President’s Address

My own nursing journey has taken me places I never expected. In the beginning, I spent 15 years in a small rural hospital working on nearly every floor, and like many of us, at one point I lost sight of why I became a nurse. That changed for me when I took a leap into travel nursing and found myself in Fort Albany, a community along James Bay in Northern Ontario. The staff, the patients, the people there welcomed me with open arms—even inviting me into their traditions and ceremonies. They loaned me a ribbon skirt for a full moon ceremony, which I so cherished. But beyond that, they reignited my passion for nursing and gave me back the ability to care for patients the way I was taught to care. I am so grateful for these communities—they are the reason I am still a nurse today.

That experience sparked my curiosity and led me to my current role with Indigenous Services Canada, where I work as an RPN in remote First Nations communities. I spend half the year up north, and the work is as broad as it is demanding. A week in the north keeps my skills sharp in an expanse of ways, including chronic care, wound care, immunizations, well-baby clinics—all while collaborating with doctors and nurse practitioners. This past summer, my work extended far beyond my clinical training when the climate crisis came to my doorstep, and our community encountered fires burning less than 15 kilometres away on both sides. The air quality changed hour to hour, and the only access road had closed, cutting off our supplies. There were days when the planes could not land at all due to heavy smoke.

The wildfire forced us to evacuate the community, starting with our elders, then vulnerable children and their families. We did three convoys and four flights in the span of days to get folks to safety. We packed health histories and medication because the Emergency Medical Records (EMRs) in the north do not talk to the ones in the south. It was exhausting, and it was essential—and I have never been prouder of what RPNs can do in a crisis.

With my work often taking me into regions that are directly impacted by environmental challenges, I was excited to have the opportunity to expand my learning on the topic by attending the Community Health Nurses of Canada Conference. This was the first year RPNs were invited to participate. I took part in a place-based planetary health workshop, and it deepened my belief that the health of our patients is inseparable from the health of our planet. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we can access—it all connects.