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COUNCIL NEWS
Get to know Council
PUBLIC MEMBERS HAVE A KEY ROLE ON COLLEGE COUNCIL
Andrew Glenny was appointed to the College
Council by the provincial government in 2014.
Since joining Council, Andrew has served
as chair of the Complaints Committee and
recently joined the Registration Committee.
province or Canada. The time commitment
also surprised me. We receive a lot of briefing
notes to review prior to meetings.
Andrew retired from The Canadian Press
where he was an information technology
and software executive. His role included
managing the election system and the Census
of Canada project. In the past several years, the Council looked
at modernizing the Veterinarians Act. This
process took quite a while but I feel the
processes used and the final product
presented to the Ministry is solid. I was hoping
the Act would be reviewed before my term is
up (April 2020), but think it will take longer. Andrew’s other community involvement
includes volunteering as a math tutor to assist
children and on serving on the executive of
the local federal political riding association.
Andrew was born and raised in Toronto and
now lives in Haliburton County. As for the veterinary profession, I’m pleased
with the way the CVO deals with challenges
such as alcohol and drug use and mental
health issues. The goal is to get help for the
member. The impairment is looked at as a
health issue, not as the member’s fault. Andrew shared the following thoughts about
serving on the College Council. Another surprise was how much veterinarians
touch our lives. Veterinarians look after our
pets, farm animals, fish, zoo-animals, wildlife
and even bee health. They also help ensure
human diseases are kept under control. the world, like Australia, USA, UK and all other
provinces. This networking is important as it
allows the College to stay at the forefront of
the profession.
Why do you think public members are key to
good profession-based regulation? The CEO and Registrar of the College,
Jan Robinson, is very well respected in the
regulatory field.
What prompted you to seek an appointment
as a public representative with the College of
Veterinarians of Ontario?
After I retired, I still wanted to be active and
find a way to serve. I had heard of a program
that allowed the public to apply to various
councils and boards in Ontario. I searched for
public appointments in Ontario and I came
across the Public Appointments Secretariat for
the province. I applied to a couple of Colleges
in which I had an interest. A few months later,
I received a call asking if I wanted to join the
College of Veterinarians of Ontario.
What surprised you most about the College
and your role on Council?
Other than attending Council meetings four
times a year, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
I thought we would ask questions of staff,
approve operating and capital budgets and
perhaps set some directions for the College.
I knew there would be more but wasn’t sure
what that was to be.
I wasn’t aware the College worked as closely
as it does with other health regulators. I’m
glad to see how a concept such as One
Health is applied across all areas of the
If the population of the province understands
that non-veterinarians are also involved with
the regulation of the veterinary profession, I
hope they would feel less concerned that this
is just a profession-based organization looking
after the best interests of veterinarians. I feel
the professional members on Council and
committees feel as strongly as I do about the
importance of protecting the public.
What have you learned about veterinary
medicine in Ontario as a member of Council?
Veterinary medicine in Ontario is well run
as a profession. The staff take their work
seriously. Public and professional members
of committees and panels are well-served by
the staff who provide support, as needed, for
committee members.
The CVO is connected with other regulatory
bodies provincially, nationally and around the
world. I’ve been on many teleconference calls
with veterinary professionals in other parts of
Andrew Glenny
How do you think others -veterinarians and
members of the public – could benefit from
serving on Council or volunteering to get
involved in the work of the College?
I definitely feel that veterinarians being
involved with their profession is necessary.
One of the most frequent comments I hear
from professional members who sit with
me on Complaints, is how much they learn
about medicine and their profession by being
involved. And they take what they learn back
to their own practices. As professionals, you
must always be learning, expanding, and
bettering your practice.
For public members, you can use your
knowledge to better an important facet of
public life. I’ve always had a fondness for
animals. I’ve learned a lot since joining the
CVO too. You can get valuable work done via
committee. I’m glad I can help in even a small
way.
Summer 2019 / 3