Note: This article was originally published in our Autumn 2020 edition of our On Call newsletter, and has not been updated.
As we enter month nine of working remotely amidst the pandemic, I’d like to take a moment to thank College staff and Council for continuing to work hard to deliver on our mandate and strategic priorities. I’d also like to thank our members for their cooperation with meeting the requirements for registration renewal and quality assurance, despite the additional stress that this pandemic has brought to the profession. This issue of On Call showcases a lot of the College’s great work over the last few months and I hope you enjoy reading it.
In our last issue of On Call, the College made a commitment to recognize, understand, and challenge our ways of governing and administering systems that may be racist or inequitable at their core. Over the past few months, the College has begun work to address how we uphold the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion. To start, the College’s Human Resources Working Group conducted an anonymous survey with
staff in September about our internal policies and culture and their compatibility with the principles. Overall, the College received positive feedback from staff, and will be hiring an expert to lead a staff training session on equity, diversity, and inclusion in the coming months. This survey will be conducted on an annual basis to ensure that we don’t lose focus on these important issues. Additionally, the College will also add a diversity statement to all future job postings and will consider alternative posting areas in order to attract diverse candidates.
As Registrar, I have been working with other College representatives as part of a new Health Profession Regulators of Ontario (HPRO) working group to address anti-BIPOC racism in the regulatory sector. The HPRO working group is currently building a framework/toolkit for health regulators to address anti-BIPOC racism in health care, regulatory policy, governance policy, human resource policy, and to assist with building capacity among staff with expert support. When this framework has been completed, it will be shared with all health regulatory colleges in Ontario and our own College will use it to help us identify and address policies and procedures that are problematic.
Lastly, our Council will soon approve a new strategic framework for 2021-2026 which will incorporate equity, diversity, and inclusion in our guiding principles. We look forward to sharing this with you in the new year.
Sincerely,
Kelly Dobbin
Registrar & CEO