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. In 2019, an additional appointed member of Council was appointed to the committee to meet the mandated requirement to include a minimum of two appointed members.

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

The Executive Committee made several appointments to fill statutory, standing, regulatory and special committee vacancies as they occurred throughout 2019. 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. In 2019, the committee approved an update to the advisory on Professional Misconduct of a Sexual Nature that was first released in 2002. The committee also identified Professional Boundaries as the topic for the next professional advisory to be released in 2021.

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
• the Ontario College of Teachers Intermediate/Senior Scholarship.

For 2019-2020, the committee selected:

• Mia Kakebeeke (University of Ottawa) as the recipient of the Joseph W. Atkinson Scholarship for Excellence in Teacher Education
• Fatima Ahmed (Lakehead University) as the recipient of the Ontario College of Teachers Primary/Junior or Junior/Intermediate Scholarship
• Jordan Cascagnette (Nipissing University) as the recipient of the Ontario College of Teachers Intermediate/Senior Scholarship.

Council presented awards to all three recipients at its December 2019 meeting.

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 2019, no interim orders to suspend the certificate of a member were issued. Two requests for referral to the Fitness to Practise Committee were granted in 2019 and a third request was denied.

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 2019.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 2019.

Executive 

• Diane Ballantyne, OCT (e) (from May 31, 2019)
• Irene Dembek, OCT (e)
• Susan E. Elliott-Johns, OCT (e)
• Tim Gernstein, OCT (e) (Vice-Chair)
• John Hamilton, OCT (e) (from February 15, 2019)
• Jacqueline Karsemeyer, OCT (e)
• Colleen Landers (a)
• Michelle Miner Seal (a) (from February 15, 2019 to May 30, 2019)
• Sara Nouini, OCT (e)
• Jonathan Rose (a) (from May 31, 2019)
• Nicole van Woudenberg, OCT (e) (Chair)
• Ravi Vethamany, OCT (e) (to January 4, 2019)

(a) appointed
(e) elected