Summer is certainly going quickly. It seems like the work of the council has continued to be very busy since the beginning of the year, we meet on an average of once per month. Our work continues to focus on the legislated mandate of the College to ensure Albertans receive competent ethical occupational therapy services, as well as setting the future direction of the College and managing that direction. Over the last seven months, we have continued to work on implementation of the Strategic Plan announced May 5, 2017. The E-news regarding the Strategic Plan can be found here.
One of the recent decisions made by council was to approve a move of the offices to a new location that will not only allow the College to grow for the future, but also to have space that can be utilized for meetings on site. As you are aware, the economic down turn in the province has led to vacancies that have allowed organizations such as ours to broker contracts for the benefit of the organization. The new office will also allow council and committees to meet on site, and will allow the instillation of technology for College business, ergonomically designed workspaces for staff, and most importantly total accessibility for registrants and the public.
As well, Council would also like to thank all of those who let their name stand in the most recent elections – it was truly an exciting time to see the engagement of so many members on not one, but two elections. We would also like to extend a warm welcome to the new Council members Jennifer Lee, Andrea Petryk and Sheron Parmar. Their orientation will begin in August, and officially they will begin their terms in October.
We are also excited to have Mary Culshaw facilitate an Ad Hoc Practice Advisory Committee to create a vision for the College’s role in supporting professional practice in the province. The Committee is tasked with establishing a process for addressing practice issues that have been raised by our over 2000 members that will support Occupational Therapists in Alberta in providing ethical competent occupation therapy services. Over 30 registrants from various areas of practice and locations will participate in the committee and we appreciate their participation on the committee. Establishment of this committee emphasizes Council’s commitment to actively engage with our regulated members, while remaining committed to regulatory compliance under the Health Professions Act to ensure public protection. I look forward to keeping you updated on all these initiatives.
Liz Taylor
ACOT President