Media Appearances
Raising your profile through local and national media
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As medical laboratory professionals continue to fight COVID-19 as front-line healthcare workers, the MLPAO has been speaking with local, provincial, and national media sources about turnaround times, COVID-19 testing processes, and the hidden heroes working hard in labs across the province.
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Check out some of our coverage below.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Michelle Hoad, CEO at mlpao@mlpao.org
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November 3, 2022 - LOBBY DAY in the Ontario Legislature
MPP Gallagher Murphy Introduces the MLPAO - November 3rd, 2022, Queen's Park
MPPs France Gélinas and Matthew Rae Introduce the MLPAO - November 3rd, 2022, Queen's Park
August 3, 2022- CTV News, CP24
"70% of Ontario lab workers want to quit, assoc. CEO says"
March 19, 2022 - CTV News
"Researchers urge Ontario government to offer more support for medical lab workers"
February 15, 2022 - City News
"Ontario lab professionals ‘on the brink of mass exodus’: report"
January 6 - CHCH
"90% of Ontario labs are understaffed amid Omicron surge"
December 29, 2021 - CTV News
"No changes to Canada's isolation period despite U.S. shortening to 5 days"
December 20, 2021 - CityNews
"We are a straw house right now with a tornado’: Labs struggle with COVID-19 testing surge."
December 21, 2021 - CP24
"Ontario's Labs Strained by COVID-19 Testing Demand"
December 19, 2021 - CTV News
"Ontario reports highest case count since April"
December 5, 2021 - CP24
"Ontario Labs are Tracking Case Numbers and Omicron Variant"
September 11, 2021 - CTV National
"Ontario lab technologists grapple with burnout, demand more funding from province"
July 11, 2021 - CTV National
"Ontario Moves Into Step 3 of Reopening Early"
June 5, 2021 - CTV National
"Growing Concern About Delta Variant"
May 30, 2021 - CP24
"Ontario Labs Continue to Process COVID-19 Tests"
May 1, 2021 - CTV National
"Ontario ICU Admissions Hit Record High"
April 25, 2021 - CP24
"As ICU Patients Increase So Do COVID-19 Tests Going Into Labs for Processing"
April 3, 2021 - CP24
"Rising Case Numbers Increasing Pressure in Labs"
March 13, 2021 - CP24
"Lab Staff Are Burned Out With 44% Considering Stress Leave"
March 12, 2021 - CTV National
"COVID-19 Testing Crisis in Ontario"
February 27, 2021 - CP24
"Ontario Medical Labs Have Processed 10.7 Million Tests"
February 20, 2021 - CTV National
"Ontario's Varying COVID-19 Testing Numbers"
February 20, 2021 - CP24
"Ontario Regularly Completes Over 60,000 Coronavirus Tests Daily"
February 13, 2021 - CP24
"Ontario Labs Have Now Processed More than 10M COVID-19 Tests"
February 11, 2021 - CHCH
"COVID-19 Variant Testing"
January 31, 2021 - CBC The National
"Preparing for new travel restrictions"
January 31, 2021 - CP24
"COVID-19 Testing in Ontario"
January 23, 2021 - CP24
"Rapid Testing in Ontario"
January 9, 2021 - CP24
"Ontario Labs Have Completed More than 8 Million COVID-19 Tests"
January 2, 2021 - CTV News National
"New COVID-19 Rapid Tests Could Be Used In Ontario"
January 1, 2021 - CP24
"COVID-19 Test Being Reviewed for Use in Ontario"
December 19, 2020 - CTV News National
"First COVID-19 Vaccinations in New Brunswick: Healthcare workers & nursing home residents recieve first shots"
December 19, 2020 - CP24
"Ontario Labs Struggle to Keep Up with Record Number of Tests"
December 12, 2020 - CP24
"Record Number of COVID-19 Tests Being Processed in Ontario"
December 6, 2020 - CP24
"Ontario Testing has Hit Target of Over 50,000 Tests/Day "
November 29, 2020 - CP24
