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Quality and Innovation Awards

The Quality and Innovation Awards recognize significant contributions to quality and innovation in the delivery of cancer care. They encourage and reward initiatives that improve the performance of cancer care in Ontario.

First held in 2006, the awards are hosted by the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario and Cancer Care Ontario, and co-sponsored by the Canadian Cancer Society – Ontario Division.

In alignment with Ontario Health’s strategic priorities, a new award category – Equity and Indigenous Health Award – has been created to recognize innovative initiatives developed or adapted to promote diversity, equity and reduce health disparities.

View the nomination process and access the forms.

Eligibility Criteria

All institutions, practices or organizations providing cancer prevention activities or caring for people being treated for or living with cancer in Ontario are encouraged to apply.

Selection Criteria*

Award Criteria Evaluation
Quality Award
  • Improved outcomes
  • Sustainability
  • Economic benefits
  • Meaningful impact on patients, families, resources, and processes
The application must show measurable evidence of how the quality initiative improved outcomes

We define and measure quality by these dimensions and outcomes:
  • Increases safety
  • Improves effectiveness
  • Improves accessibility
  • Improves responsiveness to patients, families and person-centredness
  • Addresses an equity imbalance
  • Improves integration or transitions of care
  • Increases efficiency
Innovation Award
  • Originality and boldness
  • Improved outcomes
  • Sustainability
  • Economic benefits
  • Meaningful impact on patients, families, resources, and processes
The application must show a plan for evaluation or measurable evidence for how the innovative initiative improved outcomes. The goal of innovation should be to improve the process, organization, or product.

We define innovation as:
  • new and unique processes, products or organizations that are bold, experimental, and far-reaching.
Equity and Indigenous Health Award
  • Reduction in health disparities for patients, families, and providers
  • Partnership with:
    • First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous communities and leadership that demonstrates a commitment to Reconciliation, the promotion of self-determination, and to identify, design, and deliver health services that meet the needs of Indigenous communities; or
    • Black and/or other equity-deserving groups to identify, design, and deliver health services that meet the equity needs of the communities served
  • Use of data for planning, development, and evaluation
  • Long-term sustainability and opportunity for expansion
The Equity and Indigenous Health Award is presented to a program or initiative that best demonstrates the following criteria based on Ontario Health’s Equity, Inclusion, Diversity and Anti-Racism Framework.

The Equity and Indigenous Health Award nomination must show measurable evidence of how the initiative improved outcomes*.

*Upon preliminary review of your nomination, we may recommend that your submission be considered for a different award category.