President’s Message – November 1, 2024
As I reflect on all the recent activity this busy fall at CCO, one theme stands out to me, and that is the theme of engagement. Engagement takes many forms. Some are obvious, like the travelling CCO Regulatory Excellence Workshops which have been enthusiastically received as a way for members to meet, network and ask questions directly of CCO staff in their own communities — all while completing a regulatory requirement. Or in CCO’s annual call for Peer Assessors, which saw a record number of members demonstrate their commitment to quality assurance and the value of peer mentorship by putting their names forward for consideration to act as a peer assessor.
Engagement was also a dominant focus at this year’s annual strategic planning weekend held in mid-September. Council and staff discussed strengthening engagement in several break-out sessions, in the context of several different strategic initiatives. There will be more on this fruitful discussion in the weeks and months to come. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to engage with and make use of all the publicly available avenues and resources CCO has to offer, so together we remain at the forefront of regulatory excellence in Ontario.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sarah Green
President
The Strategic Planning session was facilitated by Mr. Kevin McCarthy of the Regulator’s Practice
Throughout the weekend, Council divided into small group discussions to review topics in depth and report back to all participants
CCO Council and Staff – Strategic Planning, September 14, 15, 2024
CCO Newsletter – November 1, 2024
On the Road Again! CCO Regulatory Excellence Workshop Comes to Niagara
Representatives from the College of Chiropractors are coming to the Niagara Region on Wednesday, December 4, 2024 to host an in-person Regulatory Excellence Workshop (REW) for chiropractors and interested members of the public in District 5. Seating is limited, so interested attendees are encouraged to register ASAP by emailing Ms. Rose Bustria at rbustria@cco.on.ca by November 20, 2024.
A reminder that completion of the REW is mandatory once every three Continuing Education (CE) Cycles (or once every six years) for members registered in the General class of registration. While members may opt to take advantage of an in-person workshop opportunity, please note that CCO continues to offer the REW virtually.
The recent REW held in Kitchener on September 11, 2024 saw a strong turnout from area members who enjoyed an early dinner, engaged with CCO staff and colleagues while undertaking the workshop and garnering 4.5 structured hours toward their CE requirement.
Information on upcoming and virtual and in-person workshops is available on the CCO website.
CCO Strategic Planning Workshop – September 14, 15, 2024
CCO’s annual strategic planning offsite was held this year in Millcroft, Ontario. Over the course of two days, CCO’s full Council and staff worked together in both small and large group settings to assess the current regulatory context and develop a shared understanding of CCO’s strategic priorities for the next three years. The sessions were facilitated by Kevin McCarthy, founder of consultancy The Regulator’s Practice.
Council and staff framed the planning process guided by five principal themes:
- Strengthening Governance and Leadership
- Broadening the Understanding of CCO and Chiropractic’s Role in the Healthcare System
- Proactive Approach to Regulatory Change
- Enhancing Member Engagement and Communication
- Building Public Trust through Compassionate Regulation
The discussions were wide-ranging and fruitful, with participants identifying numerous broad objectives and related tactical and action items in support of these themes. A comprehensive environment scan prompted consideration of current and future health system changes that CCO needs to be responsive to, and also how regulatory developments in other jurisdictions could be a preview of potential shifts in Ontario that would impact CCO and its work. Council asked “Are we leading the conversation or reacting to it?” and vowed to leverage CCO’s achievements in regulatory excellence and to engage with other regulators so as to not be subsumed into a new model inconsistent with effective self-regulation.
The group also considered what were achievable and measurable plan-based outcomes, and the role of specific Key Performance Indicators. Consideration was also given to what additional resources might be required to achieve certain strategic outcomes, whether they be human resources or in the form of additional technology.
In closing, facilitator Kevin McCarthy reminded everyone present that strategic plans are often iterative, and that not every component can be pursued on day one. Stay tuned for more information from this important planning workshop, as Council and Executive continue working through the relevant details.
Support CCO’s Engagement with Members!
The College of Chiropractic of Ontario is — like every other health regulatory college in the province– a self-regulating organization (SRO) subject to multiple areas of provincial legislation and oversight. CCO is mandated to regulate chiropractic in the public interest. There are accordingly many ways for the public, and for chiropractors, to be engaged in the work of CCO, some of which are highlighted here.
Attend a Council Meeting
The simplest way is to attend a meeting of Council, which meets several times per year. Council meetings are open to members and the public, and complete agenda and packages are available to any interested party, as are minutes from previous meetings.
Provide Feedback on Proposed Changes to CCO Standards of Practice, Policies, Guidelines and By-laws
CCO is not required to circulate all proposed changes to governance documents. However, CCO regularly invites comments from members or the public on the introduction of new, or proposed amendments to, various standards of practice, policies, guidelines, or bylaws. All of the feedback is collated and considered, and shared in its entirety as part of Council meeting public information packages. Comment periods are typically lengthy, and the opportunity to comment is communicated frequently through postings on the CCO website, newsletters, or direct email. CCO Council considers all governance documents on an ongoing basis so they are consistent with CCO’s role and mandate. The current versions of all governance documents are included on the CCO’s website. Members must ensure they have a firm grasp of the most current versions.
Become a Council or Committee Member
CCO Council is comprised of nine elected (professional) members, and six-to-seven public members appointed by the Ontario government’s Public Appointments Secretariat. Members of the public may apply to be appointed to fill any of the public member position vacancies at CCO (or any Ontario health regulatory college) through the Secretariat.
This is your regulatory college, and you can make a profound contribution to your profession by stepping up to the plate as a candidate to serve in the public interest! An explanation of the application, nomination and electoral process can be found here, in the notice of election from the last electoral cycle. Watch for the notice of election in districts 2, 3 and 4 in January 2025.
In-keeping with the broader trend in health regulation, CCO has published expected competencies for Council (and Committee) members, which can be found here. It is not expected that candidates necessarily possess all of the expected competencies initially. CCO also provides ongoing training, orientation and education in governance to Council members as well as through the Health Profession Regulators of Ontario (HPRO). Council and committee members should be ready and willing to participate in this training once elected or appointed to CCO.
CCO members should consider applying for a non-Council Committee position. By-law 12 states the following as it relates to appointing non-Council committee members:
In making the appointments, the Council shall take into account location and type of practice, experience, professional qualifications and skills, and other qualifications and characteristics of members to complement the attributes of members of the committees who are members of Council.
Include in your application any reference you are comfortable sharing to the factors Council is to consider in making appointments. Also include or highlight your competencies as they relate to the Competencies for Council and Committee Members and Peer Assessors.
Do you (or does someone you know) have specialized knowledge or expertise you think would help CCO in exercising its public interest mandate? Consistent with the practices of many other regulators, CCO Council can appoint individuals in accordance with By-law 18, who are not elected or public members of Council to a committee if the individual has specialized knowledge, skills or expertise which would facilitate the work of that committee.
Note that Council and committee members are remunerated for their time, and are reimbursed for reasonable expenses in accordance with CCO’s by-laws and policies.
Please forward any expression of interest to apply for a non-Council Committee or Council Appointed Committee positions to cco.info@cco.on.ca by March 28, 2025.
Talk to the elected member in your district or current committee members, or simply contact CCO to learn more!