Care doesn’t start with policy — it starts with people.
In this special episode of Coming of Age, host Donna Duncan sits down with the Honourable Natalia Kusendova-Bashta, Ontario’s Minister of Long-Term Care, for a deeply personal conversation about leadership, responsibility, and what it means to answer the call to care.
A registered nurse, Minister, MPP, mom, wife, daughter.. and even a student… Minister Kusendova-Bashta brings all of these identities into her leadership. Drawing on her nursing experience at the bedside, she reflects on how care shapes the choices we make as leaders, as systems, and as communities.
This conversation goes beyond politics, portfolios and priorities. It’s about the leader behind the role, and why, in long-term care, leadership is more than a job. It’s a calling.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Pathways to becoming a nurse in Ontario and supports for entering a career in health care
- Incentives to work in long-term care for nurses and PSWs
- Ontario’s commitment to build and redevelop 58,000 long-term care spaces
- In August 2025, Ontario committed to make Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program permanent and expanding it to serve more communities
- Learn about the Improving Dementia Care Act that Minister Kusendova championed with MPP Laura Smith
- Community access to long-term care pilot program
- LTC Community Engagement Day. Engagement Day is a powerful opportunity to bring people together – residents, staff, families, and community leaders – to celebrate, connect, and advocate for long-term care. Join us September 18, 2026
If you are a member of the public or a family member with questions or comments about long-term care, please contact the Ministry of Long-Term Care or call their long-term care hotline, available 7 days a week at 1-866-434-0144.
