RCDSO 2021 Membership Fees
Dear Colleagues,
I hope you and your families are staying healthy.
With the 2nd wave of COVID-19 upon us, we at the RCDSO are continuing to plan as best we can for an uncertain future. One thing we can be confident about – our statutory mandate to work in the public interest has not changed; it is more important than ever.
Over the past three years our College has been working to modernize our systems to meet new challenges. The Strategic Plan sets out a focus on identifying risk, meeting new Government reporting requirements and building our capacity to meet increasing demands on College services. We’ve made a significant long-term investment in new IT systems to replace aging infrastructure and we are moving to a fully digitized operation. We have started to put operating reserves in place to help deal with new challenges; the global pandemic has emphasized how critically important it is to prepare for the unexpected.
At the next Council meeting on November 17th we will go through our budget for 2021. Our three-year resource plan for the College, as approved by Council in 2018 and established in the bylaws, calls for a $75 increase in fees for 2021. Executive Committee has recommended that we stick to this plan to ensure we continue work already underway that cannot be deferred.
We are all aware that our profession, like so many others, has been hit by the pandemic. For that reason we will be recommending that the annual membership fee deadline will be moved back, to February 28, 2021. That will extend the usual deadline by 2.5 months and give everyone more time to pay their 2021 fees.
We have also made a commitment to review all fees, including the annual fees, over the coming year in an effort to hold the line on any increases in 2022.
There are still many significant risks on the horizon - further “waves” of COVID-19, a lagging economy, the need to ensure all dental offices remain safe for patients, staff and dentists, and uncertainty about the Government of Ontario’s direction in this difficult period. In addition, we have strategic planning priorities that need to be met.
These have not been easy decisions to make, but with much discussion and consideration we have resolved to move forward with our budget plans.
I am proud of the work that the College does, every day, despite the obvious obstacles. Together we will continue to meet our mandate to protect patients and the public and maintain our standards across dentistry in Ontario.
Sincerely,
Flavio
Dr. Flavio Turchet
President, Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario