Inside the Circle – March 10, 2026

The nomination period for Circle of Care’s Champions of Care Awards is officially open! Through these annual awards, we recognize the exceptional contributions of our staff. We encourage you to nominate a colleague who you believe has gone above and beyond in their role, and who embodies one or more of our values of community, respect, excellence, and dignity. 

You can nominate as many colleagues as you would like. Please note that we only accept individual nominations, so if you would like to nominate more than one person, you will need to submit separate nominations for each person.

The award winners will be announced in June and celebrated at a Circle of Care event and luncheon with Carey.

To nominate, please fill out the form that is linked below. The deadline to nominate is Thursday, April 30.

Bay and College

• When: Mar 2 Until mid-April
• Details: The intersection will be fully closed to vehicles as part of critical state-of-good-repair work to renew TTC streetcar tracks.

St. Patrick’s Day Race – Annual 5K and 10K Race

• When: Sunday, March 15
• Details: St. Patrick’s Day Race – Annual 5 and 10K fundraising race will take place.
  Full road closures along stretches of Bayview Ave and Rosedale Valley Rd starting around 9 a.m. as the course runs through those neighbourhood streets.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

• When: Sunday, March 15
• Details: Key downtown streets (e.g. Yonge St. and surrounding areas) are affected during mid-day.

Lake Shore Boulevard On-Ramp

• When: Until May 2026
• Details: The westbound Gardiner on-ramp from Lake Shore Boulevard will be fully closed. The Westbound Gardiner Expressway will be reduced to two lanes from the Lake Shore Boulevard on-ramp to Grand Avenue. 

DVP to Richmond Street

• When: Until Spring 2026
• Details: The southbound off-ramp of the DVP to Richmond Street remains closed until Spring 2026.

Please take a few minutes to complete the Global Workforce Survey. This is your chance to share your thoughts about your workplace. Your feedback helps us learn what’s going well and what we can make even better for you.

Note that the survey is anonymous (your name will not be shared). Thank you in advance for your participation!

Please complete the survey below:

CPR Training – Upcoming Sessions

• 09:00–12:00
• 13:00–16:00

• 09:00–12:00
• 13:00–16:00

Mask Fit Testing – Upcoming Sessions (Head Office)

• 11:00–11:30
• 11:40–12:10
• 12:20–12:50
• 13:00–13:30

How to Register (Three Ways)

• Full name
• Email
• Training location
• Preferred time

2. Call 905-272-9214

Registration closes 7 business days before the session.

3. Use the button below to register online.

Important Reminders

• Arrive 15 minutes early.
• After booking, tell your Service Coordinator if you need schedule changes.
• Choose a time when you do not have client visits.
• Your schedule will be blocked as Unavailable for the training.
• You will be paid after completion:
  • CPR: 3 hours
  • Mask Fit: 1 hour
• Payment appears on your paystub as “Miscellaneous.”

This is a reminder that Circle of Care has policies and procedures in place that seek to reduce the risk, and the number of incidents, of Workplace Violence and/or Harassment, and Discrimination and/or Hate. It is important, that if you are experiencing any incidents of Violence, Harassment, Discrimination and/or Hate while at work or during working hours, that you are reporting this to your Supervisor, Manager, or to Human Resources. We have established procedures to follow up with employees, clients, caregivers etc.

For more information, you are encouraged to review our relevant policies:

If you prefer to report an incident of Violence, Harassment, Discrimination and/or Hate anonymously, you can use the button below to access a confidential form. Your feedback is valuable and will be handled with respect and discretion.

Circle of Care has established and regularly reviews our Workplace Hazard Management Tool, which outlines various workplace hazards that you may experience at work.

From there, we have established Safe Operating Procedures which outline how you can reduce the risk of these hazards and reduce the chances of illness/injury. SOPs are posted to the PSW Portal, and include information about how to prevent Slips, Trips, Falls, Musckulosketal Disorders, Workplace Violence and more. Our SOPs and Hazard Management Tool are reviewed by our Joint Health & Safety Committee (JHSC).

You are encouraged to review and be familiar with these procedures. Please use the button below.

Unconscious biases are often unintentional, but they can still have serious effects. They can influence everyday interactions and contribute to larger systemic problems. Microaggressions are one way these biases appear in daily life. This video looks more closely at these issues and shares practical strategies to address them.

World Sleep Day is recognized on Friday, March 13. This year’s theme is “Sleep Well, Live Better.” The day helps raise awareness about the importance of healthy sleep habits and how good sleep supports our overall well-being.

Daylight savings time can sometimes make sleep feel a little different. A few small changes may help your body adjust:

• Try going to bed a little earlier for the next few days
• Keep your regular wake-up time each morning
• Get some natural light in the morning
• Be careful with caffeine and alcohol later in the day
• Reduce screen time before bed so your body can relax

Remember, sleep does not have to be perfect. Small changes can help you find sleep habits that work for you. If you have ongoing trouble sleeping, loud snoring, or feel very tired during the day, it may help to speak with a healthcare professional.

