Committees
The mandate of each committee is set out in legislation or regulation,
depending on its role in the governance structure. All statutory and
regulatory committees are comprised of an equal number of members of the
College in good standing and members of the public who must not now be,
nor ever have been, a member of the teaching profession.
Statutory Committees:
Statutory Committees consider complaints and
allegations made against individual members of the College in accordance
with their statutory authority. They also consider registration disputes
and can order interim suspensions, for example. In short, Statutory
Committees deal with individual members of the College, and can impose
remedial measures, or suspend or revoke a member’s certification as a form
of professional discipline, among other measures.
Investigation:
Screens all complaints regarding members of the College and determines the
appropriate outcome for those complaints. College staff investigate
complaints and present the information gathered to a panel. The panel may
decide to: refuse to further investigate; not refer a complaint and take
no further action; issue a written reminder, advice, caution or
admonishment; issue an oral caution or admonishment; adopt an agreement
reached through the complaint resolution process; adopt an undertaking
reached with respect to Teacher Performance Appraisals or an undertaking
to resign and never to reapply; conduct medical inquiries regarding a
member’s fitness to practise; or refer the matter to Discipline or
Fitness to Practise. The role entails reviewing significant volumes of
material.
Discipline:
Conducts legal proceedings that are generally open to the public and rules
on allegations of professional misconduct or incompetence by members of
the teaching profession. A three-person panel receives evidence and
submissions before reaching a decision that is supported by written
reasons. If a panel finds that a member engaged in professional misconduct
or is incompetent, it may make orders that include reprimands, the
imposition of terms, conditions or limitations on a member’s
teaching certificate, suspensions or revocations. [Note: the Discipline and Fitness to Practise Committees share the same
membership. Therefore, an appointment to the Discipline Committee will
result in an automatic appointment to the Fitness to Practise
Committee.]
Fitness to Practise:
Generally conducts closed legal proceedings and rules on allegations related to a member of the teaching profession’s physical or mental capacity to carry out professional responsibilities. A three-person panel receives
evidence and submissions before reaching a decision that is supported by
written reasons. If a panel finds that a member is incapacitated, it may
make orders that include the imposition of terms, conditions or
limitations on a member’s teaching certificate, suspensions or
revocations. [Note: the Discipline and Fitness to Practise Committees share the same
membership. Therefore, an appointment to the Fitness to Practise
Committee results in an automatic appointment to the Discipline
Committee.]
Registration Appeals:
Requests for review and/or applications from applicants who were denied
College membership, or who had terms, conditions or limitations placed on
their teaching certificate. Panels consider documentation provided by both
the College and the applicant before rendering a decision supported by
written reasons. Applicants may request the opportunity to deliver an oral
presentation to the Panels.
Adjudicative Body of Chairs:
The chairs and vice-chairs of the Discipline, Fitness to Practise,
Investigation and Registration Appeals committees also serve on the
Adjudicative Body of Chairs. The Adjudicative Body of Chairs may: direct
the Discipline or Fitness to Practise committees to hold a hearing to
determine allegations of member misconduct, incompetence or incapacity;
make interim orders directing the Registrar to suspend a member’s teaching
certificate or impose terms, conditions or limitations on a member’s
certificate; make an order to direct the Registrar to issue a certificate
to a member or to remove the suspension of a member’s certificate
(reinstatement); approve the Registrar’s appointment of an investigator;
and hold a hearing for complaints made against a Council, committee or
roster member for reasons of conflict of interest or for contravention of
the oath.
Regulatory Committees
Regulatory Committees make decisions about the who, how and what of teacher training and education in Ontario. For example, these committees approve teacher education providers, teacher education programs, and ongoing teacher education courses. In short, Regulatory Committees do not deal with individual members of the College, but rather the means by which teachers become fully certified members of the College and expand their teaching practice once certified.
Accreditation:
Reviews and accredits teacher education programs offered by post-secondary
educational institutions in Ontario. Teacher education programs are
reviewed before they can be offered to teacher candidates, and existing
programs are reviewed on a cyclical basis to confirm that they continue to
meet standards and requirements. Panels made up of both OCT licensees and
non-OCT licensees who bring specialized expertise in the area of study of
each program conduct the reviews. Panel members examine materials
submitted by the program provider, interview program faculty and
stakeholders, and review facilities and resources. Members of the public
are always provided with an opportunity to offer feedback about the
programs under review. After the review, the panel develops its report,
and sets out its recommendations and the evidence it considered. This
report is considered by the Accreditation Committee when it issues its
decision regarding the program’s initial or continuing
accreditation.
Accreditation Appeal:
Considers and rules on appeals from teacher education providers whose
programs have been denied accreditation or awarded accreditation with
conditions. The appeal process ensures that pre-service programs and
in-service courses are accredited fairly by allowing appellants to present
new information and request to have the decision reviewed.
Standards of Practice and Education:
Advises on the development, implementation and review of the three
components of the Foundations of Professional Practice: Ethical Standards,
Standards of Practice and the Professional Learning Framework. The
committee also reviews and approves Additional Qualification policy
guidelines and associated research.
Chair Duties:
The duties of the chair of a committee or subcommittee are limited to the
following:
-
Providing leadership to the committee or subcommittee by,
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guiding the committee or subcommittee in carrying out its
responsibilities, and working collaboratively with the Registrar,
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leading orderly deliberation and decision-making on matters before
the committee or subcommittee, and
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acting as the liaison between the committee or subcommittee and the
Council and the Registrar.
-
Managing meetings by,
- calling and presiding over meetings,
- approving meeting agendas and meeting dates,
-
ensuring that meeting agendas reflect matters assigned to the
committee or subcommittee in accordance with the Act or the
regulations,
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ensuring that minutes are taken at each meeting, reviewing and
approving minutes at subsequent meetings and signing the minutes
once approved,
-
directing members of the committee or subcommittee who have made a
conflict of interest declaration to leave the meeting when the issue
in question is being discussed, and
-
providing reports for inclusion in the annual report and for
presentation to the annual meeting of members.
In the absence of the chair, the vice-chair shall temporarily act as and
have all the powers and duties of the chair.
Interested in a role on one of our committees? Learn more.
Applications for governance positions are accepted year-round and will be held for review until the annual selection process, which occurs at the end of each calendar year.