As we head into the final month of 2021, and celebrating the festive season with family and friends, I want to reflect on a few important developments shared at the recent meeting of CCO Council on November 25, 2021.
College Performance Measurement Framework (CPMF) Initiatives
This is the second year CCO, like all health regulatory colleges in Ontario, will be summarizing and benchmarking its activities according to the Ministry’s CPMF. Arising out of the first report, CCO identified several opportunities to enhance or to introduce practices that will improve our alignment with CPMF objectives in subsequent years. For one, articulating specific competencies for Council and committee members is a key measure within the CPMF. Accordingly, on November 25, 2021 Council approved documents outlining specific competencies for Council and committee members, as well as internal policies on nomination and election procedures for committee positions, to better meet CPMF objectives. We also approved Key Performance Indicators for the work of CCO committees. The competencies will be posted in advance for prospective candidates for Council or committee membership, as well as shared with sitting Council and committee members.
Council also approved a suite of new tools developed by CCO’s Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) that are designed to align with CPMF measures in this area. These include a Risk Assessment Framework Tool, an Interim Order Assessment Tool, and a set of Transparency Principles for managing information generated by ICRC, available at the
following link. CCO will continue to develop and implement policies and procedures that build on acknowledged best practices and strengthen the College’s activities with respect to key CPMF benchmarks.
Changes at CCO Council
On November 27, 2021, public member and CCO president Rob MacKay’s term appointment to the College came to an end. As per CCO by-laws, vice-president Dennis Mizel assumed the presidency. We are grateful to Mr. MacKay for all his efforts on behalf of CCO. Mr. MacKay distinguished himself not only as the first appointed public member ever to lead the College, but also in his roles as Chairs of many committees, including the Discipline and Patient Relations Committee. Fortunately, we will be able to continue to draw on his expertise. Mr. MacKay has kindly agreed to accept a transitional appointment to the CCO Discipline Committee through April 2022.
Consistent with the CPMF-inspired move toward competency-based selection and appointments process for all members of Council or committees, CCO, like many health regulators in Ontario, has amended its by-laws to permit the appointment of an individual who is neither a member of the college nor a public member appointed by government, but who demonstrates the competencies, skills and judgement to contribute to the work of a specific committee. Mr. MacKay’s appointment to the Discipline Committee is CCO’s first appointment of this type.
CCO also warmly welcomes new public member Zoe Kariunas to Council. Ms Kariunas has agreed to serve on the Quality Assurance and Patient Relations Committees. Ms Kariunas has already participated in the mandatory orientation session relating to the roles and responsibilities of council members on health regulatory colleges.
Accessing Centre for Expertise (ACE) Report
On November 26, 2021 the University of Toronto’s Accessing Centre for Expertise finalized a report entitled Context Covid: Understanding the Evidence, Policy and Regulatory Implications of the Relationship between Chiropractic and Immunity. CCO commissioned this report from ACE — an independent research organization affiliated with Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the U of T — to better understand the evidentiary basis for claims regarding chiropractic and immunity, and related considerations about the role of the regulator (if any) in supporting research. The latter is a question of significant interest to health care regulatory bodies in Canada generally.
ACE was given full independence to pursue the study without interference. The views expressed in the report are entirely those of ACE and its authors, and are not those of the CCO. Over the coming months, CCO Council and committees will examine the report’s findings in light of their own committee operations. More information about ACE can be found here:
https://ACExpertise.ca. The ACE report can be
read here.
Professional Development
In keeping with CCO’s ongoing commitment to developing deep in-house governance and regulatory expertise, members of Council and CCO committees participated in an interactive training session entitled Top Ten Regulatory Practices held on November 26, 2021. The session was facilitated by Mr. Richard Steinecke, Ms Rebecca Durcan and Ms Deanna Williams — subject area experts who know well CCO’s professional development needs from having delivered previous workshops and training programs at the College. Session participants explored the distinct phases of policy development, and undertook detailed considerations of transparency, equity diversity and inclusion, mentoring, and competency-based selection, among other top policy areas.
While we strive always to identify opportunities to enhance CCO capabilities, it must be said that our core business operations continue to run effectively and efficiently — despite the pandemic. Allow me to offer a big thank you to all CCO staff for their many efforts this past period.
Wishing you all the best this holiday season and continued good health and passion for the chiropractic profession and the public we all serve.
Sincerely,
Dr. Dennis Mizel
Mr. Robert MacKay and Dr. Dennis Mizel in Presidents’ Hallway, 59 Hayden