The College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario

Newsletter | December 2024

In this issue…


  • Happy Holidays from the College
  • 2025 QA Learning Plan: Coming Soon
  • Nominations Open: Board Elections in District 1 (Toronto and Peel Region)
  • Recording Available: Elections Webinar on December 10, 2024
  • Annual Renewal: What's New in 2025?
  • Reminder: Update Your Info
  • Insights from Investigations: Data from June 2024-November 2024
  • January Board Meeting
  • 2024 Poll Data Summary and November Results
Important News
Information and Updates

Seasons Greetings

Best wishes for the holidays from the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario.


Our offices will be closed from the afternoon of December 24, 2024 to January 1, 2025 and will reopen on Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 8:30am.

Mark Your Calendar
Reminders and Dates to Remember

Quality Assurance Update

The 2025 Annual Learning Plan is coming in January

Looking ahead to 2025, the needs in the workplace are evolving and highlight the importance of lifelong learning. As we approach the new year consider: how you might help create a culture of continuous learning in your practice. Share your thoughts with the Quality Assurance team by emailing us at qaprogram@coto.org.


The 2025 Annual Learning Plan will be available on the COTO portal in mid-January. Start your plan by setting your goals early, working on them throughout the year, and recording the impact of your goals by October 31, 2025.

Board Elections in District 1

Nominations are now open

The nominations for the upcoming 2025 Board of Directors elections are now open! Eligible OTs in District 1 (Central) should check your inbox for more details! 📧


Electoral District 1 (Central) — 2 positions

  • Includes: Toronto and Peel


There are two positions available in this district.

Learn more about elections

Watch: Elections Webinar

College Registrar and CEO Elinor Larney hosted a webinar about the upcoming Board of Directors elections in District 1.


A recording of the webinar is available on the College's YouTube channel.

Watch the webinar

Annual Renewal: What’s New in 2025?

When registrants renew their registration for 2025-2026, they may notice we are collecting new data in alignment with the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)’s updated 2022 health human resource dataset.


All occupational therapy regulators in Canada, including COTO, share aggregate health workforce data with CIHI to support health workforce planning and policy development. COTO collects this type of data from registrants at annual renewal.


Learn about the upcoming changes for 2025 renewal.


Read more details

Reminder: Update Your Info

Has your registrant profile information changed? In the event of a change, registrants have a responsibility to update the College within 30 days of that change.


Log in to the COTO Portal and select “Update Profile.” to revise your


  • personal information,
  • employment information
  • professional registration
  • insurance (Remember to update your insurance information when there is a change, whether it is an updated policy or a new insurance provider.)


Keeping your information up to date is an important part of maintaining public confidence in occupational therapists.


If you are unsure about a change and whether to update your profile, email us at registration@coto.org and we can assist you.

See more about updating your information
You and Your Practice
Information and Resources

Insights From Investigations

Data from June 2024-November 2024

From June 1 to November 30, 2024, the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) made decisions on a total of 11 investigations—five on complaint investigations and six on Registrar’s investigations.


Learn more about decisions made in the past six months of investigations.

Read the article

Looking for the Standards of Practice and other resources?



Resources are available here: Standards and Practice Resources


Tip: 📑 Bookmark the page for future reference!

College Governance

January Board Meeting

The College Board is holding an in-person meeting on Thursday, January 30, 2025. All meetings are open to the public. To register to attend, contact astanier@coto.org.


Board meeting materials are posted on our website before each meeting. Highlights are posted after each meeting. Minutes are posted once approved by the Board.

View the Board meeting schedule

Connect with Us

2024 Poll Data Summary

Throughout 2024, close to 1000 votes have been cast in our monthly polls. Your feedback on topics ranging from AI to QA has helped inform our projects and plans. 


Thank you for taking the time to provide input. We look forward to resuming polls in 2025!

In November, we asked you about your biggest concerns or risks with using artificial intelligence (AI) in your practice.


We received 197 votes and here's how you voted:


  • 3% said "My clients are not comfortable with AI." (6 votes)
  • 21% said "I worry about privacy." (42 votes)
  • 29% said "I don't fully trust AI-generated information." (58 votes)
  • 4% said "I will become dependent on AI." (8 votes)
  • 3% said "Receiving a complaint." (5 votes)
  • 4% said "I don't know what AI is." (7 votes)
  • 36% said "I don't know how to use AI in my practice." (71 votes)


Occupational therapists who use AI in their practice or are interested in using it can read our practice Q&A: What Should Occupational Therapists Consider if Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Practice?


Additional questions? Please contact practice@coto.org or call 1-800-890-6570 ext. 240.

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.

Any changes to your profile information in the last 30 days? Make sure you update your profile.
UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION
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 · coto.org · info@coto.org

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