A midwife and co-lead of our MATCH (Midwifery and Toronto Community Health) program, she brings a vision of reproductive care rooted in dignity, access, and the simple radical belief that midwifery belongs in community health.
What drew you to being part of SRCHC’s community?
I had already been practicing as a midwife for several years, but I kept coming back to a question I couldn’t shake: why isn’t midwifery fully embedded in community health centres (CHCs)?
Before becoming a midwife, I worked in CHCs with youth and their families in Regent Park and Rexdale. I got to witness firsthand how impactful care can be when it is centered around meeting people where they truly are. I kept that with me as I entered midwifery school and then went on to practice as a midwife. Community care is what shaped me.
When I learned that SRCHC was creating the first CHC-based midwifery program in the province, it immediately felt right. It felt like home.
What does dignity, choice, and partnership look like in your care?
It starts with not assuming anything about a person’s experience. We don’t lead with expectations — we follow people where they are, whether they’re continuing a pregnancy, experiencing a loss, or deciding not to continue a pregnancy.
People come to us navigating all kinds of circumstances and needs. Some are joyful about being pregnant, some are grieving, some are uncertain. Some are facing isolation, housing insecurity, financial stress, substance use, or the challenges of being new to Canada. Our role is to make space for all of it without judgment, and to support people in the ways that matter most to them.
I think about one patient who had recently arrived in Canada, far from her family, when she discovered she was pregnant. In the beginning, she would come to appointments and just cry. Over time, through steady care and connection, she slowly found her footing. Her midwife created space for her to be fully herself, supported her through uncertainty, and connected her to resources and community along the way.
Recently, she came back proud of how far she’d come. That shift — that’s dignity. Not fixing someone, but walking alongside them.
When you imagine midwifery care 50 years from now, what do you hope will change — and what should remain?
I hope care becomes even more responsive — continuously shaped by the people and communities we serve. That has always been our guide.
When we started the MATCH program at SRCHC, we asked every staff member what midwifery could and should look like in this setting. That spirit of listening is what allowed the program to grow in a truly low-barrier way and offer full-spectrum care.
We’ve learned that evolution is part of responsibility. We adapt as community needs shift. Harm reduction has always been part of SRCHC’s legacy, and early on we partnered with our harm reduction team to create a program for people who were pregnant and using drugs — something that didn’t exist elsewhere in the city at the time.
Since then, Unity Health has developed an excellent substance use and pregnancy program, and now we refer patients there when appropriate.
We don’t hold onto models for the sake of ownership. We hold onto relationships — and let those relationships lead us forward.
What role can CHCs and hospitals play together in more humane reproductive care?
At SRCHC, our team at MATCH sits in a unique position because we work closely with both community members and hospital providers. That bridge matters.
It’s incredibly important for CHCs to have strong relationships with neighbouring hospitals. It makes care easier to navigate for patients, many of whom already face barriers and complexities within the health system.
For some patients, walking into a hospital can carry fear — because of past experiences, judgment, immigration concerns, or the cost of care if they’re uninsured. Trusted relationships with our hospital colleagues help make that path less overwhelming. We can help ensure people feel expected, welcomed, and supported, and that communication doesn’t get lost along the way.
Our midwives also lead staffing at Michael Garron Hospital’s Early Pregnancy Clinic, where they are the first point of contact for people experiencing miscarriage, complications, or uncertainty. It shouldn’t feel revolutionary, but in many ways it is — because it simply makes sense. Midwifery brings continuity, calm, and clarity into moments that can otherwise feel chaotic while providing highly skilled, specialized pregnancy care.
Looking forward, what stories do you hope people will be telling in this community?
I hope people will say: I was heard. I was supported. I got to lead. I mattered.
Right now, reproductive care is often fragmented across the health system. People move between emergency rooms, clinics, and specialists in ways that can feel disjointed and exhausting. It shouldn’t be that way.
I imagine a future where people can access pregnancy care, miscarriage or abortion care, contraception, and future reproductive care all at one location, within one connected circle of support — without having to start over each time.
My hope is that MATCH midwives help make that kind of continuity feel normal across the system by leading through example. That care feels less like navigating institutions, and more like being held within community.