Community Appointee, Committee Member

Appointed Committee Member

Community Appointee

Term Position

The College of Opticians of Ontario (COO) is the regulatory body for opticians in Ontario. Opticianry is one of 26 health professions that has been granted the authority by the Ontario Government to selfregulate, which means that both opticians and non-opticians participate in setting the rules that govern the profession. The COO’s mandate is to protect and serve the public interest by ensuring that opticians deliver safe, ethical care to Ontario patients. We do this by establishing and implementing rules, standards and guidelines around registration requirements, practice standards, continuing education, and professional responsibilities.

Get Involved as an Community Appointee on COO Committees

The COO is seeking community members (non-opticians) to serve on its committees as Appointed Committee Members. The COO has nine committees that make decisions in areas such as registration, quality assurance, governance, patient relations, investigations and discipline, and make recommendations to the COO’s Board of Directors on policy related matters.

Serving as a Community Appointee is a personally and professionally rewarding way of ensuring safe, high-quality vision care for Ontario patients. If you are interested in using your knowledge and skill in the interest of public protection, consider getting involved with the COO as an Community Appointee.

Appointments are for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2027, ending December 31, 2028. Community Appointees are paid an honorarium for attendance at meetings, preparation time, and reimbursement of reasonable expenses

Responsibilities

Community Appointees commit to attending meetings (including committee and board meetings, as well as strategic planning sessions), maintaining confidentiality, preparing for meetings by reviewing materials and participating in training. As a Community Appointees, you can expect to attend 4 board meetings and approximately 12-16 Committee meetings per year, which often means arranging personal or work schedules to meet the time commitments involved, as meetings are held during regular business hours.

Community Appointees are not board members and do not vote on board matters. Instead, they play a vital role on committees by making decisions on cases (e.g. disciplinary matters) and making policy recommendations to the board. As a Community Appointees, and a non-optician, you will bring a unique perspective to committee work that will balance the perspectives of board and committee members who are registered opticians.

Eligibility Requirements, Values and Attributes of Community Appointees

To be eligible for appointment, you must meet the eligibility requirements for Community Appointees as set out in Article 12.2(b) of the College's By-laws and the Appointed Committee Member Policy.

In addition to the eligibility requirements, appointed members must possess the following Core Competencies:

• Passion – Public Service Oriented: Demonstrates outstanding initiative and commitment towards the practice of opticianry. Committed to service the College’s mandate to regulate the profession of opticianry in the public interest.
• Exemplified Integrity: Demonstrates a conviction to do what’s right and to reject what’s wrong, regardless of the consequences.
• Unbiased and Open Minded: Demonstrates the ability to self-identify and set aside conscious biases. Proactively reflects on the impact of unconscious biases in all situations. Actively listens and absorbs all information to make an informed and open-minded decision.
• Critical Judgment and Decision Making: Makes good decisions based upon a combination of analysis, wisdom, experience and sound judgment. Comfortably deals with concepts and complexity and looks beyond the obvious to avoid ‘group think’ and/or the status quo.
• Collaboration and Inclusion: Demonstrates an open mindset, listens without judgment, and embraces diversity of others and of thought. Seeks to understand and build on the strengths of others.

The following experience, skills and knowledge are considered assets, but are not required. Applicants may already possess them or be willing to develop them during their appointment:

• Cultural Safety and Humility: Appreciation and respect for unique perspectives, cultural contexts, power imbalances, and biases in deliberation and decision-making.
• Diplomacy: Articulate a perspective, engage in respectful, and sometimes difficult discussions with the committee, while consistently reinforcing a culture of trust.
• Health Professions Regulation: Understand the role of health profession regulators, the mandate to protect the public, applicable legislation, and the core work of the College.
• System Thinking: Knowledge of the complex system in which the College works, the stakeholders within that system, and the potential impacts of College decisions.
• Technological Competence: Use technology to work effectively and uphold security and privacy.
• Governance: Understand the role of Appointed Members and good governance principles.
• Organizational Decision Making: Understand the policy development and decision-making process. Base decisions on objective principles informed by evidence and best practices.
• Risk management/oversight: Identify, communicate, and mitigate safety, operational, financial and strategic risks potentially arising from committee decision making.

An information session will be held for interested applicants on October 16, from 12:00 to 12:45 to learn more about the College and the role as a Community Appointees. Click here to register for the information session.

To apply, please email your submission to getinvolved@collegeofopticians.ca with the following:

• A completed Eligibility Checklist
• A resume, and
• A letter of interest

A video interview for selected candidates will be held on DATE Candidates will be asked questions relating to how they meet the required competencies above.

The College of Opticians of Ontario is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. The College prohibits discrimination of any kind based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.

The College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals applying to positions within the organization. If you require additional assistance for any part of the application process, you may contact our Human Resources Specialist at fasad@collegeofopticians.ca.