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RNAO’s BPSO Indigenous-focused Symposium brings together nurses and Indigenous leaders

Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario
Friday at 1:35pm ADT · July 4, 2025 4 min read

THUNDER BAY, ON, July 4, 2025 /CNW/ – To continue improving health outcomes in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in northern Ontario, the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, health providers from Best Practice Spotlight Organizations® (BPSO®) and Indigenous leaders will gather in Thunder Bay for this year’s BPSO Indigenous-focused Symposium.

Developed by the symposium’s BPSO planning committee, the event, happening between July 8-10, 2025, will celebrate the theme: Bridging Indigenous and Western Perspectives in Health Care.

“This event is an opportunity to learn how Indigenous perspectives can be integrated into health-care systems in meaningful ways and listen to Indigenous voices and perspectives to improve health-care outcomes,” says Maxine Lesage, a member of the symposium’s BPSO planning committee and former member of RNAO’s board of directors. “Attendees will also better understand how weaving together Indigenous and western perspectives through the Two-Eyed Seeing approach helps Indigenous-focused BPSOs use best practice guidelines to make a profound impact on quality outcomes for persons, providers, organizations, communities and health systems.”

Best practice guidelines (BPG) equip nurses and other health providers with up-to-date evidence-based recommendations to improve quality of health care. As part of the BPSO program, organizations work with RNAO to implement BPGs and measure their impact on outcomes.

The three-day in-person event will include a panel on a day in the life of northern remote and urban Indigenous communities; traditional teachings on Indigenous cultures, grief and loss; and a panel on strength-based and cultural approaches to care. Health providers from different Indigenous-focused BPSOs will also share their stories on the impact the program has had and ways to evaluate outcomes from a Two-Eyed Seeing perspective.

“The symposium comes during a challenging and uncertain time for Indigenous communities as they fight against the Red Lake 12 wildfire, Ontario’s Bill 5 and federal Bill C-5, threatening the rights, lands and future generations of Indigenous Peoples,” says RNAO CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun, founder of the BPG and BPSO programs. “We are committed to standing with Indigenous Peoples as their voices must be heard, ensuring mitigation measures to protect the environment and accommodation measures to respect their rights. At the event next week, I plan to once again recognize the incredible leadership, strength and resilience Indigenous Peoples have in the face of these Bills and emergencies such as the recent wildfires.”

For more information, please see our Action Alert to withdraw Bill 5 and our Indigenous Health and RNAO In Focus page.  

What: The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario hosts the Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO) Indigenous-focused Symposium in Thunder Bay. 

When: Tuesday, July 8 – Thursday, July 10, 2025

Who:

  • Elder Theresa Redsky Fiddler
  • Elder Margie Bannon, Fort William First Nation
  • Elder Aaron Therriault, Traditional Drum Keeper and Knowledge Keeper
  • Chief Michele Solomon, Fort William First Nation
  • Melissa Deleary, program manager, Indigenous Engagement, Provincial and Regional, Indigenous Health Unit, Ontario Health
  • Dr. Doris Grinspun, RNAO CEO and founder of the BPG and BPSO programs
  • Maxine Lesage, representative of the symposium’s BPSO planning committee
  • Grace Suva, senior manager, Indigenous Health, RNAO’s IABPG Centre
  • Nurses and other staff from 20 BPSO teams representing several health sectors across Northern Ontario

Where: Best Western Plus Nor’ Wester Hotel & Conference Centre (2080 Highway #61, Thunder Bay, Ontario)

RNAO’s Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) Program is funded by Ontario’s Ministry of Health. It was envisioned by CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun in 1998 and launched in 1999 to provide the best available evidence for patient care across all health sectors and settings, with more than 50 guidelines developed to date. The Best Practice Spotlight Organization® (BPSO®) program supports service and academic institutions that have formally agreed to implement multiple RNAO BPGs over a three-year period, and evaluate their impact on patients, organizations and health systems. Launched in 2003, the BPSO program now has more than 1,500 BPSOs in Ontario, Canada and internationally.

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses’ contribution to shaping the health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public we serve. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario

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