"Rapid Tests Pushed to Several Healthcare Sites Across Ontario"
November 25, 2020 - CTV Ottawa
November 22, 2020 - CP24
"Rapid Tests Being Pushed to Sites Across Ontario"
November 14, 2020 - CP24
"Federal Government Orders 38 Million Rapid Tests"
October 16, 2020 - Global News Toronto
"Ontario to receive 2 rapid COVID-19 tests next week, expert says"
October 15, 2020 - CHCH
"Medical testing needs"
October 15, 2020 - CTV Ottawa
"New Rapid Testing Coming to Ontario"
October 14, 2020 - Global News Canada
"70% of Ontario labs were understaffed prior to pandemic, says expert"
October 5, 2020 - Global News Kingston
"Medical Laboratory Professionals’ Association of Ontario talks to GNM about lab technicians and COVID-19 results"
September 28, 2020 - CTV Ottawa
"How to Reduce the Backlog of COVID-19 Test Results"
September 27, 2020 - CTV Ottawa
"Testing Backlog a Concern"
September 23, 2020 - CTV Ottawa
"Increasing Testing Capacity"
September 23, 2020 - CP24
"Pressure is on Ontario Lab Workers to Process COVID-19 Tests Quickly"
June 20, 2020 - CP24
"COVID-19 Testing is Putting a Strain on Labs"
June 9, 2020 - CP24
"Survey of Lab Workers Raising Concerns About Burnout"
May 30, 2020 - CP24
"Low morale for Lab Professionals after not being included in TPP initiatives"
May 24, 2020 - CP24
"Province Wants to Reach 19,000 Tests Each Day"
May 21, 2020 - CTV National
"Provinces Struggle to Meet Testing Targets"
May 21, 2020 - CHCH
"Drop in testing"
May 16, 2020 - CP24
"Lab Workers Say Morale Is Low Because They Don't Get Pandemic Pay"
May 10, 2020 - CTV National
"Ontario records lowest cases in over a month"
May 5, 2020 - CTV Ottawa
"Lab technicians ask Premier to be included in 'pandemic pay' for health care workers"
April 26, 2020 - CTV National
"Caution Urged on COVID-19 Immunity Passports"
April 24, 2020 - CTV Ottawa
"Ontario ramping up testing"
April 15, 2020 - CTV Ottawa
"Ontario's testing backlog doubles in a day"
April 9, 2020 - CTV Ottawa
"Can Ontario do 13,000 COVID-19 tests per day?"
March 24, 2020 - CTV News London
"Only high-priority patients tested for COVID-19 in London"
March 23, 2020 - CTV News Ottawa
"Ottawa medical labs ramp up testing for COVID-19"
Text and Radio
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February 4, 2023 - Eric Shih, NWO News: "Health care officials ponder solutions to medical lab technologist shortage"
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January 30, 2023 - Eric Shih, YAHOO News: "Hospitals in the Northwest face looming shortage of lab technologists."
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March 19, 2022 - Siobhan Morris, CTV News: "Researchers urge Ontario government to offer more support for medical lab workers."
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March 8, 2022 - Daniel Otis, CTV News: "'This will have a massive impact': Blood tube shortage could limit non-essential tests."
February 15, 2022 - Caryn Ceolin, CityNews: "Ontario lab professionals ‘on the brink of mass exodus’: report."
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February 5, 2022 - Aly Laube, Daily Hive: ""High alert": Medical group warns protests could disrupt lab work in Toronto."
February 4, 2022 - Ghada Alsharif, Toronto Star: "Does shifting COVID-19 strategy mean PCR tests have had their day?"
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January 19, 2022 - Radio-Canada: "Tests PCR en Ontario : les délais pour les résultats s’allongent."
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January 7, 2022 - Trevor Dunn, CBC News "Ontario is scaling back testing as COVID-19 surges. But 'we don't need to know' daily case counts, expert say."
