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ONA’s Legal Expense Assistance Plan (LEAP) was established in 1980 to help you with legal or regulatory body problems relating to your work. This includes problems that arise under Ontario’s Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA).

Our LEAP Team comprises professionals with backgrounds in law and nursing. ONA m embers may also be referred to external counsel when necessary. French language representation is available.

One of our provincial committees, the LEAP Advisory Team, reviews and reports on LEAP operations. It consists of the ONA First Vice-President, Political Action and Professional Issues, and front-line members.

Coverage

LEAP is here to help you with the following situations:

  • Complaints or reports to the college (regulatory body) about your professional practice including mental health and substance use disorders, and appeals of regulatory body decisions.
  • Complaints or reports to the Information and Information and Privacy Commissioner under the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), appeals of Privacy Commissioner orders, and d efense against prosecutions under PHIPA.
  • If you’re called as a witness in a legal proceeding.
  • Coroner ’s investigations and inquests.
  • Defending you against criminal prosecution arising from a job-related incident.
  • Investigations under the Long-Term Care Homes Act.

For details relating to the conditions of the coverage, please refer to the plan itself.

Eligibility

All registered nurses, graduate nurses and health-care professionals for whom ONA is the bargaining agent, and who are regularly paying dues, are covered by the plan.

Eligibility is limited to matters arising from incidents that occur in the course of your employment as a registered or graduate nurse or health-care professional. The incident must have occurred at a workplace for which ONA is the bargaining agent.

Contact LEAP Intake

If you believe you are eligible for help, or if you need more information about LEAP, please contact LEAP Intake by email at gro.a1736819125no@ek1736819125atniP1736819125AEL1736819125 or by phone at 416-964-8833 or toll-free at 1-800-387-5580 (enter 0.)

If you are contacting LEAP after hours, call the Board Intake at 416-964-8833 (enter 7775) or 1-800-387-5580 (enter 0, then 7775). Please contact the Board Intake only for work-related criminal or coroner’s matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

You should always contact LEAP as soon as possible if you receive notice of a complaint or report about your practice. Please do not respond to the College in any way yourself. LEAP will arrange for a representative to respond to the College on your behalf.

You should not respond to the letter in any way. If you provide additional information, it could prompt the Executive Director to request a meeting with you or to investigate your practice. This is the best possible outcome from an employer report.

You do not need to notify LEAP that you received the letter. Call LEAP for advice if you have questions or concerns regarding the correspondence you received.

No. If you are being questioned as a witness and not as a suspect you do not require representation. However, there are a few things you should do before providing any information to the police:

  1. You should request assurance that you are not suspected of any criminal wrongdoing.
  2. You should ensure that proper authorization is in place for you to disclose personal health information regarding the patient. If the police do not have signed consent or a warrant to obtain the information, you must obtain authorization from your employer first.
  3. You should review your charting and any prior statements to the police regarding the patient.

The LEAP Guide contains general advice for members participating as a witness. Call LEAP Intake if you have questions or concerns regarding the request.

Employers are obligated under the Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) to report the reasons for terminating a regulated health-care professional to their respective College within 30 days. The obligation remains if the employer intended to terminate the health-care professional, but did not because they resigned.

The College’s mandate is to ensure that nurses are practicing according to standards and to address any breaches appropriately. The outcome of your labour relations proceedings will not likely have any impact on the College’s consideration of the information they receive regarding your practice.

It’s not mandatory to call LEAP as soon as you are terminated. It is very important that you call LEAP Intake as soon as you receive correspondence from the College regarding the report, and that you do not respond to the College yourself. LEAP will arrange for a representative to respond to the College on your behalf.

Call LEAP Intake if you would like information on how the College addresses employer reports and the assistance that LEAP provides. Information is also available in the LEAP Guide.

Nurses’ Health Program

If you think that you are struggling with mental health disorders and/or substance use, you are not alone.

The Nurses’ Health Program (NHP) provides support and monitoring for Ontario nurses who suffer from mental health disorders and/or substance use that is affecting their ability to practice nursing.

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