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.
Department profile: Health-Care Equity, Quality & Human Rights
Date: November 12, 2021
Following the 2019 study, Experiences of Racism among Ontario BIPOC Midwives and Students in Midwifery Education and Profession, the AOM has engaged with initiatives to advance racial equity in the profession. To ensure our commitment to dismantle racism is prioritized and maintained over the years…
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.
In Memory of Dr. Murray Enkin
Date: June 11, 2021
The following tribute was written by Faculty from the McMaster University and Ryerson University Midwifery Education Programs. It was originally published on the McMaster University Research Centre website on June 10, 2021. Dr. Murray Enkin’s family announced his passing on June 6, 2021 at age 97. They expressed on behalf of all who knew him that “The world has changed with Murray gone.”
Call to action in solidarity with Indigenous communities re: Kamloops Residential School
Date: June 1, 2021
To Indigenous midwives, families and communities: our hearts and our commitment to action are with you. **Content warning: the message below is written to settler midwife members and discusses harms perpetrated on Indigenous people and communities, including through residential schools.**
"There is still a lot of work to be done": Interview with AOM Vice President Bounmy Inthavong
Date: May 5, 2021
May 5 is the International Day of the Midwife, a day to celebrate the hard work and dedication of the world’s midwives; to advocate for increased access to quality midwifery training around the world as an investment in sexual, reproductive and newborn health; and to recognize midwifery leaders for…