Committees at Work

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee conducts the business of the College between Council meetings.

The committee is composed of the Chair and Vice-Chair of Council as well as the chairs of the Accreditation, Discipline, Finance, Fitness to Practise, Investigation, Registration Appeals, and Standards of Practice and Education committees. It must include a minimum of two publicly appointed members of Council.

The committee meets, at minimum, four times each year in tandem with Council meetings in order to review and approve Council meeting agendas.

A stairwell in a school.

The Executive Committee has the authority to make an interim order directing the Registrar to suspend a Certificate of Qualification and Registration if it is of the opinion that the actions or conduct of the member exposes — or is likely to expose — students to harm or injury. The committee may also direct the Discipline or Fitness to Practise committees to hold a hearing and determine an allegation without involving the Investigation Committee. During 2017, the committee referred four cases to the Fitness to Practise Committee and one to the Discipline Committee, and ordered the suspension of a member’s Certificate of Qualification and Registration.

The Registrar may request the approval of the Executive Committee to appoint a College investigator to a matter. This process is normally required when the College is unable to obtain access to information or evidence on a voluntary basis. No such requests were received in 2017.

Under the Ontario College of Teachers Act, the Registrar may also request the approval of the Executive Committee to initiate an investigation against a member of the College based on “reasonable and probable grounds” for professional misconduct, incapacity or incompetence. No such requests for approval were received in 2017.

The Executive Committee made several appointments to fill statutory, standing, regulatory and special committee vacancies as they occurred throughout 2017. Several vacancies continued due to appointed member Council vacancies.

Under authority granted through a Council motion in December 2013, the Executive Committee is responsible for reviewing the professional advisory framework and selecting professional advisory topics. Following a review of the process to develop professional advisories, the committee, in 2017, approved an advisory on responding to the bullying of students and an update to the advisory on the duty to report. The topic of supporting students with mental health needs was selected for the next professional advisory in 2018.

Subsequent to a review of the public presentation pilot to date, the Executive Committee provided Council with suggested amendments to improve the communications around public presentations, and recommended that public presentations continue to be a standing Council agenda item, with the Executive Committee providing a regular review.

Throughout the year, the committee reviewed the implementation plan for the utilization of video-communication tools, such as GoToMeeting, during meetings and panels, which may allow for enhanced participation.

A school gym.

The Executive Committee administers the College’s Scholarship Program, which includes these three awards:

  • the Joseph W. Atkinson Scholarship for Excellence in Teacher Education, named in honour of the College’s second registrar;
  • the Ontario College of Teachers Primary/Junior or Junior/Intermediate Scholarship; and
  • the Ontario College of Teachers Intermediate/Senior Scholarship.

For 2017–18, the committee selected:

  • Devan Kernaghan (Queen’s University) as the recipient of the Joseph W. Atkinson Scholarship for Excellence in Teacher Education;
  • Nicole Billington (Nipissing University) as the recipient of the Ontario College of Teachers Primary/Junior or Junior/Intermediate Scholarship; and
  • Kara Nagel (York University) as the recipient of the Ontario College of Teachers Intermediate/Senior Scholarship.

Council will present awards at its March 2018 meeting to those recipients in attendance.

Executive

  • Brian Beal, OCT (e)
  • Jean-Luc Bernard, OCT (a)
    (from November 28, 2017)
  • Marie-Louise Chartrand (a)
    (until October 19, 2017)
  • Angela De Palma, OCT (e) (Chair)
  • Robert Gagné (a)
    (until November 2, 2017)
  • Shanlee Linton, OCT (e)
  • Myreille Loubert, OCT (e) (Vice-Chair)
  • Shannon Marcus, OCT (e)
    (from November 28, 2017)
  • Tom Potter (a)
    (from November 28, 2017)
  • Robert Ryan, OCT (e)
  • Vicki Shannon, OCT (e)
    (from November 28, 2017)
  • Nicole van Woudenberg, OCT (e)
  • Ravi Vethamany, OCT (e)

(a) appointed
(e) elected

Back to top