The College of Midwives of Ontario Board met on November 5, 2025. The Board made governance changes, discussed the College’s 2026-29 Strategic Framework, rescinded the Blood Borne Virus Standard, and more.
Strategic Planning 2026-29
Over the past year, the College has been working to develop our next strategic plan. On November 4, 2025, the College’s Board Directors and non-Board Committee members convened for a strategic planning workshop where they reviewed the draft strategic framework to ensure that it aligns with the Board’s vision and reflects what has been shared throughout the strategic planning and consultation process. Feedback was provided and the Board validated the framework, agreeing that it provides the appropriate strategic direction to guide the College’s work for the next three years and beyond. During the Board meeting the following day, College staff provided an update on our engagement with system partners, and the phased approach to strategic planning that we’ve implemented. Staff will use the framework discussed to finalize the strategic plan for final approval by the Board in February 2026.
Nominations Committee
The Board approved a recommendation from the Executive Committee to strike a non-statutory Nominations Committee, which would be responsible for facilitating recruitment, appointments, and elections processes for the College’s Board and Committees, in alignment with the College’s By-laws, policies, and reporting requirements. The approval of the Nominations Committee contributes to the College’s governance modernization initiative. The Nominations Committee will also advance key priorities for the College including strengthening diversity and inclusion; clarifying and reinforcing the Board’s governance role; modernizing policies and processes; and building stronger pathways for leadership development and succession planning.
Health Professions Discipline Tribunal Approval
The Board voted in favour of joining the Health Professions Discipline Tribunal (HPDT) on a pilot basis, effective January 1, 2026. Established in 2021 and expanded to additional health regulatory bodies in subsequent years, the HPDT is a shared, independent administrative tribunal that conducts disciplinary hearings for multiple health colleges in Ontario. The Tribunal functions as the Discipline Committee for participating colleges, administering hearings through a common set of rules and processes to promote fair, consistent, and impartial adjudication.
The decision to join the HPDT enhances public trust through a clearer separation between regulatory and adjudicative functions; is aligned with our broader goals of governance modernization; reinforces professionalism; strengthens the College’s commitment to transparency; and aligns with the Ministry of Health’s direction to support inter-professional collaboration across health regulators.
Rescinding the Blood Borne Virus Standard
The College of Midwives of Ontario’s Blood Borne Viruses Standard will be rescinded effective January 1, 2026. The Board made this decision following recent policy changes made by other health regulators and after conducting an equity review. More information on the factors considered by the Board can be found here. The College has published guidance to support midwives in preventing health care associated infections.
Assessment of the External Auditor Report to the Board
The Executive Committee presented the findings of their annual Assessment of the External Auditor Report to the Board, which indicated continued satisfaction with the quality of work produced by Hilborn LLP financial auditors. The Board accepted the conclusion and recommendations of the report and reappointed Hilborn LLP as the College’s independent financial auditors for the 2025-26 fiscal year.