The College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario
Newsletter | April 2023
In this issue…
  • Quality Assurance Survey Results
  • Preview the Updated Standards of Practice
  • College Performance Measurement Framework
  • Upcoming Standards of Practice Webinar on May 2, 2023
  • Reminder: Annual Renewal
  • March Board Meeting Highlights and New Board Executive
  • April Special Meeting of the Board Highlights
  • COTO on Instagram
  • April Poll and March Results
Important News
Information and Updates
A woman holding a a digital tablet.
Quality Assurance Survey
Your QA Program survey results
The results are in! Thank you to the 250 respondents for your valued participation!
The Quality Assurance Program survey was shared in the College’s February 2023 newsletter. Topics included guiding principles, risk in practice, benefits of assessment, and impact on practice.

Guiding Principles
We asked registrants about the most important principles the QA program should aspire to:

  • Transparency was first by 81% of respondents.
  • Fair (71%) and Responsive (70%) were ranked as the second and third most important principles.

Read more about the results and learnhow we are using this information in practical ways.
Preview the Standards of Practice
Get ready for the updated Standards before they come into effect June 1
Reminder: the updated Standards of Practice will come into effect for occupational therapists in Ontario on June 1st, 2023.

You can take an early look at the Standards in English and French on our website.
College Performance Measurement Framework
The Ministry of Health requires all health regulatory Colleges to report on how well they are executing their mandate to act in the public interest. This report is called the College Performance Measurement Framework.

For the 2022 report, we are happy to note the College met 49/50 measures, partially meeting 1 measure. You can read the 2022 report on our website.
Mark Your Calendar
Upcoming Events and Dates to Remember
Standards of Practice Webinar
Sign up now as space is limited!
A few spaces remain to attend our upcoming webinar on the updated Standards of Practice.

Join our Practice Team on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 from 12-1pm for a live webinar to learn more about what's new in the updated Standards of Practice.

Don't worry if you are unable to attend! A recording of the webinar will be posted to our website and on the College's YouTube channel at a later date.
Reminder: Annual Renewal
Registration renewal is now open! Log in now to avoid the rush and cross renewal off your to-do list.

No longer practising in Ontario? Retiring? Taking a parental or other type of leave? Learn more about your options on our website.
College Governance
Decisions, Directions, and Outcomes
March Board Meeting Highlights
The College Board held a meeting on March 30, 2023. View the key decisions in the highlights from the meeting.

Want to learn more about decisions that affect the profession and the public we serve? The next meeting will be held on June 22, 2023.

Meetings are open to the public. Meeting dates and materials are posted online.
New Board Executive
The election of Board officers was conducted after the March Board meeting.

Congratulations to our new Board Executive:

  • Teri Shackleton (Chair)
  • Heather McFarlane (Vice-Chair)
  • Allan Freedman (Director)
  • Vincent Samuel (Director).

On behalf of the Board, College Registrar and Chief Executive Officer Elinor Larney thanked outgoing Chair of the Board Stephanie Schurr for her leadership and contributions over the past year.
Special Meeting of the Board
A special meeting of the College Board was held on Friday, April 12, 2023. The full meeting highlights are available on our website.

Following a review of consultation feedback, the Board approved the draft emergency class registration regulation which was circulated to registrants and system partners as required. 

Thank you to the 200+ respondents who provided their feedback during the 60-day consultation period.
Connect with Us
Share Your Feedback and Get Involved
COTO on Instagram
The @CollegeofOTs is now on Instagram
The College has launched an Instagram account to provide updates, resources, deadlines, news, and more! As a reminder, you can also follow the College on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

An updated version of our Social Media Terms of Use is also now available.
April Poll & March Results
Have you reviewed the updated Standards of Practice?
Yes, I have read the updated Standards of Practice.
Partially, I have read some but not the whole document.
Not yet, but I will soon!
The updated Standards of Practice will come into effect on June 1st, 2023.
Sign up for our webinar on May 2, 2023 to learn more about what's new.

You can preview the updated Standards on our website in English and French.
In March we asked you: This winter, what was the most common question we received from the public?

We received 86 responses and here's how you voted:

27.9% voted for "How to file a complaint." (24)

47.7% voted for "How to find information about an OT." (41)

24.4% voted for "What OTs do." (21)
The most common question we received from the public was about finding information about an occupational therapist.

The public can access information about all occupational therapists in Ontario on the public register. It's important your information is always up-to-date. Learn more.

Thank you for participating in our poll!
Do you know someone who would like to be added to our mailing list?
They can sign up here. Have additional comments or suggestions for the College email news? Send your thoughts to communications@coto.org.
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DO NOT UNSUBSCRIBE IF YOU ARE A REGISTRANT OF THE COLLEGE.

If registrants unsubscribe, they will be contacted to re-subscribe. The College communicates to occupational therapists by email regarding changes to standards, mandatory registration requirements, public consultations and more. We strive to keep communication relevant and to a minimum.

20 Bay Street, Suite 900, Toronto, ON · 416.214.1177 1.800.890.6570 · www.coto.org · info@coto.org