February 2026

 

Stella Ajuzieogu started her nursing career as a registered nurse/midwife in Nigeria. She arrived in Canada in 2008 as an Internationally Educated nurse. The breadth of her career has been in acute care nursing, emergency care and the Rapid Transfer department. Stella has been involved in mentoring new staff and precepting students.

Stella currently works as a Case Manager in Supportive Living. Stella has been actively involved in union work since she joined UNA in 2008. Stella enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, being adventurous, dancing, reading, coaching, learning new ideas, networking, and meeting new people.

Celebrating Black History Month as a Black Nurse, Stella reflects that it reminds her of the resilience, dynamic learning curve, expertise, diversity, and the significant socio-economic contributions Black nurses bring to the workforce and society. Stella believes that cultural sensitivity, awareness, respect, recognition, and integration are vital topics and strives to foster greater understanding of Black nurses in Alberta and Canada.

Chinyere (CC) Okafor began her nursing career in 2004 after graduating from the University of Victoria in British Columbia. She started her practice as a surgical nurse, where she frequently preceptored student nurses, and later worked in a forensic hospital in British Columbia. CC moved to Alberta in 2017 and currently works providing care and support to patients across the community.

CC has been actively involved with the United Nurses of Alberta since arriving in Alberta. Inspired by the welcoming and supportive environment of Local 196, she became an Office Representative in 2019 and later served for two years on the Education Committee. Her union involvement has focused on understanding workplace rights and advocating for fair, safe, and inclusive environments for all nurses, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds.

As a Black nurse in Alberta, CC views Black History Month as an important time to honour the resilience and contributions of Black individuals who paved the way, while also recognizing the ongoing work needed to address systemic inequities in health care. She believes that collective action through union involvement is essential to ensuring diverse voices are heard and respected within the profession.

Feb 2026

Safe consumption sites save lives, reduce overdoses, and ease pressure on overcrowded emergency rooms. Front-line workers warn Alberta’s health system is already “cracking under pressure,” and EMS is seeing the impact—Edmonton alone accounts for 65% of opioid-related calls province-wide.

Closing evidence-based harm reduction services risks pushing more overdoses into homes and public spaces, leading to busier ERs and a greater risk of fatal outcomes.

Nurses, health workers, and community members are calling for solutions that strengthen—not strain—Alberta’s public health system.

Click HERE for the new spotlight on Safe Consumption Site Closures & Emergency Room Capacities

Check your (personal) inbox for the Local 196 e-Newsletter!

Click the link below to view the January edition of Local 196’s e-newsletter:

Local 196 UNA e-newsletter: Jan 2026

The Local newsletter was sent via MailChimp with updated member contact information from the Provincial UNA Office. It was sent to personal email addresses only. Please update your contact information in UNA’s DMS system if you have not received our newsletter.

The Ethnically Diverse Caucus represents nurses from racialized, immigrant, and culturally diverse backgrounds, including internationally educated nurses. This caucus is a collaborative and welcoming space, and we strongly encourage everyone to share ideas, bring forward suggestions, and consider becoming more involved in caucus initiatives or possible subcommittee work.

UNA’s Indigenous Caucus provides a culturally safe space for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit members to connect, share concerns, and advocate for Indigenous voices within UNA. The caucus supports members in addressing Indigenous-specific racism and advancing reconciliation in nursing and health care.

This caucus is open to any UNA member who self-identifies as First Nations, Métis, or Inuit. We will be working on building structure and goals for the year ahead. 

The next meeting will be at the end of January (date to be announced shortly). Those wishing to attend, please email: indigenouscaucus@una.ca

UNA’s Mental Health Caucus offers an opportunity for information sharing and networking for nurses who work in mental health. The Mental Health Caucus offers an opportunity for advocacy and sharing perspectives of mental health nursing within the greater community of nurses and UNA. The Mental Health Caucus offers itself as a resource to locals and the provincial organization to help expand the perspectives of mental health nurses.

The Mental Health Caucus has the next meeting coming up on 12 February 2026 @ 1900, to register, email mentalhealthcaucus@una.ca 

Panel Discussion: Privatization in Healthcare and Education

Join us for an engaging and timely panel discussion exploring the growing role of privatization in Alberta’s healthcare and education systems. As pressures on public services increase, questions around access, equity, accountability, and long-term impacts are more important than ever.

