THE OPTICIANS EYE VIEW
REPORT
The OAC recently attended the
Saskatchewan College of Opticians
(SCO) annual AGM and convention. We were very well received
by the SCO and the OAC message
of solidarity was extremely
successful in terms of recruitment
and retention.
The OAC is pleased to announce
that we have a new director from
the province of Saskatchewan.
Mr. Bill Fedrau will be attending
his first OAC board of directors
meeting in November and we are
pleased to receive input from
Saskatchewan.
It is noteworthy to point out that
Fedrau was selected by the membership and duly elected by the
OAC members in accordance with
the OAC by-laws. Membership in
general, across the entire country,
has seen a slight increase.
The eastern provinces and
Manitoba are almost at 100 per
cent engagement; British Columbia
continues to gain members and
Ontario has a consistent following.
The OAC will focus its attention
on those provincial areas where
membership engagement is low,
and work through local organizations to fulfill its mandate and
recruit new members. Communication is a key factor in recruiting
membership into the national
professional association.
34 Optical Prism | November-December 2014
A LOOK AHEAD
TO VISION CANADA
The OAC continues its relationship
with some of the major companies
in the Optical Industry. Essilor,
Transitions and The Optical
Group are Visionary Partners of
the OAC for 2014 and will enjoy top
tier sponsorship at Vision Canada
Many other optical companies are
partnering with the OAC indirectly
through contracted advertising on
our website and e-newsletter, such
as Centennial, Vision Ease, Innova,
Jobs4ECPs, Hakim Optical and
Pearl Vision.
The OAC is pleased to have
Johnson & Johnson as a corporate
sponsor for 2014. HOYA Canada
has seen new leadership this year
and the OAC has met with the
new Canadian President of the
company. We have both promised
a continued close relationship
as will be evident by the HOYA
participation at Vision Canada.
It is interesting to note that the
sales team at HOYA consists of
approximately 70 per cent
Opticians.
Safilo has also offered its support
to the OAC and we are pleased
to accept.
Our message to Opticians in
Canada is the OAC is working
in the interest of Opticians as a
whole. Our members consist of
Licensed Opticians working in
various business models.
The OAC supports all REGULATORY
COMPLIANT models. Through
research and networking, the
OAC is constantly exploring
partnerships and opportunities
for our members.
For more information visit
www.opticians.ca.