Good sleep is an important part of taking care of your health. Please watch this video above to learn more.

Taking care of others is important, but so is taking care of yourself. If you feel stressed, tired, or overwhelmed, free and confidential support is available through the Health Care Worker Assist Program, designed for healthcare and community care workers like you.

Through this program, you can:

• Talk to a trained professional for support
• Learn ways to manage stress and feel better
• Get help finding other support if needed

• Call: 1-877-767-9642
• Email: CentralizedReferral@ontarioshores.ca
• You can also sign up online using the button below.

Recently, the HR Team presented a Lunch & Learn session that focused on understanding the difference between racism and prejudice, why these differences matter, and how awareness can help create more respectful, inclusive workplaces.

The recording is now available above for you to watch and learn about this important topic.

Celebrating milestone anniversaries is one of the meaningful ways we recognize the dedication and experience that our PSWs bring to Circle of Care every day. Each year of service represents a deep commitment to the communities we serve.

While this recognition is arriving a little later than planned, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to acknowledge the staff members who reached important service milestones between July and December 2025. Please join us in celebrating these colleagues and thanking them for the time, compassion, and professionalism they bring to their work.

July – December 2025

• Lerie Rose Bondoc
• Rosemarie Dugay
• Mesay Keneni
• Marie Anne Johnson
• Gigi Layson
• Klara Rivkind
• Karen Soon
• Leonora Calaunan
• Venus Joaquin
• Nichola McLean
• Christian Sarmiento

• Xue Gu
• Irina Apollonina
• Maria Reyes
• Sherry Thomas
• Gemma Acosta
• Lerma Alejo
• Anjela Beyrami Tabrizifard
• Rowena Cerezo
• Laylin Endaya
• Halyna Herashchenko
• Hazel Lizardo
• Carmina Rivera
• Eloisa Vicente
• Mary Joy Cabael

• Gemma Escano
• Eugenia Wise

• Ruba Sivabalasingam
• Monica Lozada
• Paula Campbell
• Michelle Francis
• Sandy Gunness

• Cecilia Harewood
• Bella Novoprudsky

• Fernandina Bindadan

• Julita Fernando
• Erlinita Laurente

We are pleased to welcome the following PSWs to Circle of Care:

High Five for PSW Ekemena Blessing Okpeka

High Five for PSW Rosalinda Suganob

Has someone gone above and beyond at work? Give them a High Five!

The High Five program lets you publicly recognize staff members for their outstanding work. High Fives will be posted in your weekly Inside the Circle newsletter.

To give a high five, just click on the button below or use the link in the rotating banner on the Portal home page.

Please note: We do not accept anonymous submissions for this program. High Fives must be submitted by an individual person, whether they are a staff member or member of the community.

What is the actual protocol for “not seen, not found”? There was a time when I went to a client’s house but the client is not answering the door and it seemed like no one was at home. I tried to call the client’s phone number but she was not answering my call. It had been 15 mins since I had arrived at the client’s home so I called the live agent to report this, but the agent told me to keep trying to contact the client and to wait for another 30 mins. I don’t seem to remember this to be the protocol for “not seen, not found” during training. Please enlighten me.

The policy that you must follow indicates:

If the client does not answer the door and you are not able to locate the client, you must:

1. Contact the office immediately and report the NSNF to a live person (do not leave a voicemail).
2. Remain at or near the client’s home for further instruction from office staff
3. Assist office staff in locating the client (search immediate area), contact the superintendent, neighbour, etc.
4. Wait for confirmation from office staff to leave and proceed to your next assignment.

In some cases, you may be asked to wait up to 30 minutes to help locate the client.

The full NSNF policy can be read here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11jDPofpEdesDRpkFfGFs452yeJKj5UcE/view

Why doesn’t Circle of Care provide performance, abilities and skills to a potential employer? Potential employers require current supervisor/coordinators to be one of the references. This is so unfair to PSWs looking for another part time job.

Due to company policy, we do not provide employment references for employees. In order to ensure consistency, fairness, and mitigate risks, we limit references to employment verification, confirming factual information such as employment dates, position held, and duties and responsibilities of the role.

How much do we get paid for Not Seen Not Found client visits? 

According to our Not Seen Not Found Policy (C.01.58), the following applies:

If the visit is scheduled for 3 hours or less you will be paid for 100% of the visit. Any visits that are scheduled for more than 3 hours will be paid at 50% of the visit, up to a maximum of 4 hours, and efforts will be made to find other work for you for the remaining hours.

You are always welcoming the newly hired PSWs but how about people with recognition in service working with the company? Why do we have to ask for recognition of service, and why is it not voluntarily given?

We do celebrate years of service milestones on a quarterly basis (although we fell behind a bit, but see this week’s newsletter for celebrations on the latter half of last year).  Please be sure to check out the PSW Portal newsletters, where we regularly share updates and announcements recognizing these milestones.

Have a question? Submit your questions or feedback anonymously below!

Please note that it may take us longer to provide some answers. If your question hasn’t been answered yet, we will get back to you as soon as we can.