Existing Provisions
The Veterinarians Act states that the Council shall be composed of:
Modernizing the
Governance
of the College
• Between nine and fifteen elected members who are licensed
veterinarians; and
• Between three and five persons who are not members of the
governing body of a self-regulating licensing body under any
other Act or licensed under the Veterinarians Act and who are
appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.
STRUCTURE
What Change is Proposed?
The following Council composition is proposed:
• Between ten and twelve elected members who are licensed
veterinarians;
• Between seven and nine member appointed by government who
meet the same requirements as noted above; and
•Council
Composition•
• One member who is a licensed veterinarian and who holds a
faculty position at the Ontario Veterinary College
Why is the College Considering Changes to this Concept?
There has been an international trend of increasing the ratio and the
inclusion of public voices at a regulator’s decision-making table and on
panels of statutory committees. Presently, the College has five public
members on a Council of eighteen.
The College has repeatedly encountered challenges in having sufficient
public members available for panels and hearings, most specifically for
Complaints Committee and Discipline Committee panels.
Further, too few public members increases the need for cross committee
appointments which leads to increased conflicts of interest in member
matters. Increasing the ratio of public members on Council would ensure
that there are sufficient public members and that the perspective of the
public is appropriately represented across all decision-making tables.
The proposed Council composition would reinforce public confidence by
maintaining balanced and fair decision-making.
Achieving a Modern Approach to the Regulation of Veterinary Medicine in Ontario 13