In my first President’s message to stakeholders, including members, you have my commitment to work hard, provide updates regularly, and strive to ensure a well-functioning CCO as it continues to exercise its important mandate to regulate chiropractic in the public interest. My intention is to communicate within a few days of each Council meeting about a few important items on Council’s agenda, and the decisions made.
On April 30, 2019, CCO approved a revised
Standard of Practice S-001: Scope of Practice, and a revised
Professional Advisory on Vaccination and Immunization. Stakeholders and members should know that these documents were approved
unanimously by Council, which is comprised of nine chiropractors and six public members. The changes strengthen public protection and provide more clarity around the topic for members. I thank the members of the Quality Assurance Committee, including the Committee’s former Chair, Dr. Elizabeth Anderson-Peacock, for their diligence and perseverance in recommending revisions to the standard of practice and Professional Advisory to enhance public protection.
On behalf of Council, I am pleased to welcome three new Council members: Dr. Janet D’Arcy, Dr. Paul Groulx and Dr. Steven Lester. I would like to thank former Council member, Dr. Gauri Shankar, who completed nine full years on Council and served as Chair of the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee as well as President. Dr. Brian Schut from District 4 will continue to contribute to CCO’s work as a member of the Core Discipline Committee. I also extend my appreciation to Dr. David Starmer for steering CCO during a challenging time and for engaging Council and other stakeholders in important discussions about regulating chiropractic in the public interest.
I am pleased to report that on May 1, 2019, CCO Council elected public member, Mr. Robert MacKay, from Thunder Bay, as Vice-President. CCO values the input of public members who are appointed by government to help inform and direct CCO’s important work. Thank you to all elected and public members for stepping up to the plate to serve on CCO committees and sharing their important and diverse skillsets around the Council table.
I know the Patient Relations Committee is looking to find more ways to engage the public in various initiatives to support its mandate and to include chiropractic patients in the regulation of the profession. Watch for the updated
Partnership of Care document which has been translated into nine languages.
I am encouraged by the profession’s high level of engagement as evidenced by the highest voter return rate in the history of CCO. Members feel passionate about chiropractic and CCO’s role, and that is a good thing. I know there were issues raised during the recent elections as evidenced by the over 45 e-mails and letters received. Among the concerns raised were the composition of Council, some members’ unprofessional and disrespectful behaviour, and the improper use of contact information. We are aware of the concerns, and we will be looking at ways to improve the election process to ensure there are competent, well-informed people who want to serve on CCO and who reflect CCO’s mission, vision and values. Some of the issues raised such as the composition of council, need to be addressed through a comprehensive by-law review.
At the May 1, 2019 meeting, no less than 17 chiropractors expressed an interest in serving as a non-Council committee member on one of CCO’s committees. That is remarkable. I thank everyone who expressed an interest, and look forward to seeing many of you at CCO as every committee reviews standards of practice, guidelines and policies and makes recommendations to Council for changes through a public interest lens.
CCO is facilitating an important national initiative. We are planning to host a workshop with the Canadian Chiropractic Protective Association for regulators across Canada in the Fall 2019 to strategize about how to harmonize important standards of practice such as advertising, social media and scope of practice. I’m managing expectations – we will not be trying to amend any provincial scope of practice statement. However, many regulators across the country have engaged in some fantastic initiatives that serve the public interest and enhance public protection. I believe all regulators would benefit from hearing from one another from their unique regulatory perspective about how to ensure – to the extent possible – a consistent patient experience, and how to implement best practices so that the public receives competent, ethical chiropractic care coast to coast. We have a lot to learn from one another and regulators are uniquely positioned to develop strategies to establish and maintain public trust.
There are challenges ahead. I hope and expect that we can direct the passion for chiropractic and interest in the CCO towards enhanced public protection, trusting relationships with stakeholders, and effective regulation. I have confidence in the CCO’s leadership team, and I look forward to working with you in the weeks and months to come.
Dr. Dennis Mizel,
President