Note: This article was originally published in our Summer 2019 edition of our On Call newsletter, and has not been updated.
The Harry Cayton report on the inquiry into the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia highlights important recommendations as they pertain to areas of governance, measurement of regulatory performance, external relationships, protection of the public, and legislative reform. Some of the recommendations in the Cayton report are not directly applicable to our College or any health regulatory College in Ontario, but most are quite relevant.
I’m pleased to note that there are a few items in the report that the College has been proactive on implementing. For instance, we revised our by-laws in 2018 to require candidates for nomination to successfully complete governance education training in advance of running for election. The Cayton report recommends that incoming Council members should participate in an “induction program” before being chosen to serve. Another recommendation in the Cayton report is to allow for a “cooling off” period for Association Board members before they are eligible to serve on Council. Our by-laws for many years have required any director, board member, officer or employee of a midwifery association to wait at least twelve months prior to becoming eligible for nomination to serve on Council. Both of these initiatives help to ensure that the College remains focused on the work of regulating in the public interest. You can access a copy of the entire report here.
The College supports the call for governance reform as outlined in the Cayton report and is committed to regulatory excellence, openness and accountability. As a demonstration of this commitment, the College has developed a Regulatory Performance Measurement Framework, which you can read about on page 8. Additionally, the College supports the College of Nurses Vision 2020 and have written a letter in support of this governance reform initiative. Read the letter in our June Council meeting materials here.
This report will no doubt affect the regulatory environment in Ontario and may serve to push us forward from the speculative arena into a reformed one.
Sincerely,
Kelly Dobbin
Registrar/CEO
College of Midwives of Ontario