There are certain moments in the life of any organization that are so significant they are worthy of being called out. CCO just experienced one such moment, as a result of the internal elections for Executive Officers, Committees and Committee Chairs held on April 15, 2021.
It gives me great pleasure to announce that for the first time in our history, the College of Chiropractors of Ontario (CCO) will be led by a public member. Mr. Robert MacKay has been acclaimed CCO President, effective immediately. Since his appointment as a public member initially in 2006, and most recently in 2018, Rob has served the public interest in Ontario with tenacity and insight, most latterly in the capacity of CCO Vice President. In my time as President, I regularly benefited from his judgement and counsel. (Having just been acclaimed to the role of CCO Vice-President myself, I hope to be able to return the favour over the course of the next year.)
Public members play a vital leadership role in the activities of CCO. They bring invaluable perspectives, skills and experiences that complement those of Council’s professional members, who are registered Ontario chiropractors. The elected members bring a breadth of knowledge, skills, and experience in chiropractic to Council’s public interest discussions. I encourage you to learn about CCO’s elected and public members by reading their
short bios here. Once part of CCO’s Council, elected and public members have the same role and responsibility, namely, regulating chiropractic in the public interest.
For the April 2021-2022 term, I am equally pleased to announce the acclamation of CCO public members to the following positions: Ms. Robyn Gravelle to Treasurer, and Chair of the Fitness to Practice, and Quality Assurance Committees; Mr. John Papadakis to Chair, Patient Relations Committee; and Mr. Markus De Domenico to Chair, Registration Committee. President Robert MacKay has also been acclaimed as Chair, Discipline Committee. The full committee composition list is
included here.
I would also like to thank outgoing Council members Dr. Janit Porter, Dr. Gerard Arbour and Dr. Mike Staffen — each of whom stepped into vacancies on very short notice and did an exemplary job under often difficult circumstances arising from the pandemic response. There continues to be several chiropractors expressing an interest in serving on CCO Committees and we are grateful for the contributions of so many.
I am also happy to report that for the first time in over a year, Council is now ‘properly constituted’ in the language of governance, meaning that Council now has a full complement of nine elected chiropractors and seven public members appointed by government to draw upon to run CCO and its various committees.
In keeping with the theme of firsts, this year’s nominations of candidates for internal CCO elections were the first to undergo a new type of nomination process, informed by the spirit and intent of the new
College Performance Measurement Framework (CPMF) introduced by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. The CPMF is a tool to be used annually by all health regulatory colleges in Ontario. It establishes reporting requirements and expectations in seven major areas, and incorporates standards, policies, measures, and evidence of progress on any aspects identified for improvement.
Measure 1.1 of the CPMF pertains to the suitability of candidates for election to boards and statutory committees. It states that, where possible, candidates should demonstrate they possess the knowledge, skills, and commitment necessary to fill those roles prior to becoming a member of the committee. In addition, members must attend an orientation session(s) on the mandate, expectations and responsibilities of the committee and member’s role, prior to joining it.
CCO has a robust orientation program for new Council and Committee members, covering such aspects as our legislative mandate, governance, confidentiality, conflict of interest etc. These orientation sessions currently take place after election/acclamation. CCO is continuously looking at ways to enhance education and training opportunities for new and existing members serving on committee.
With respect to evidencing the suitability of nominees, in keeping with the aspirational objectives of Measure 1.1 of the CPMF this year the CCO Executive Committee directed all Council members to provide their interest, and relevant background and skills, for any desired Committee position. These responses were compiled for Council’s consideration at our meeting of April 15, 2021. Matching interest with skills and competency for committee membership is a recognized best practice, supported by the MOHLTC and highlighted in the landmark 2018 inquiry into the BC College of Dental Surgeons undertaken by Harry Cayton (known as the ‘Cayton Report’).
The result is that this year’s Council, Executive and committees reflect a balance of new and experienced members who bring with them demonstrated skills and interests aligned with their roles. I can’t wait for us to begin the work of the new term, and to reap the bounty of their diverse energies and abilities.
On a personal note, please know that it has been an honour and privilege for me to have served as CCO’s President this past year. It was definitely a memorable one, and not without its challenges. I want to thank all CCO members, who number over 5100, for your continued perseverance, diligence, and commitment to putting patients first. I also thank all former Councils who have worked hard and demonstrated insight and leadership in the evolution of CCO as we continue to grow and learn while continuing a laser focus on the public of Ontario.
Dr. Dennis Mizel
Immediate Past President
Current Vice President