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Council Highlights

Council highlights for September 15, 2022

The 432nd Council meeting of the RCDSO was a hybrid meeting held in person at 150 King West, Toronto and online via Zoom on Thursday, September 15, 2022. The meeting was also livestreamed; a video recording of the Council session will be available on the College’s YouTube channel.

RCDSO President Sandy Venditti focused on the subject of the public interest, which is at the core of all that the College does and at the center of Council’s work. Dr. Venditti recently spoke to dental students at both Western and the University of Toronto where she reminded them of the importance of placing the patient’s interest first.

To Council, Dr. Venditti underlined the importance of good governance, noting the inclusion of public Conflict of Interest Declarations from Council in the meeting materials, and she thanked Council members for their continued dedication to improvement. She also noted her appreciation for staff for their work to ensure that the College is an effective regulator. Dr. Venditti concluded with a reminder that applications for election to Council close on September 23rd.

RCDSO Strategic Plan

Council was presented with a report on the summer consultation on the Strategic Plan 2023-2025. The external consultation consisted of three online surveys to specific stakeholder groups: the Citizens Advisory Group, RCDSO staff and members and key stakeholders. The College received more than 1,100 responses— a considerable level of engagement.

Overall, the College received support for the draft Strategic Plan. Stakeholders also provided constructive comments and recommendations on how to improve the mission and the three themes (Professionalism, Stakeholder Engagement, Emerging issues).  Revisions based on stakeholder recommendations were presented to Council.

The revisions, approved by Council, maintained the substance of the draft Strategic Plan. They focused on enhancing clarity; being more concise; and using more inclusive language. 

For example, the change to the mission statement approved by Council is:

Current: We serve and protect the public interest and are committed to excellence in regulating the dental profession in Ontario. 

Approved revision: We act in the public interest and are committed to excellence in regulating the dental profession in Ontario. 

Council approved the other proposed revisions and the revised strategic plan is now available here.

Fee Increase

The College circulated proposed by-law changes regarding a fee increase of $485 to members and key stakeholders, as per the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA). This consultation was open for 60 days: from June 30th to August 29th. The Finance, Property and Administration Committee received a copy of all submitted comments and staff responded to comments that required clarity or requested a response.

The fee increase is related to managing the ongoing financial costs of the Professional Liability Program (PLP). The College has had operating deficits for six consecutive years, and has been unable to adequately fund its Operating Reserve. In 2021, PLP accounted for 31% of the College’s expenses. Fiscal sustainability is critical to ensure the College’s ability to fulfill our legislated regulatory programs and Ministry of Health standards for operating reserves.

In Ontario, dentists continue to pay less for liability coverage than the other provinces. The portion of RCDSO’s fee for PLP (before the increase) is $680 per year; Quebec’s professional liability fee to the profession is $1,375 annually; and private coverage can start at $2,100 annually.

Following the 60-day consultation to all members and key stakeholders, Council approved the proposed fee increase of $485 and subsequent by-law changes.

Registrar & CEO Update

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

  • The College launched the 2022 District election cycle in August. The deadline to file an application and nomination form is September 23, 2022 at 4:00 pm.
  • Numerous enhancements are underway across the College’s regulatory programs, including the approach to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR); the course approval process; timelines and service experience for applicants and renewals for sedation and CT scans; and the implementation of Bill 106 addressing registration programs, including application timelines.
  • The College’s 2023 budget cycle is well underway and will be considered by the Finance, Property and Administration Committee in November, and then by Council.
  • Steinecke Maciura LeBlanc (SML) were the successful candidates in a competitive process to select a firm for prosecution services and advice and training to the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) and PCRA staff.
  • RCDSO launched a refreshed website Home (rcdso.org) and released our 2021 RCDSO Annual Report in an interactive, modern format. RCDSO Annual Report 2021 - Overview (msecnd.net)
  • The RCDSO Connect session of June 28 was attended by over 150 dentists. The session featured Drs. Nancy Di Santo, Nalin Bhargava and Richard Hunter in an engaging discussion about their experiences as Council and committee members. The next session is scheduled for October 27th and will focus on issues pertinent to newer dentists.
  • The College continues to engage in active collaboration with the other oral health regulators in Ontario through bi-monthly meetings of the four Registrars. The College’s senior team worked closely with the three other colleges, as well as a number of other stakeholder groups (the ODA and the Faculties of Dentistry) on updated COVID Guidance released in August 2022, which addressed fallow times and closed operatories.
  • Over the summer, several members of staff met with leadership and faculty and toured the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto and the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University.
  • On July 11, 2022 an Order in Council was signed to confirm the amalgamation of the four oral health colleges in British Columbia on September 1, 2022. It will be known as the British Columbia College of Oral Health Professionals (BCCOHP). The College board consists of six oral health professional members (including one dentist and members from the other professions) and six public members.
  • The College advanced a number of initiatives to enhance staff well-being, including a Disconnect from Work policy (as legislated by the Government of Ontario) to ensure that there is no expectation that staff work outside their normal working hours. As part of our commitment to an inclusive and equitable workplace, staff received training on micro-aggressions—how to identify and respond.

Governance Update

Highlights

  • As approved in the June Council meeting, Council members’ Annual Conflict of Interest declaration forms are now public and formed a component of the Council materials of September 15th, 2022.
  • The Professional Liability Program (PLP) Committee now has core competencies that will help ensure that members of its committee reflect the province’s diversity and have the competencies required to oversee and authorize patient compensation.
  • Council considered and approved the addition of a non-Council member to the Registration Committee in order to keep pace with governance best practices. As of January 2023, the committee will be comprised of three dentist members and two public members.

Governance Committee Established

The College has several bodies currently overseeing governance functions including Council, the Nominations Committee, the Elections Committee, the Eligibility Review Committee as well as the recently disbanded Governance Working Group. Governance is critical for effective regulatory performance and for some aspects of the Ontario Ministry of Health College Performance Measurement Framework (CPMF).

In June, Council asked staff to develop an analysis for the establishment of a standing Governance Committee that would be evidence-based and reflect current best practice. Council reviewed and approved terms of reference for a new Governance Committee that would focus on eligibility, orientation, performance evaluation and by-law and policy review.

Merger of Finance and Audit Committees

The Audit Committee and the Finance, Property and administration Committee have experienced an overlap in their oversight mandates. While one committee was to look at past performance, the other was to look to future planning. With the growing complexity of financial planning and reporting, it is more cost-effective to combine these key functions. In 2021 and 2022 the committees held joint meetings with positive results. Best practice suggests that there is one committee for financial oversight. Council approved the creation of the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee, with six members, effective January 19th, 2023.   

Next Meeting

The next meeting of Council is scheduled for Thursday, December 1, 2022 via Zoom.

(Meeting will be live-streamed.)