Nominations are now being accepted for the upcoming Council election. This election is required under Part 6 of the College by-laws. It will be held on Thursday, October 25, 2018. The three-year term of the newly elected councillors will begin on January 18, 2019, at the first regular Council meeting following the election.
Elections will be held for the following districts:
District 1 – Greater Toronto Area District, which is composed of the municipality of Metropolitan Toronto and the regional municipalities of Halton, City of Hamilton-Wentworth, Niagara, Peel, and York. The current term of Dr. Linda Chan will expire January 2019; she is eligible for re-election.
District 4 – Western Electoral District, which is composed of Brant, Elgin, Essex, Kent, Lambton, Middlesex, Oxford, Perth, and Wellington and the regional municipalities of Haldimand County, Norfolk County, and Waterloo. Dr. Dino Mastronardi will have completed nine (9) consecutive years on Council as of January 2019 and is not eligible for re-election, per Health Professions Procedural Code subsection 5(2).
District 5 – Provincial Electoral District, which is composed of the whole of the Province of Ontario. The current term of Dr. Richard Kniaziew will expire January 2019; he is eligible for re-election. Dr. Richard Kniaziew has indicated that he will run for election in the Western Electoral District.
District 6 – Academic Electoral District, which is comprised of members who belong to the faculty of the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science. The current term of Dr. Patricia Hrynchak will expire January 2019; she is eligible for re-election.
The nomination procedure is outlined here (PDF). A copy of the eligibility section of the by-laws can be found here (PDF). The complete by-laws can be found here (PDF).
Nominations are open to all members. The College encourages and welcomes those within their first 10 years of practice and/or with experience in governance, human resources, finance/business or communication to consider this opportunity. It’s your chance to protect the public of Ontario and contribute to the profession of optometry.
Interested members should email, fax, or mail their signed form to College Registrar Dr. Paula Garshowitz no later than 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, September 25. If you have questions regarding this process, please consult this list of frequently asked questions, or contact Dr. Garshowitz.