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Council Highlights

Council highlights for March 10, 2022

The 430th Council meeting of the RCDSO took place online via Zoom on Thursday, March 10, 2022. The meeting was also livestreamed; a video recording of the Council session is available on the College’s YouTube channel.

RCDSO President Sandy Venditti acknowledged the current crisis in Ukraine and expressed support for Council and staff who have family or friends in Ukraine and Russia. She thanked Council members for their help in finalizing the submission to the Ministry of Health on governance reforms. President Venditti added that the College offered its assistance to the Ministry as it considers feedback from the health regulators.

Registrar & CEO, Dan Faulkner updated Council on several items:

  • Our submission on the Ministry’s proposed governance reforms went to the Ministry on February 23, 2022.

  • On February 28, 2022, the Government of Ontario announced it was taking steps to wind down the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario. A week later, the Government informed the Ministry of Health of its intention to remove Schedule 5 from Bill 88 and directed the Ministry to work with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario to offer examinations in not only English and French, but also in Mandarin and Cantonese to enable licensure with the college.

  • Carlos Quiñonez, has been appointed to the position of Vice-Dean and Director, Dentistry at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, effective June 1, 2022. The RCDSO congratulates Dr. Quiñonez on his new and significant role and looks forward to building on our current close relationship with the Faculty.

  • The COVID-19 Guidance document will be revised in accordance with direction from the Chief Medical Officer of Health and government. We will consult with experts in the field on what level and types of COVID-19 measures are now recommended for dental offices and we will amend the current guidance as needed.

  • Statistics on strategic plan projects and Professional Conduct and Regulatory Affairs case file completion were presented along with results from the annual renewal survey relating to service experience at the College. The service data will help staff identify areas where service to members and the public can be improved and provides a benchmark to review experience in the future.

    PCRA has been steadily clearing the backlog of cases that started in 2017 - 2019 (complaints and Registrar investigations). As of January 30, 2022, there are just 22 remaining casefiles from 2017-2019 - a decrease of 64% since October 2021. We have 844 open case files (not including Alternate Dispute Resolution) as at January 30/22 - an overall decrease of 11% in open case files since October 2021.

Council performance evaluation

Sandi Verrecchia, CEO of Satori Consulting Inc., presented the results of the performance evaluation of Council conducted in January 2022.

At the end of the presentation, Council members were divided into groups and provided feedback on the evaluation process. In April, as part of the ongoing Board development and in line with the strategic plan, an interactive education session is being organized. The session will focus on Council members setting expectations and standards for themselves. The aim is to ensure Council can have good discussions and make consistently good decisions.

Conflict of interest

The College has by-law provisions pertaining to conflict of interest. The Executive Committee considered and discussed potential enhancements to several conflict-of-interest related matters. It provided feedback and preliminary direction to staff to inform the development of by-law amendments and administrative mechanisms. Some updates are needed because of new requirements under the College Performance Measurement Framework, a standards document of the Ministry of Health.

Council was asked to consider and approve proposed by-law amendments on conflict of interest.

  • Under the current by-laws, Council and Committee eligibility criteria pertain to holding a position of responsibility in a national or provincial association. Council agreed to replace these provisions under By-laws 7, 8 and 9, with a general catchall provision, to address conflicts with holding a position of responsibility in any organization and/or group whose mandate or interests conflict with the College. This section works together with the next section on cooling off period.
  • By-laws 7, 8 and 9 require a cooling-off period of two years after holding an office or a position of responsibility with a national or provincial association, or with a corporation or entity owned or controlled by a national or provincial association. Council supported changing the cooling-off period from two to three years.

  • The current by-laws do not clearly indicate which conflict of interest provisions apply to public members on Council. Council agreed that the by-laws should clearly state that conflict of interest provisions apply to both professional and public members.

  • Every professional Council member, at the time of election, must complete a declaration form that includes questions related to the eligibility criteria and some potential conflicts. However, Council and Committee members have not been required to submit an annual conflict of interest declaration form. Council agreed to require this declaration and that all Council members’ signed conflict of interest declaration forms be included in the materials sent to Council prior to its meetings and that they be made publicly available. This change is also consistent with the requirements of the College Performance Measurement Framework.

District elections 2022

Council heard an update on the College’s election process. Although there is uncertainty on the timing of governance reforms proposed by government, the College must prepare for the next election in December 2022.

Council was reminded that the Eligibility Review Committee (ERC) determines if a dentist who wishes to serve on Council meets the competency eligibility requirements. In 2020 Council decided the ERC membership should be arms-length from Council.

Council agreed to expand the composition of the ERC to maximize diversity and availability. This might include individuals with significant regulatory/governance expertise and valuable perspectives who have never been the Registrar/CEO of a regulatory body in Ontario, such as former public members of a health regulatory body and current or former senior staff leadership of other regulatory colleges. The appointments to the ERC would continue to be selected by the Executive Committee.

Dentists who wish to serve on Council will be required to provide a copy of their curriculum vitae with their application.

Council was also told that the Council and Committee member eligibility course is being updated. Council members were asked to complete a survey providing feedback and suggestions for the course.

RCDSO Strategic Plan

Staff have begun work on the strategic plan for 2023-2025. Council was told about the process to-date including consultation and engagement with Council, staff, membership, and external stakeholders. Three strategic objectives from the current plan were highlighted by feedback to date for consideration in the next plan:

  • Decision-making, supported by best available data and evidence.
  • College governance.
  • Continuous quality improvement.

Following the presentation, Council provided feedback on objectives the College should work to achieve in its next strategic plan and external disruptors we should consider.

A draft strategic plan will be presented for review at the June 2022 Council meeting. With Council approval, further consultation will be undertaken with stakeholders and a final draft provided to Council at its September 2022 meeting.

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

Ontario Regulation 107(96) (Controlled Act) has been amended to allow Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons to order magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), effective June 1, 2022. This will allow for a more streamlined process and timely access for patients because patients will no longer need to coordinate an order for MRI through their family physician.

Office of the Fairness Commissioner (OFC)

The Office of the Fairness Commissioner (OFC) was created in 2006 in response to individuals who were internationally trained and could not access licensure in Ontario. The OFC ensures that registration practices for certain professions and trades are transparent, objective, impartial and fair. 

Council was told the OFC wrote to the College asking for the RCDSO to strengthen accountability with the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) by entering into a contract. L’Ordre des dentists du Québec (ODQ) has such a contract with NDEB, and other professions have developed contracts or Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with their national examination bodies. There could be several complexities in developing a contract with NDEB without jeopardizing national labour mobility and standards.

The Registrar, and the Executive Director of the NDEB have agreed to entertain discussions to identify areas for the College to develop a MOU with NDEB. The Ontario Fairness Commissioner will be updated on how the College proposes to proceed.

 Next Meeting

The next meeting of Council is scheduled for Thursday, June 16, 2022.