Earlier this week, the United Nurses of Alberta announced this year’s recipient of their Bread and Roses Award.
UNA launched the Bread and Roses Award in 2020 to honour their members who demonstrates leadership, the true spirit of solidarity, unionism, and the advancement of social justice at the local, district, or provincial level.
The 2026 recipient of the award is Heather Fournier, who is the president of UNA Local 191 and works as a nurse at the Brooks Health Centre.
She received the award at UNA’s annual general meeting last month at the Edmonton EXPO Centre.
Fournier graduated from Athabasca University in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in registered nursing. She augmented that education with a year’s training at Foothills Hospital in Calgary for perioperative and surgical nursing.
Her career as a registered nurse began with a 4.5-year stint at Rockyview General Hospital, which overlapped with her university education. Fournier then spent a year at Brooks Hospital working in perioperative nursing and post-anesthesia care.
She has been a registered nurse with the Palliser Primary Care Network since 2009, where she has focused on chronic disease management, prevention, and screening.
In 2024, UNA Local 191 members voted Fournier in as their vice-president.
When Local 191 members nominated her for the award, they highlighted her dedication to participating at all levels of UNA leadership:
“During the past two years as local vice-president, she has consistently exemplified servant leadership through active participation at the local, employer and provincial levels, ensuring the voices of frontline health care workers are heard and respected.”
So much so, in fact, that they elected her their president earlier this year.
As part of her roles with Local 191, Fournier has served on the professional responsibility committee and the occupational health and safety committee. Her committee work focused on improving working conditions, promoting staff safety, and advocating for high-quality patient care.
One notable example of her commitment to advancing membership needs was singlehandedly proved the impact staffing shortages were having on her fellow workers and on patients.
The nominators reported that “she independently collected and analyzed unit data, [including] carefully documenting trends and presenting well-supported recommendations”.
Fournier’s fellow workers look to her as an example, noting how she is always well-prepared and takes “the initiative to review policies, procedures and best practices to provide safe, knowledgeable care”.
They describe her as professional, supportive, compassionate, humble, and determined, as well as a strong communicator and full of integrity.
She is the 7th person to have received the award since its inception 6 years ago.
| Year | Recipient | Local | Employer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Heather Fournier | Local 191 | Brooks Health Centre |
| 2025 | Susan Beatson | Local 2 | Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre/Extendicare |
| 2024 | Pauline Worsfold | Local 301 | University Hospital Alberta Heart Institute & Kaye Edmonton Clinic |
| 2023 | Diane Lantz | Local 1 | Peter Lougheed Centre |
| 2022 | Orissa Shima | Local 85 | Sturgeon Community Hospital |
| 2021 | Marie Corns | Local 80 | High River General Hospital |
| 2020 | Karen Kuprys | Local 154 | Youville Home |