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January 6, 2022 - Amanda Pope, CHCH: "90% of Ontario labs are understaffed amid Omicron surge."
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December 29, 2021 - Sarah Turnbull, CTV News: "No changes to Canada's isolation period despite U.S. shortening to 5 days"
December 28, 2021 - Lucas Casaletto, CityNews: "Dr. Moore's announcement postponed as demand soars for COVID-19 tests."
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December 28, 2021 - Lucas Casaletto, CityNews: "Ontario's top doctor to make announcement amidst soaring demand for COVID-19 tests."
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December 23, 2021 - Chris Fox, CP24: "Ontario reports a record 5,790 new cases of COVID-19 as positivity rate hits 16 per cent."​
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December 22, 2021 - Noushin Ziafati, Canadian Press: "Lab professionals working ‘beyond humanly possible’ to process COVID tests in Ontario." In the Toronto Star, Sault Online,
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December 21, 2021 - Global News, 040 Toronto, Kelly Cutrara Show: "Medical tests results getting delayed due to increase in COVID-19 testing."
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December 21, 2021 - Chris Fox, CTV News: "Ontario may soon have to 'put some limitations' on PCR testing amid surging case counts." (Also published on CP24).
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December 21, 2021 - Holly McKenzie-Sutter, Canadian Press: "Ontario's top doctor gives COVID-19 update as province deals with Omicron."
December 20, 2021 - Caryn Ceolin, CityNews: "‘We are a straw house right now with a tornado’: Labs struggle with COVID-19 testing surge."
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December 20, 2021 - CBC News: "Surge in COVID-19 tests across Ontario delaying other medical test results."
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December 20, 2021 - 101.1 MORE FM: "Labs Processing COVID Tests Being Pushed to the Limit."
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December 19, 2021 - CBC News: "Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Dec. 19."
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December 10, 2021 - The Hamilton Spectator, Michelle Hoad: "Not all COVID tests are created equal."
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November 16, 2021 - Mary Beth Hartill, Bracebridge Examiner: "Lack of educational opportunities could be hurting Muskoka's medical labs."
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October 27, 2021 - 580 CFRA News Talk Radio, Leslie Roberts: "Ottawa at Work"
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September 11, 2021 - CTV News, Tom Yun, "Ontario lab technologists grapple with burnout, demand more funding from province"
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September 9, 2021 - 580 CFRA News Talk Radio, Leslie Roberts: "Ottawa at Work: Ontario Losing MLTs to USA"
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July 2, 2021 - The Hamilton Spectator, Michelle Hoad: "How do we stop the erosion of health care?"
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April 16, 2021 - CityNews, Erica Natividad: "'The burnout is real': Ontario’s medical labs struggle amid third wave."
March 18, 2021 - The Hamilton Spectator, Michelle Hoad: "One year later, not much has changed for Ontario’s laboratories."
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March 12, 2021 - The Warren Weeks Show: "43 - Michelle Hoad: CEO of the Medical Laboratory Professionals' Association of Ontario"
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January 23, 2021 - CTV News, Stephanie Thomas: "'Spartan' rapid test re-approved by Health Canada, delivery to Alberta not expected"
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January 18, 2021 - CBC Ontario Morning, Erica Johnson: "The Role of Rapid Testing"
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December 23 2020 - The Hamilton Spectator, Michelle Hoad: "Lab workers sacrifice for us, and this year we need to do the same for them"
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December 1 2020 - The Hamilton Spectator, Michelle Hoad: "Auditor general’s message about Ontario’s pandemic response comes as no surprise"
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November 27, 2020 - CTV News, Josh Pringle, "Air Canada, Shoppers Drug Mart offering pre-flight rapid COVID-19 tests for international passengers"
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November 25, 2020 - CTV News, Saron Fanel: "New rapid COVID-19 testing has made its way to Ottawa"
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November 19, 2020 - 580 CFRA News Talk Radio, Kristy Cameron: "Ottawa Now: Rapid Testing"
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November 13, 2020 - 580 CFRA News Talk Radio, Leslie Roberts: "Ottawa at Work: Testing in Ontario"
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November 2, 2020 - 580 CFRA News Talk Radio, Leslie Roberts: "Ottawa at Work: Where are the Rapid Tests?"
