The following are highlights from the College’s Board of Directors meeting held Sep. 9, 2016 in Winnipeg. For more
information please contact Marie Edwards RN, President or Katherine Stansfield RN, Executive Director.
Finance Committee Report
Executive Expectations (EE-4): Financial Condition
The Board approved the report on EE-4 as circulated. We are compliant in all areas except year-to-date results, where
we show a negative variance to budget. Total operating expenditures are below budget which helps offset the overage;
however we anticipate we will have a greater deficit than budgeted at the end of the year due to:

net income is below what was budgeted

investments performed lower than anticipated

higher than anticipated legal fees related to discipline hearings
Draft Budget Assumptions
Steve Lanktree, Director of Corporate Services presented some assumptions for the 2017 draft budget including cost
savings in the areas of Board meetings, President’s compensation, no formal public awareness campaign, software
hosting, and the stabilization of legal costs. A 2017 budget will be presented at the December 2016 meeting.
Governance Committee Report
Marie Edwards RN, Chair of the Governance Committee provided a report on the work the committee is doing,
including continued work on risk management and policy reviews.
Governance Process (GP-1): Board Commitment and Governing Approach
The Board approved the creation of this new policy to further outline the Board’s approach to policy governance. This
is a high-level policy which will provide direction to other governance process policies.
Governance Process (GP-2): Role of the Board and President
Policies that were formerly Governance Process (GP-1): Role of the Board and Governance Process (GP-2):
President’s Role were combined into Governance Process (GP-2): Role of the Board and President.
Executive Expectations (EE-2): Human Resources
Policies that were formerly Executive Expectations (EE-2): Treatment of Employees and Executive Expectations (EE7): Compensation and Benefits were combined into Executive Expectations (EE-2): Human Resources.
Governance Process (GP-4.5): Discipline Committee Terms of Reference
The Board approved the revised policy to allow for the extension of a Discipline Committee member’s term until a
final decision in a discipline hearing is made. This will provide more continuity in a case.
Governance Process (GP-5): Board and Committee Expenses
The Board approved the revised policy to allow for some flexibility regarding the President’s salary and pension
contributions.
Registration Policy (R-25): RN(NP) Prescribing Controlled Drugs and Substances
The Board approved revisions to this policy regarding prescribing methadone and buprenorphine to improve access
to effective options for either the treatment of pain or opioid dependence.
Amendments to Current RN Regulation: NCLEX-RN
The Board approved the recommended amendments to allow for an unlimited number of examination (NCLEX-RN)
writes within three years of graduation from an entry-level nursing education program. They also voted to remove the
mandatory course of instruction after a second examination failure. These amendments ensure consistency among
RN regulators across the country and must now be approved by Cabinet prior to implementation. College staff will
now work with Manitoba Health staff to have the current regulation amended.
Proposed Edits to General Council Regulation under the RHPA
The Board approved revisions to the general council regulation, which will now be sent to cabinet for approval.
Executive Director Environmental Scan Proposal
The Board approved the outline of proposed environmental scan presentations for Board meetings over the next year.
The key trend categories include population demographics and health-care needs, nursing workforce, regulation, and
nursing practice.
Suspension of 2016 Board Planning Cycle
The Board voted to suspend the planning cycle for 2016 as a new planning cycle will be brought forward in June 2017.
This would allow for the work related to the policy revisions to be completed and a new schedule created
Governance of Risk Board Working Session
The Board approved the Report of Governance of Risk Board Working Session, as provided by Meridian Consulting.
This report summarizes the work completed to date and will provide a foundation for strategic planning.
Appointments Committee
The Appointments Committee appointed the following people to the Discipline Committee:

Jennifer Berscheid RN*

Joanna Knowlton, public rep*

Patricia Conroy, public rep*

Jennifer Colvine RN

Lydia Harris RN

Anita Schreiner, public rep
*Indicates a re-appointment.
Luis Martinez was appointed to the Executive Director Evaluation Committee, Christopher Ainley RN was appointed
to the Finance Committee, and Brent Gouthro RN(NP) was appointed to the Governance Committee.
Education Program Review
University of Manitoba RN(NP) Program
The Board approved the University of Manitoba’s RN(NP) education program as providing the competencies required
for the prescribing of controlled drugs and substances. This will begin with students who have completed the RN(NP)
program with anticipated graduation in the fall of 2016.
RN(NP) Entry Level Competencies
Entry-level competencies are approved by the board to ensure that entry-level practitioners possess the knowledge,
skills, and abilities to perform competently, in a way that does not subject patients and the public to harm. The board
last approved these competencies in 2011. In support of a national approach for registration, the Canadian Council of
Registered Nurse Regulators completed a cross-Canada analysis of RN(NP) practice in three practice streams: adult,
family/all ages and pediatrics. The purpose of this analysis was to provide a comprehensive description of the entrylevel knowledge, skills and abilities required in these three RN(NP) practice streams.
The Board approved the presented RN(NP) entry level competencies.
Board Meeting Dates for 2017
The Board approved meeting dates for 2016 and 2017.

