by midwives, for midwives.   The ESW program experienced a year of meaningful growth and innovation. In Ontario, recertifications rose by an impression 27%, reflecting strong engagement and a continued commitment from midwives to the ESW’s midwife- and client-centred emergency obstetric curriculum. 

Remembering Becky June “Miigwaans” Holden and her work in Indigenous Midwifery 

Date: March 3, 2026

The Indigenous Midwifery team and the AOM are mourning the loss of our colleague and dear friend, Becky June “Miigwaans” Holden. Becky passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, at Grey Bruce Hospice Chapman House in Owen Sound on Feb. 12, 2026, at the age of 42. Becky worked with the AOM’s Indigenous Midwifery team as a Policy Analyst and was a key part of advancing Indigenous midwifery in Treaty 3 and across the North. Her work, and the way she carried it, had a deep impact on the communities, midwives and colleagues she walked alongside. Her Anishinaabe name, Miigwaans, means “Little Feather” and was given to her when she worked at Grand Council Treaty 3.

Black History and Black Futures Month 2026

Date: January 27, 2026

This year's Black History Month theme is 30 Years of Black History Month: Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations — From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries. As the AOM continues to advocate for racial justice and for equitable and culturally safe midwifery care, it is essential to ackn…

#MidwiferyDataMatters: What is the true demand for midwifery care?  

Date: January 14, 2026

The demand for midwifery care in Ontario continues to outpace the supply—but by how much?   In the AOM’s commitment to improving the sustainability of the midwifery profession, this question has been of utmost importance. The Roadmap to Health System Integration reports that between 2013-2022, “over 22,000 clients were unable to access the midwifery care they sought,” citing BORN Ontario. This same number is emphasized again in the visual summary, but the footnote states that a larger story is being left untold. 

Building pathways: Tamara Cascagnette on community engagement and the growth of Indigenous midwifery in Ontario 

Date: December 16, 2025

Tamara Cascagnette has spent the past year crisscrossing the province, helping communities explore what it means to bring birth home. As Community Engagement and Outreach Specialist with the AOM's Indigenous Midwifery team, her work supports communities considering Indigenous Midwifery Programs (IMPs), gathers input from Elders and families and strengthens the relationships that underpin this work.  For Cascagnette, relationships are the foundation of her work. 

Midwives host educational event in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario 

Date: December 10, 2025

On December 8, the AOM hosted its annual midwifery education day, Midwives in the Legislative Assembly, at Queen’s Park.  Midwives educated MPPs on the alignment between addressing midwifery sustainability issues and Ontario’s broader health system goals, as advocated in the AOM’s Roadmap to Health System Integration report. Political Action Lead (PAL) midwives called on MPPs to leverage midwifery expertise to ease the primary care crisis and improve access to families across the province. Midwives championed increased investments for education, support for Indigenous-led apprenticeships and expansion of midwifery-led services across the province. 

Lead midwives retreat: Fostering community, leadership and systems change

Date: November 25, 2025

The Leading Change: Reconnecting with Purpose, Courage and Community professional development event in Caledon, ON, on November 4-5 offered head midwives and other midwifery leaders an opportunity to connect, share ideas and build skills to enhance midwives’ …