RN Angele Labrosse Recognized with Prestigious Award
In honour and celebration of Nurses Week, the North Bay Regional Health Centre (NBRHC) is pleased to announce Angele Labrosse as the recipient of the 2025 Leslie Burt-Manary RN Leadership Award. Labrosse is a Registered Nurse in Labour & Delivery, Women & Children, who is highly respected among her peers for her mentorship and leadership.
Labrosse was nominated for this award by her peers, and they shared the many ways she demonstrates leadership and dedication in her work.
It is evident that Angele was always meant to be a labour and delivery nurse. Her passion for her profession is obvious in everything she does. Our pregnant moms and families are fortunate to have her care for them. Angele brings a sense of calm to her laboring patients; speaks in a quiet, comforting voice, encourages lights to be off to foster relaxation during difficult coping moments and painful contractions. She promotes and advocates for her patients’ wishes to be respected and ensures to always provide informed consent with decision making.
Angele brings a positive staff morale by fostering an environment where staff can enjoy their shift while also providing excellent care and completing all required tasks. The physicians trust her judgement and years of knowledge and experience, often asking Angele for her opinion. Seeing her name on the staff list makes everyone feel at ease, knowing the shift will run smoothly, no matter how busy or should emergencies arise.
Angele’s level of professionalism is what every nurse should strive for. She controls her emotions during difficult or challenging patient situations and emergencies. She is articulate and straightforward when advising what needs to be done, while assigning roles and keeping everyone calm. Angele motivates her coworkers to be the best they can be by following her example.
This special award honours Leslie Burt-Manary, a dedicated nurse who died of cancer in 2017. To celebrate Leslie’s life, her mother established an endowment fund and award as a lasting legacy to celebrate nursing leadership. The award provides an annual grant for professional development.
“Congratulations to Angele!” shared Joanne Laplante, Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive, NBRHC. “This award highlights the qualities of nurses, their knowledge, skills, compassion and dedication to patient care, no matter what circumstances they are facing. As we approach Nurses week next week, this is a fitting way to celebrate all nurses and their commitment to caring for our community.”
Leslie Burt-Manary was born in France in 1959, and graduated from Canadore College in North Bay as a Registered Nurse in 1979. She began working at the former Civic Hospital in 1987 and continued her career with NBRHC.
Leslie’s mother, Pauline Burt, says her daughter loved being a nurse and had a positive outlook on life. “She often said, ‘It’s not just what I do, it’s who I am.’” Leslie shared her cancer experience on social media in hopes of demystifying the journey and helping others. “Her witty sense of humour stayed with her throughout her illness,” her mother added.
Leslie’s daughter, Meghan Manary, also a nurse at NBRHC, congratulated Labrosse, “I’ve witnessed and experienced personally the compassionate care that Angele gives her patients. I am delighted that my mother’s award is recognizing an exceptional nurse. It is a legacy she would be proud of.”
“The endowment fund and bursary is a meaningful way to remember the impact Leslie had in motivating others to continue their education and aspire to become the best nurses they could be,” said Tammy Morison, President and CEO, NBRHC Foundation. “In 2018, the endowment fund was seeded with a donation from Mrs. Burt.”
