Highlights from this week
- Don’t Miss Out: Register for Our Aloha Summer Staff Party
- Clean Hands Keep You Safe: Share Your Feedback
- Policy Reminders: Pets and No Lift
- Upcoming Events that May Impact Transit and Traffic
- Register for CPR Training & Mask Fit Testing
- Move More, Feel Better: Join Our Free Wellness Session
- Learn About Your Group RRSP Investment Options: Free Financial Workshop
- Get Certified: Learn to Support Mental Health
- Better Sleep Starts Here
- Feel Better Fast: 5-Minute Everyday Full Body Stretch
- Work Anniversaries This Week
- High Fives
- Ask Us Anything
Don’t Miss Out: Register for Our Aloha Summer Staff Party
Registration is still open for our Annual Party, which will be taking place on June 24! We will have dinner and a large area to chat and connect with your colleagues. We’ll also have a live DJ with music and exciting prizes to win. You’re encouraged to dress up for the summer weather!
To save your spot, you must use the button below to register on Eventbrite by June 17.
- When: Wednesday, June 24 | 5pm – 9pm
- Where: The Warehouse Venue | 35 Carl Hall Rd #2, North York, ON M3K 2B6
We have a limited number of tickets available for this event. Please make sure you register by Wednesday, June 17 to secure your spot. Everyone must register for their own ticket and tickets cannot be given to someone else. If you have RSVPed but find you are unable to attend, please contact Moon at mphan@circleofcare.com to cancel your ticket, freeing up space for others.
Reminders & Announcements
Clean Hands Keep You Safe: Share Your Feedback
When and How to Clean Your Hands
It is important to clean your hands at the right time and use the right method. This helps reduce the spread of germs. Use soap and water when your hands look dirty.
Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer when your hands look clean.
You should clean your hands:
- Before touching a client
- Before handling a client’s medication
- After contact with body fluids or risk of contact
- After touching a client
- After touching a client’s surroundings
Cleaning your hands at these times helps protect you, your clients, and your coworkers.
We want to make our hand hygiene practices better, and your feedback is important. Please take a few minutes to complete our Hand Hygiene Survey. Your answers will help us improve our plans for next year.
Policy Reminders: Pets and No Lift
Pet Policy
Please remember that all pets must be secured before and during client visits to help keep everyone safe, including you, your clients, and their pets.
Before starting a visit, please ask the client or caregiver to place all pets in a separate room with the door closed or in a crate for the whole visit.
Please remember:
- You are not required to handle or move pets.
- If pets are not secured, you have the right to refuse entry and must notify your supervisor immediately.
- Report any bites, scratches, or aggressive behaviour, following the incident reporting process.
Review the full Pet Policy and Incident, Hazard Reporting, & Investigation Policy.
No Lift Policy
If you are asked to lift anything heavier than 5 kg, you should politely say no and contact the Circle of Care main office for further guidance.
When helping a client, you must:
- Check the client before each transfer to make sure they can support their own body weight.
- Stop the transfer right away if the client cannot support their own weight, or seems unsafe. Move them back to a safe position.
- Report any concerns about transfers to the main office.
- Call Emergency Services (911) if a client cannot get up after a fall (for example, from the floor, bathtub, or a vehicle).
- Follow instructions from CSS or the Case Manager if the client cannot be safely moved. This may include giving care at the bedside.
Please read our full No Lift Policy for more information.
Upcoming Events that May Impact Transit and Traffic
FIFA World Cup
- When: June 12-July 2, 2026
- Details: The FIFA World Cup will take place in Toronto for these dates, around the BMO fields at Exhibition Place, Lakeshore, Gardiner, and the Downtown Core. Expect spillover congestion and traffic into King and Queen St., as well as in the Downtown West area.
World Cup Fan Festival (Downtown Viewing Zone)
- When: June 11-July 19, 2026
- Details: Expect local road closures, crowds, and busy TTC subways, streetcars, and buses in the Downtown Core. Cars may not be allowed in certain zones, so plan alternative routes in case. (10k-20k person crowds per day.)
Health & Safety
Register for CPR Training & Mask Fit Testing
To support your safety and meet requirements, Circle of Care provides free CPR training and free N95 Mask Fit testing through our vendor.
