Elections

The College of Optometrists of Ontario is guided by the decisions and policies made by our Council. The College Council acts as a board of directors and is responsible for setting policies and making decisions in the public interest.

Council is comprised of:

  • 9 elected optometrists
  • 1 selected optometrist who belongs to the optometry faculty at the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science
  • 8 members of the public who are appointed by the Ontario Government

Council makes important decisions that shape the regulation of optometry and promote public safety. Registrants who are on Council do not represent the profession but make decisions with the public interest in mind.

Serving on Council

Serving on Council gives you a first-hand look at professional regulation and provides a valuable opportunity to build public trust and contribute to the profession. Council members regularly say that their work with the College is rewarding and compliments their clinical practice.

Important details:

  • Members are elected for a three-year term, beginning in January.
  • There are 5 Council meetings a year, as well as an orientation, all of which are held either in Toronto or virtually.
  • Optometrists are remunerated for College activities, including travel expenses and preparation time, subject to the College’s policies.
  • Council members are also appointed to at least one committee.
  • Time commitments for Council members vary depending on committee appointments and range from 18 – 22 days per year.
  • To read about the expectations of Council members, please visit our Council & Committee webpage.

Each year, we hold an election (usually in the fall) when optometrists elect their professional members. Seats on Council represent the province in six electoral (geographic) districts. Optometrists who work or live in those districts can run for election and/or vote for Council members to represent their district.

2024 Elections

The 2024 Elections have now closed. Thank you to the optometrists who ran and voted in this year’s elections!

View the electoral districts map to figure out which district you reside in.

Elections Process

We encourage all registrants who are in good standing and have a desire to make a positive impact on the regulation of optometry to consider running in an upcoming election. Running in an election is easy and only requires self-nomination!

The College welcomes all nominees and encourages those who are representative of the Ontario population and are at different stages in their careers, including optometrists who are newly graduated, in the middle of their careers, or nearing retirement. We also encourage optometrists who have experience in governance, human resources, finance/business, or communications to consider this rewarding opportunity.

Eligibility

You are eligible to run in the election if you:

  1. Principally reside or practise optometry in the district for which you are running for
  2. Hold a general or academic certificate of registration
  3. Are in good standing
  4. Agree to resign from any position within a professional association linked to optometry

To view the College’s full eligibility requirements in detail, please view Section 6.04 the College By-laws.

Nominations & Running in the Election

The self-nomination period for the 2024 elections has now closed.

Prior to self-nominating, please ensure you review the college by-laws for eligibility.

The steps to submit a self-nomination include:

1. Completing a self-nomination form.
In addition to answering the questions on the form, you will be asked to submit the following:

  1. Your CV/Resume
  2. A short biography, which should outline your academic, practice, and volunteer experience (250-word maximum).
  3. A statement on public protection (100 words or less) that sets out how you propose to ensure public protection if elected. These statements:
                   – should reflect an understanding of the College’s public-interest mandate and should not be an effort at advocacy or self-promotion;
                   – should not suggest that Council members represent optometrists in their district, as they actually represent the members of the public of their district; and
                   – will be reviewed. Nominees will be asked to revise any statement that is inappropriate or exceeds the word limit.

You can either draft or copy and paste the information into the application form. Biographies and statements will be publicly available on the College website in advance of voting.

2. Attend an Orientation Session
Once your self-nomination has been finalized, you will be contacted by a College employee to participate in an orientation session. These orientation sessions, which take place before voting closes, are a benchmark within the College Performance Measurement Framework (CPMF), and are designed to ensure that nominees fully understand the role, function, and importance of regulatory colleges.

Voting

Registrants who reside in the district(s) with available seats and are eligible to vote will receive an email when voting opens on October 4.

Contact us if you have any questions about the elections process. We can also put you in contact with a fellow optometrist who serves on Council to speak about their experience.

Related FAQs

  • Elected Council members are expected to attend all Council meetings. These are held four times a year in March, June, September, and December. They may be in person at the College office in Toronto or attended virtually, when in person is not possible. Additional teleconferences may be called between Council meetings as needed.

    As a Council member, you will also be appointed to one or more committees. They hold meetings and teleconferences throughout the year. Depending on the committee, members can expect to do 7-14 days of committee work a year.

    To fulfill your role, you are expected to:

    • Demonstrate accountability through decision-making in the public interest
    • Understand the division of roles among council members, committee members, and staff
    • Identify and address conflict of interest situations
    • Recognize and respect confidential information as required by law
    • Maintain good relations with stakeholders such as healthcare organizations and educational groups.

    To be an informed decision maker, you are expected to:

    • Understand Council and committee policies and procedures, relevant legislation, College values, and strategic direction
    • Know the issues facing Council and the committees on which you serve
    • Identify issues to add to the Council or committee’s agenda in a timely manner
    • Review all material in advance of Council and committee meetings
    • Seek out information to enhance Council and committee discussions and decision-making
    • Be able to communicate Council or committee decisions and their rationale to individuals and groups as requested by the College.

    To effectively participate in decision-making, you are expected to:

    • Arrange your personal schedule to allow attendance at meetings
    • Contribute constructively to council and committee discussions and decision-making
    • Maintain positive working relationships with councillors, committee members, and college staff
    • communicate concerns to council or the committees on which you participate
    • tell the chair if you have relevant expertise or contacts
    • Respect the specialized knowledge and expertise of other council members, committee members and staff.

  • Optometrists must submit a self-nomination form no later than 30 days before the election.

    To be eligible to run, you must

    • live in or practice optometry in the district in which you are seeking election
    • be a member in good standing with the College.

    The full eligibility criteria are outlined in section 6.04 and 6.05 of the College by-laws.

  • Elections are generally called in the fall, no later than the end of November each year.

    The College makes a call for self-nominations at least 60 days before the election date.

    Elections take place in different districts in different years. Only members who are eligible to run in a particular election will be invited to submit nominations.

  • No. Nominees cannot send out information about their self-nomination directly to other optometrists. The College will ask you for a short biography that outlines your academic, practice, and volunteer experience (250-word maximum).

    The College will also ask each nominee to provide a statement (100 words or less) that sets out how they propose to serve the public interest if elected. You statement should reflect your understanding of the College’s public-interest mandate. It should not be an effort at advocacy or self-promotion.

    You statement should not suggest that as a Council member you will represent optometrists in your district. If elected, you represent the interests of members of the public in your district.

    The College will review your statement and may ask you to revise it if it is inappropriate.

    Both the biographies and the statements will be publicly available on the College website in advance of voting.

  • Yes! You may be interested in serving on a committee. You can apply as a non-Council committee member rather than running for a seat on Council.

    Learn more about volunteering for a committee.