Dec. 9, 2016

March 10, 2017

May 18 & 19, 2017 (Annual General Meeting)

Sep. 8, 2017

Dec. 8, 2017
AGM Summary and Recommendations
The Board received a report from the 2016 AGM held May 6, 2016. This was the first year the College offered online
participation. Fifty people registered online before the AGM and on average, 21 people participated on the day.
Approximately 50% of the online registrants were from Winnipeg and the other half were from rural Manitoba. In the
post-AGM survey, 83% of online participants said they planned on attending online again in 2017.
Fifty-nine people attended the AGM in person. The use of the webinar technology allowed us to offer province-wide
participation in a very cost-effective manner. As a result of this success, the Board approved the use of an online
option for the 2017 AGM.
President’s Update
Marie Edwards RN, President provided an update on the work of the Board and in her role as President including
meetings with the Minister and Deputy Minister of Health to move the RHPA forward and working with a consultant
to reassess and refresh the Board’s governance approach to build clarity and reduce governance risk.
Executive Director’s Update
Strategic Priorities
Katherine Stansfield RN, Executive Director, presented the College’s balanced scorecard for the second quarter. Each
strategic priority is on track to meet the Dec. 31, 2016 deadline, with the exception to increase awareness of the role of
RNs and RN(NP)s. This priority had a goal of increasing public awareness from 71% to 77% through the RN
campaign. It reached 76%, just shy of the target and therefore will not be met in 2016.
Find our scorecard online here: https://www.crnm.mb.ca/about/college
Office of the Manitoba Fairness Commissioner (OMFC)
Along with other health regulators in Manitoba, we brought forward concerns to OMFC regarding their 2015 annual
report. A meeting was held with the OMFC to discuss the concerns. The errors in the report were acknowledged by
OMFC, and they made a commitment to issuing a retraction and correction. The retraction has not yet met our
satisfaction and further dialogue is planned.
Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA)
The advisory panel submitted its report to the Minister of Health in June. The Deputy Minister shared with us the
Minister’s support to bring the regulation forward to Cabinet in the fall. We have made some minor revisions to the
reserved acts, but the regulation is largely the same as that passed by the Board in November 2015. College staff
members are now developing an implementation plan and schedule.
NCLEX-RN
College staff members are participating in a working group to develop and publish a French lexicon that is developed
through consensus, to ensure standardization and transparency for the translation of NCLEX-RN.
In October, representatives from the College will participate in the NCLEX-RN 2016 Fall Regulatory Body Review
offered by the NCSBN Examinations Department and Pearson VUE. This review allows regulatory bodies the
opportunity to review NCLEX-RN items in English and French for the current quarter through simulated
computerized adaptive examinations. It provides us the opportunity to flag issues or concerns with exam questions.
Find our 2015 NCLEX-RN pass rates here: https://www.crnm.mb.ca/about/media
National Nursing Assessment Service (NNAS)
NNAS has been chosen to receive the 2016 Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR) Regulatory
Excellence Award. CLEAR is the premier international resource for professional regulation stakeholders.
Find more information about NNAS here: http://www.nnas.ca/
Manitoba Internationally Educated Nurse (IEN) Stakeholder Table
Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living has invited the College to participate as a core member of the soon to be
convened Manitoba IEN Stakeholder Table (MIST). An inaugural meeting of this group will take place in October
with Katherine Stansfield and Suzanne Wowchuk in attendance on behalf of the College. MIST will have an
operational focus and act as a venue for information sharing and discussion, issue identification, and collaborative
problem solving related to qualification recognition, recruitment, and workplace integration of IENs.
Medical Marijuana and Legalization of Marijuana
Diana Heywood RN, Practice and Standards Consultant, was appointed to the to the FY 2017 Marijuana Regulatory
Guidelines Committee.
Katherine Stansfield was invited by the federal panel on legalization of marijuana to participate in the first of a series
of national marijuana legalization and regulation roundtables. Issues raised by the health profession regulators
included assessment of fitness to practice of health-care providers who use marijuana and the need for clinical
research to support best prescribing practices.
Find more information about the taskforce here: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-system-systemesante/consultations/legalization-marijuanalegalisation/index-eng.php
Canadian Council of Registered Nurse Regulators (CCRNR)
A meeting to discuss issues raised by some Presidents of RN regulatory College was held and although there was
fruitful discussion, an additional session was planned for Sep 26, 2016. An update will be shared at the next Board
meeting.
Manitoba Nursing Labour Market Supply
The 2015 Manitoba Nursing Labour Market Supply report highlights include:

There is moderate but sustained growth in all categories (RN, RPN and LPN) of active practice nurses across
Manitoba

The percentage of graduate nurses staying in Manitoba stays consistent at 80%

The number of retired nurses in all categories continues to grow but they are being replaced by new
graduates

There is a decrease overall in the number of internationally educated nurses coming to Manitoba

The majority of nurses study in the diploma of practical nursing and bachelor of nursing programs

Various strategies are in place to optimize retention and recruitment within and to the nursing population
The report is available online here: https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/nurses/docs/mnlms15.pdf
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada
The full report includes a call to action for health care and we are considering how these recommendations will be
integrated with our current and future initiatives. The issues relevant to the College include:
Recommendation 23: We call upon all levels of government to:

Increase the number of Aboriginal professionals working in the healthcare field

Ensure the retention of Aboriginal health-care providers in Aboriginal communities

Provide cultural competency training for all health-care professionals
Recommendation 24: We call upon medical and nursing schools in Canada to require all students to take a course
dealing with Aboriginal health issues, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, and Indigenous teachings and
practices. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and
antiracism.
You can find the report here: http://www.healthcarecan.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/IssueBrief
Code of Ethics
The Canadian Nurses Association has released a draft version of a new Code of Ethics for consultation. This Code of
Ethics is a joint document for RNs and LPNs and will replace the 2008 version. The Code of Ethics meets most of the
concerns that were raised during a provincial consultation on the Code of Ethics in 2014. The College is providing
feedback through the Association of Registered Nurses of Manitoba.
Risk Management
The College has been involved in a comprehensive operations risk review, identifying high risk areas in each
functional department. The Practice and Standards team shared that they have developed a database that provides a
tool to document and anonymously track all individual consultations that are received. The analysis of these data will
point to ongoing trends in practice.