September 21, 2022
September 2022

Dynamic new leadership for CNO

Earlier this month, CNO welcomed a new Executive Director and CEO (ED and CEO). Silvie Crawford, RN, BHScN, LLM - Health Law, joined the organization in the top job on Sept. 7, 2022, after Council named her to the role in July.

“Crawford is a dynamic, collaborative leader who brings the right mix of experience and leadership, along with a keen understanding of regulation in the health care system to this role,” said Council President Naomi Thick.

Crawford joins CNO at a time of increasing public expectations and heightened strain on nurses and the health care system. As Thick added, “CNO is an in-demand health system partner, helping shape the future of nursing care in Ontario.”

Earlier this month, CNO welcomed a new Executive Director and CEO (ED and CEO). Silvie Crawford, RN, BHScN, LLM - Health Law, joined the organization in the top job on Sept. 7, 2022, after Council named her to the role in July.

“Crawford is a dynamic, collaborative leader who brings the right mix of experience and leadership, along with a keen understanding of regulation in the health care system to this role,” said Council President Naomi Thick. Crawford joins CNO at a time of increasing public expectations and heightened strain on nurses and the health care system. As Thick added, “CNO is an in-demand health system partner, helping shape the future of nursing care in Ontario.”

"I am honoured to join CNO," said Crawford. "Nurses play a vital role caring for people and fostering healthy communities, and I look forward to bringing my active leadership style to nursing regulation in Ontario. This is a turbulent time for nursing and CNO is uniquely positioned to actively contribute Ontario's health care system."

Crawford’s previous experience includes executive leadership roles in a range of settings from complex, multi-site academic health science centres to community-based organizations in the non-profit sector.

As an active contributor to many regional and provincial initiatives, she has helped build strong partnerships that positively impact policy and the evolving needs of the public, communities and staff.

“I look forward to leveraging my experience and am dedicating myself professionally to our purpose, public protection through the promotion of safe nursing practice,” added Crawford. “CNO has so much to be proud of, including registering a record number of nurses to practice safely in 2022, and I know working with system partners, there is even more we can accomplish.”

Crawford continues to be active on community boards and supports organizations through volunteering, coaching and mentoring in areas of quality, practice, leadership and governance.

A selection committee of Council conducted a robust and thorough search to identify the new Executive Director and CEO. Anne Coghlan retired from the role in March after 21 years of service.

About CNO

The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) is the regulator of the nursing profession in Ontario. It is not a school or a nursing association. CNO acts in the public interest by:

  • assessing qualifications and registering individuals who want to practice nursing in Ontario.
  • setting the practice standards of the profession that nurses in Ontario are expected to meet.
  • promoting nurses' continuing competence through a quality assurance program.
  • holding nurses accountable to those standards by addressing complaints or reports about nursing care.

The College was founded in 1963. By establishing the College, the Ontario government was acknowledging that the nursing profession had the ability to govern itself and put the public's well-being ahead of professional interests.

For the latest information, please see our Nursing Statistics page.

Anyone who wants to use a nursing-related title — Registered Nurse (RN), Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) or Nurse Practitioner (NP) must become a member of CNO.

Frequently Asked Questions

Go to the public Register, Find a Nurse, to conduct a search for the nurse. Contact us if you can't find the person you are looking for.

All public information available about nurses is posted in the public Register, Find a Nurse, which contains profiles of every nurse in Ontario. Publicly available information about nurses include their registration history, business address, and information related to pending disciplinary hearings or past findings.

Unregistered practitioners are people who are seeking employment in nursing or holding themselves out as being able to practice nursing in Ontario, but who are not qualified to do so. They are not registered members of CNO. Only people registered with CNO can use nursing-related titles or perform certain procedures that could cause harm if carried out by a non-registered health professional. CNO takes the issue of unregistered practitioners seriously. See Unregistered Practitioners for more information.

To ensure procedural fairness for both the patient (or client) and the nurse, the Regulated Health Professions Act requires that information gathered during an investigation remain confidential until the matter is referred to the Discipline Committee or Fitness to Practise Committee. CNO will not disclose any information that could identify patients (or clients) or compromise an investigation. See Investigations: A Process Guide for more information.

Information obtained during an investigation will become public if the matter is referred to a disciplinary hearing. If a complaint is not referred to a hearing, no information will be available publicly.

See CNO's hearings schedule, which is updated as hearing dates are confirmed. Hearings at CNO are open to the public and the media. For details on how to attend a hearing, contact the Hearings Administration Team.

A summary of allegations and the disciplinary panel outcomes can be found on the public Register, Find a Nurse. Full decisions and reasons are also available.

Where a disciplinary panel makes a finding of professional misconduct, they have the authority to reprimand a nurse, and suspend or revoke a nurse's registration. Terms, conditions and limitations can also be imposed on a nurse's registration, which restricts their practice for a set period. Nurses can also be required to complete remedial activities, such as reviewing CNO documents and meeting with an expert, before returning to practice.

For detailed information see the Sexual Abuse Prevention section.

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