Join us for a one-day Health Research Conference via Zoom

Featuring: Expert speakers from Statistics Canada & the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), political researchers, corporate researchers, health policy researchers, journalists and authors, & more

When: 9AM-5PM, June 25, 2026

Where: Live on Zoom

Cost: $100 (Full day access + conference materials)

Register here: https://square.link/u/eUHimpKV

The landscape of Ontario’s health care system is shifting faster than ever. From the rise of private clinics to the latest data on hospital staffing and wait times, staying informed isn’t just an advantage, it’s a necessity.

We’re bringing together experienced researchers and front line experts to break down the latest findings, navigate the current structure of health care information, long term care, and public health information, and discuss how and where to find the data and details that can be used to strengthen research on public health care in Ontario, and across the country.

The exciting agenda for the conference can be found below.

Don’t just watch the headlines. Understand the data behind them.

Register here: https://square.link/u/eUHimpKV. After registering and making a payment, a unique Zoom link will be sent to you for the conference.

Ontario Health Coalition

Research Conference

Thursday June 25, 2026

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. OPENING PLENARY

9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. WORKSHOP I

Find things taken down from the web using the Wayback Machine & other internet tools
A ‘how to’ for using the Wayback Machine, collections of current and archived newspapers, archive of magazines, Library and Archives Canada and other internet tools.

Speaker: Alanna Kong, Research & Campaigns Coordinator, Ontario Health Coalition

How to research corporate information
Topics include: how to find corporate officers and directors, ownership information, information filed with registrees, annual reports, reports to shareholders and more.

Speaker: Kevin Skerrett, Ottawa Health Coalition, Director of the Financialization Lab at Carleton University, Board member OMERS AC, former researcher at the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Research Officer at the International Labour Organization, and Scholar in Residence at York University.                                             

11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. BREAK

11:15 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. WORKSHOP II.

Data on health system capacity, performance indicators, funding and expenditures
Topics include: What is available through the National Health Expenditures Database, funding and expenditure reports and data collected by CIHI; measures of capacity such as hospital beds, long-term care, and others; measures of health system performance and access.

Speaker: Shannon Weir-Seeley, Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)

Data on the health care labour force, wages, vacancies
Topics include: what data Statistics Canada collects and analyses in the national labour force surveys, numbers of staff by certain classifications, measures of health care labour force, wage and vacancy data.

Speaker: Katie Scrim, Statistics Canada

12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. LUNCH

1:30 p.m.- 3:00 p.m. WORKSHOP III

How to get information from or about local health service providers such as hospitals, long-term care homes, Public Health, home care, & more
Topics include: What are the types of information that can be accessed (contracts when they have privatized operating rooms or contracted out services, operating room closures/underuse, bed capacity historically, staffing levels, inspection reports, outbreaks) and what additional types of information are available on local service providers including funding, capacity indicators, volumes and prices for procedures and diagnostics, wait times, quality indicators.

Speakers:

Ross Sutherland, chair, Ontario Health Coalition, retired Registered Nurse, author of “False Positive: Private Profit in Canada’s Medical Laboratories”.

Natalie Mehra, executive director, Ontario Health Coalition, author of numerous reports and book chapters on health policy, privatization, organizing for social change, equity and the growing gap in income and wealth, human and disability rights.

A. What information is contained in accountability agreements with service providers.

Speaker: Doug Allan, Research Representative, CUPE, author of Leftwords blog, author of numerous reports on health care policy, budgets and capacity.

B. How to make data requests (with and without filing a formal Freedom of Information Request)

Speakers:

Salah Shadir, OHC Operations and Administration Director

Marzian Alam, Director of Research, Ontario NDP Caucus

Andrew Longhurst, senior researcher and political economist, with a focus on health policy, at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. His work has been published in academic journals and by research institutes, including Canadian Journal on Aging, Political Geography, the CCPA, and the Parkland Institute.

Freedom of Information Requests with local service providers (hospitals, LTC homes, Public Health Units etc.)

Speaker: Joanna Frketich, award-winning health reporter for The Hamilton Spectator with more than 20 years experience covering hospitals, medical research, public health issues and more.

3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. BREAK

3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. WORKSHOP IV

Where to find data on long-term care
Topics include: Long-term care indicators (resident acuity), reports on staffing and quality indicators, reports on homes, who owns them, inspection reports & compliance, reports on licences, who has applications in and which ones are approved.

Speaker: Shalom Schachter, LL.B., Rabbi, former Interest Arbitration and Long-Term Care Regulation Lead, Ontario Nurses’ Association and long-term care researcher for CUPE, Vice President of the Association of Rabbis and Cantors for Jewish Renewal, member of the Toronto Board of Rabbis, representative to various interfaith advocacy groups including the Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition. 

4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. CLOSING PLENARY