Your CPR certificate is valid for 3 years, and your Mask Fit must be renewed every 2 years.
How to Register
Text 647-496-5189 with:
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Full name
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Email
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Training location
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Preferred time
or call 905-272-9214 or register online using the button below.
Registration closes 7 business days before the session.
Important Reminders
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Arrive 15 minutes early.
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After booking, tell your Service Coordinator if you need schedule changes.
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Choose a time when you do not have client visits.
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Your schedule will be blocked as Unavailable for the training.
- You will be paid after completion:
- CPR: 3 hours
- Mask Fit: 1 hour
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Payment appears on your paystub as “Miscellaneous.”
Wellness at Work
Move More, Feel Better: Join Our Free Wellness Session
- When: Tuesday, June 2, 2026 (12:00 PM)
- Where: Online
No sign-up needed. Use this link to join on June 2.
Learn About Your Group RRSP Investment Options: Free Financial Workshop
Join us for an information session to learn more about your RBC Group RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan), a workplace savings plan that helps you save for retirement.
You will learn about the investment options available to you and hear from RBC financial advisors about the support and advice they can provide.
- When: Wednesday, June 10, 2026 (12pm-1pm)
- Where: Online
Get Certified: Learn to Support Mental Health
Want to help someone who may be struggling? This free online course teaches you simple ways to support others. You will learn how to start a conversation, listen, set boundaries, and take care of yourself. The course is short, easy to follow, and you can do it anytime.
Better Sleep Starts Here
Not sleeping well? You are not alone. Sleep is important for your mood, focus, and health. Take this short quiz to learn about your sleep. You can also find simple tips to help you sleep better and feel more rested.
Feel Better Fast: 5-Minute Everyday Full Body Stretch
A short stretch every day can help your body feel better. It can also help you move more easily and stay focused. Watch the video above to try the 5-minute stretch routine and make it part of your daily habit.
Community Corner
Work Anniversaries This Week
Please note that we have become aware of some issues with work anniversaries that were listed in the last few weeks, where the entire work history was not being included, only the time after a leave of absence. We apologize for the errors, and we believe that we have fixed this issue. We have gone back and adjusted the announcements in the previous editions of Inside the Circle. We appreciate your patience, and thank you to those who reached out to let us know about the errors.
Each week, we’re proud to recognize the PSWs who are celebrating their work anniversaries. Every anniversary—no matter the number of years—represents the dedication, compassion, and commitment you bring to supporting our clients and community. Thank you for the important role you play at Circle of Care. This week’s list includes PSWs celebrating work anniversaries between May 24-30.
Congratulations to the following PSWs on their years of service with Circle of Care:
May 24
- 4 Years: Aliah Lynch, Richelda Orpiada
Individuals celebrating milestone anniversaries (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 years) will receive a one-time cash award to their pay cheque at the end of the quarter. Payment amount will depend on service length.
High Fives
High Five for PSW Rebecca Thompson
High Fives for PSW Nellie Mataruka
High Five for PSW Degrie Cawley
High Five for PSW Sheree Roberts
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.
Ask Us Anything
What happens if your regular client is in your schedule when you check it, but then you arrive to the building and discover that the client has been taken off your schedule. Aren’t you required to pay me for that visit? Because I wasn’t notified and it was taken off less than an hour before the start of the visit. I’ve wasted my time travelling to the client and paid for gas (and we all know gas is so expensive right now). This has happened to me twice already, and I feel that it’s not fair.
Thank you for bringing this concern forward. It can be frustrating to arrive at a client’s location and discover that the visit has been removed from your schedule, especially when the change happens at the last minute.
Our office is expected to inform PSW of any last-minute client cancellations or schedule changes as soon as possible. If the client cancels at the last minute while you are on your way to the client, it should be entered as a refused visit. PSWs are paid for refused visits.
But there is a possibility that the client has used the EZ Assist app to cancel their appointment at the last minute. We apologize for the inconvenience this situation has caused you. In your specific situation, we would need to have more details before deciding if you should get paid or not for this visit. Please consult with your SC and CSS.
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.