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October 29, 2020 - National Post, Richard Warnica: "Inside Ontario's overwhelmed labs: How lingering issues and mistakes caused massive COVID-19 testing backlog"
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October 20, 2020 - Global News, Andrew Russell and Carolyn Jarvis: "Coronavirus: Inside the supply chain crisis slowing Canadian labs"
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October 14, 2020 - Global News, Andrew Russell and Carolyn Jarvis: "Ontario training hundreds of lab workers to deal with testing backlog. But is it enough?"
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October 11, 2020 - CP24, Kerrisa Wilson: "Majority of Canadians in favour of closing non-essential businesses during second wave of COVID-19: poll"
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October 11, 2020 - CP24, Kerrisa Wilson: "Ontario reports 649 new COVID-19 cases, one new death"
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October 9, 2020 - Radio-Canada, Thalia D’Aragon-Giguère: "COVID-19 : le système de dépistage face à un goulot d’étranglement en laboratoire"
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October 8, 2020 - The Brantford Expositor, Ryan Tumilty: "Ontario's COVID testing system slowed by shortage of key chemical from Swiss company"
October 6, 2020 - CBC Ottawa, Ottawa Morning with Robyn Bresnahan: "How the testing backlog impacts labs."
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October 5, 2020 - CP24, Chris Fox: "Many COVID-19 assessment centres not open today as province works to cut through lab backlog."
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October 5, 2020 - CBC Metro Morning, Ismalia Alfa
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September 29, 2020 - 580 CFRA News Talk Radio, Ottawa Now: "Every COVID test has to be processed by a Medical Lab Technologist…those Technologists are where the shortage is": Calls For More Lab Technologists Grow As Wait Times For COVID-19 Test Results Reach Up To 7 Days"
September 27, 2020 - CTV National: "Some Ontario Pharmacies Now Offering COVID-19 Testing"
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September 27, 2020 - CTV Ottawa, Dave Charbonneau: "Ottawa residents frustrated with multi-day wait for COVID-19 test results"
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September 25, 2020 - CBC Radio, Ontario Morning: "Michelle Hoad of the Medical Laboratory Professionals' Association of Ontario, explains that a lack of qualified technologists will create a bottleneck if the province hopes to increase testing for COVID-19."
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September 23, 2020 - NEWSTALK 1010, Jim Richards Showgram: "COVID-19 Tests."
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August 5, 2020 - The Hamilton Spectator, Michelle Hoad: "Here are the reasons COVID-19 testing got off to a rocky start."
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July 6, 2020 - The Hamilton Spectator, Aline Letourneau: "Medical lab staff working in the shadows to help defeat COVID-19."
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May 15, 2020 - Windsor Star, Dave Battagello: "Frontline lab workers, diagnostic technicians not receiving pandemic top-up pay."
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April 2, 2020 - CBC News, Brandie Weilke: "Long waits for COVID-19 test results reveal Canada's shortage of lab workers."
March 28, 2020 - 580 CFRA News Talk Radio Ottawa, Dahlia Kurtz: "Behind-the-Scenes in Canada's Labs Fighting COVID-19"
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March 27, 2020 - SXM Canada Talks, Jeff Sammut: "The Importance of Medical Laboratory Professionals During COVID-19"
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March 24, 2020 - CTV Kitchener
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March 24, 2020 - CTV Ottawa Morning Live: "CHEO Joins Lab Testing for COVID-19"
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March 24, 2020 - CTV National: "Challenges of COVID-19 Testing"
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March 17, 2020 - CBC News, Brandie Weilke: "What to do if you think you have COVID-19: A guide to each province and territory."