This event will feature two expert panellists who will share research-based insights and practical perspectives on how privatization is shaping policy and practice in Alberta. Through guided questions and discussion, the panel will examine current trends, implications for workers and the public, and what the future may hold for publicly funded services.

There will be opportunities for audience questions and discussion.

Panelists

Heather Ganshorn
Support Our Students Alberta

Heather Ganshorn holds a BA in Journalism and Communications from the University of Regina and a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta. Heather has several years of experience as a health sciences and academic librarian, supporting research across a variety of settings. With two school-age children, Heather became increasingly concerned about issues such as privatization, standardized testing, and their impacts on public systems. She is an executive member of Support Our Students Alberta, where she advocates for a strong, well-funded public education system with adequate supports to ensure equitable outcomes for all children.

Rebecca Graff-McRae
Parkland Institute

Rebecca Graff-McRae is a researcher with the Parkland Institute, a non-partisan research organization based at the University of Alberta. At the Parkland Institute, Rebecca has authored several influential research reports on public policy in Alberta, including Misdiagnosis: Privatization and Disruption in Alberta’s Medical Laboratory Services and Time to Care: Staffing and Workloads in Alberta’s Long-Term Care Facilities. Her work focuses on public policy issues in Alberta, including healthcare, education, labour, and the role of privatization in public services. Rebecca’s research emphasizes the social and economic consequences of shifting public services to private delivery and the importance of strong, accountable public systems.

Register for the event through DMS

Registration Deadline is Feb 12th at 2359h

Not a UNA member? Go to the UNA website for instructions on how to become a member.

This event is open to members of Local 196 only.

TICKETS ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE.

Registration must be completed using a non-AHS email.

Questions/Dietary requests? Please email Local196Education@una.ca

• If you have registered and can no longer attend, please cancel your registration in DMS or email Local196Education@una.ca before the registration deadline.

Jan 2026

Violence is not part of your job!

Violence against nurses and health care workers in Alberta is rising, and it is having serious consequences for both worker safety and patient care. United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) reports that four in ten nurses experienced physical violence at work in 2025, while six in ten faced non-physical violence such as threats and verbal abuse. These incidents are widely underreported and are often the result of systemic failures, including chronic understaffing, overcrowded hospitals, long wait times, and insufficient community-based care. Recent assaults on health care workers underscore the urgency of the problem and highlight the need for immediate action to ensure nurses can provide care in safe, respectful environments.

Across Canada, nurses’ unions are demanding stronger protections and accountability. Organizations in Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia have launched public campaigns and advocacy efforts to make it clear that violence is not “part of the job.” Nationally, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions has called violence against nurses a public safety crisis requiring coordinated government action. In Alberta, UNA continues to press the provincial government and employers to invest in prevention, enforce occupational health and safety laws, improve staffing levels, and install violence-prevention infrastructure. Protecting nurses is essential to protecting patients and sustaining a safe, effective public health care system.

Click HERE for the new spotlight on Violence Against Nurses

Check your (personal) inbox for the Local 196 e-Newsletter!

Click the link below to view the December edition of Local 196’s e-newsletter:

Local 196 UNA e-newsletter: Dec 2025

The Local newsletter was sent via MailChimp with updated member contact information from the Provincial UNA Office. It was sent to personal email addresses only. Please update your contact information in UNA’s DMS system if you have not received our newsletter.

Click HERE to listen to the poem written by Hanna Black and read by the Local 196 Executive: Hanna Black, Rachel Steel, Sandi Johnson, Joy Arntzen and Rachael O’Gorman. 

Important Information from Local 196 Interim Treasurer: 

Notice to All Members: Education Fund Application Update

Due to an unexpected and significant influx of applications and due to funds remaining, we will be closing submissions for the Education Fund effective December 5, 2025.

We sincerely appreciate your understanding and patience as we work diligently to review all applications already received.

Our goal is to complete the review process before year-end and to fund as many eligible requests as possible. We understand the importance of this support, and we are committed to giving each application the attention it deserves.

This year, we’re inviting all Local 196 UNA members to take part in our Ugly Christmas Scrub / Ugly Christmas Group Photo Challenge. Whether it’s one fabulously tacky scrub top or your whole team dressed to the nines in glitter, garland, and questionable fashion choices—we want to see it!

Spread joy, have fun, and maybe even win some treats for your team!

📅 Submit your entries by: December 31, 2025, to local196exec@una.ca

Let’s wrap up the year with some fun, laughter, and a bit of seasonal ridiculousness. We can’t wait to see what you come up with! 🎅✨