Read our digital newsletter for practice advice, our public consultation on the Designated Drugs and Substances Regulation, a new pathway to College registration for Indigenous midwives, information on our survey for midwives, Board highlights from our June meeting, and more!
Consultation: Designated Drugs and Substances Regulation
The College of Midwives of Ontario is consulting the public and midwives on a proposed change to the Designated Drugs and Substances Regulation under the Midwifery Act, 1991, to add the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) monoclonal antibody to the list of drugs and substances that midwives can prescribe and administer. RSV is a serious, potentially life-threatening illness which leads to the hospitalization of newborns in Ontario every year, and monoclonal antibody immunization is currently recommended by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) to prevent this disease. We welcome all feedback on this proposal from members of the public, clients, midwives, and system partners. Please share your comments on our website.
Practice Advice: Measles
What midwives say matters: opinions about immunization from midwives are impactful because regulated health care professionals hold considerable influence and possess a level of inherent trust in the public domain. Midwives can provide care to their clients until eight weeks postpartum and eight weeks of age; take the opportunity to discuss and provide access to immunizations.
New Pathway to College Registration for Indigenous Midwives
At the June 25, 2025, meeting, the Board created a new pathway for Indigenous midwives who wish to become registered with the College of Midwives of Ontario.
The Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council (IAESC) has been approved as the designated body with the authority to identify Indigenous midwifery education baccalaureate degrees as equivalent qualifications to Ontario baccalaureate degrees in Midwifery for entry to practice under the Registration Regulation.
Midwife Survey
In May, 2025, the College retained The Strategic Counsel to conduct a survey of registrants to advance our initiatives under Strategic Priority 2: Effective use of data to identify and act on existing and emerging risks. This survey will also serve as a baseline, tracking midwives’ perceptions of the College so we can better understand the impact of our work, an initiative under Strategic Priority 3: Building engagement and fostering trust with the public and the profession. Thirty-three per cent of midwives participated, spending over 17 minutes on average on their responses.
Thank you to the 363 midwives who filled out the College’s Registrant Survey. The data has helped us better understand midwives’ relationships and interactions with the College, and will inform our work and our next strategic plan as we review the results in depth. We will be in touch with midwives and the public with highlights and follow up from the survey later this year.
October 1 Requirements
All midwives are required to renew their registration annually by October 1. The window for renewal opens on August 1 and runs to October 1, and we will send an email to all midwives to remind you about this important step in maintaining your College registration. This year, some midwives will also be required to declare completion of the Professional Development Portfolio.
Neonatal Resuscitation Program, CPR, and Emergency Skills Requirements
All practising midwives renewing their registration with the College are expected to have completed full training in neonatal resuscitation (NRP), cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and emergency skills (ES). NRP certification must be completed every 12 months. CPR and ES certification must be completed every two years.
NRP, CPR, and ES must be current on October 1, 2025, to meet the College’s registration renewal requirements and to allow you to complete the renewal process. During the renewal period, you must confirm that these courses are up-to-date in order to submit your renewal form. We encourage you to review your documents now and make any necessary arrangements to ensure you will have current NRP, CPR, and ES on October 1, 2025. Courses can fill up, so you are encouraged to book in advance.
Board Highlights
The College’s Board met on June 25, 2025. At their June meeting, the College’s Board started their new governance year, approved a new pathway to College registration for Indigenous midwives, approved the annual financial statements, sent proposed changes to the Designated Drugs and Substances Regulation out for public consultation, received annual committee reports, and more.
Registrar-CEO Quarterly Report
In advance of the College’s Board Meeting, the Registrar-CEO prepares her report to help assure the Board that the College operates effectively and achieves its strategic goals, and that the Registrar performs per the expected duties outlined in the Board’s Governance Policies.
Peer and Practice Assessment Complete
The 2024-25 cycle of the Peer and Practice Assessment Program of the Quality Assurance Program is complete. Peer and practice assessments are a key component of the College’s Quality Assurance Program, providing a supportive way for midwives to demonstrate their professional knowledge, skills, and judgment with a peer assessor. Seventy-four midwives were included in the program this year, and all midwives successfully met the requirements for peer assessment.
Coming Soon: Database Updates
The College maintains a database which allows midwives to easily update their professional and personal information, renew their registration, pay relevant fees, report on their engagement in quality assurance and reporting, and access certificates of registration and wallet cards. The database also provides the public with up-to-date information about midwives, midwifery practices, and privileging locations through the College’s Midwife Directory.
The College continues to work on the implementation of a new, cloud-based database, which is necessary to protect data and maintain high-quality service. The College’s 2025 Registration Renewal and Professional Development Portfolio reporting will be done on the existing database. We expect to transition to a new database later in 2025.
Health Professional Regulators of Ontario Annual Highlights
The College of Midwives of Ontario is a member of the Health Profession Regulators of Ontario (HPRO), a nonprofit organization, which brings together the regulatory bodies – the Colleges under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA). HPRO’s membership consists of 26 Colleges, representing 30 distinct professions, regulating almost 400,000 practicing health care professionals in the province.
All HPRO members share a mandate to regulate in the public interest, ensuring health care professionals are safe, ethical, and competent. By working together in HPRO, Colleges can advocate collectively for ongoing regulatory improvement that supports the public interest.
Follow the College on Social Media
The College of Midwives of Ontario has a new social media account on Bluesky which you can follow here.