Calling for Volunteers to help victims of the Haiti Earthquake
Laurier Optical will be sending a team of eye care professionals to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Laurier Optical has committed one million dollars in eye care and eyewear for this project. They are looking for volunteers to be part of this endeavor. Laurier Optical will be paying for all expenses incurred and making the travel arrangements etc. The commitment from Opticians would be their time and hard work once we arrive in Haiti.
For more information please contact
Marlies Summers, Executive Vice President, Laurier Optical Marlies@laurier-optical.com
CNIB Continuing Education Opportunity
Envisioning the Future:
New Developments in Vision Science
This half-day session includes: presentations by leaders at the cutting edge
of vision science research, a tour of CNIB’s fully accessible facility,
and an introduction to CNIB programs and services.
Shelley Boyd, MD, FRCS (C)
Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology
and Vision Science University of Toronto
Topic: “The future of retinal research”
Lotfi Merabet, OD, PhD, FAAO
Assistant Professor Departments of Neurology
and Surgery-Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School
Topic: “What happens to the brain when there is vision loss?”
Date: March 27, 2010
Time: 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: The CNIB Centre, 1929 Bayview Avenue, Toronto
There will be (free) parking onsite
Cost: $179 regular price,
$159 Early bird special, deadline February 12
To register or for more information please call 1-800-563-2642
Please click here for registration form
Early Bird Prices until April 1, 2010
Pre-registration is needed for the following smaller break-off workshops.
1. Introduction to Refraction
2. Building your Portfolio
3. Meeting the DIY (Do it Yourself) Dispensing Challenge
Please make sure that you include your fax or email address.
Please click here for Exhibitor's Registration Package
Optician of the Year Award Honour a Fellow Optician ... Nominate a Deserving Individual
Any Optician who is a resident of the province of Ontario and who has performed an outstanding deed or service, either in the optical field or towards humanity, is eligible for the award. The winner will be announced at the OOA Annual General Meeting on Sunday, April 11, 2010 at Inside Optics 2010 Conference and Trade Show,Mississauga Convention Centre, Mississuaga,ON.
The Rules
þ Nominations must include a short summary as to why the nominee merits the award.
þ Nominations will be accepted from current Association members only.
þ Nominators must provide their name, address and telephone numbers. Nominations provided without this information will be invalid, as will nominations that are illegible or sent to other than the address below. The decision of the judges is final.
þ Any person found to be soliciting this award or seeking nomination in any way will be disqualified.
þ Current members of the OOA executive are ineligible.
þ Selection will be made by the judges on the merit of the nominee as outlined in his or her nomination.
þ Nominations will be accepted at the OOA office until 12:00 noon, Friday, March 26,2010
via mail, fax 416-226-6879 or e-mail (info@ontario-opticians.com)
please click here for the nomination form
Important HPRAC NEWS
The Minister of Health and Long-Term Care requested in June 2007 that the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council (HPRAC) advise him on the regulatory issues relating to inter-professional collaboration and care. Subsequently, HPRAC conducted workshops, literature and jurisdiction reviews, issued a Discussion Guide and an Interim Report (March 2008). The Interim Report indicated that HPRAC would proceed with formal consultations on matters relating specifically to eye care professionals. HPRAC began that review in the spring of 2008, but was not able to finalize its recommendations for inclusion in the Critical Links report which was submitted to the Minister in January 2009. In that report, HPRAC indicated that it would continue to examine interprofessional collaboration issues in the eye care sector. In a letter dated February 19, 2009, Minister Caplan indicated that he welcomed the Council continuing its review of the issues respecting the eye care professions.
HPRAC has now engaged Simmie Palter as an external advisor to assist Council in its review of eye care issues. Ms. Palter is a lawyer in private practice who advises clients about health profession regulatory matters. Ms. Palter is working with Shelley Birenbaum, a lawyer in practice for over 20 years, the last 13 of which have been focused on health care issues. Ms. Birenbaum has specific experience advising about health care agencies, facilities and regulators.
HPRAC is now embarking on a solutions-based consultation, in reviewing the many long standing issues impacting collaboration among Ontario’s eye-care professionals. HPRAC consulted with stakeholders, including family physicians, opticians, optometrists and ophthalmologists. The OOA met with HPRAC on Monday Oct. 26,2009.
HPRAC is looking for practicable, constructive and solution-based approaches in the advice for the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Please see OOA written submission to HPRAC's Questionnaire
Please click here for the document.
To read other stakeholders submissions please go to http://www.hprac.org/en/projects/IPC_Eye_Care_.asp
Refraction Up-date
Ministry of Health gives direction to College of Opticians of Ontario
As of July 16, 2009 Ministry of Health has felt the need to put further restrictions on the College of Opticians of Ontario’s Registry of Refracting Opticians.
Please click here for full letter to the College of Opticians of Ontario from the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.
The Minister of Health instructed the College of Opticians of Ontario (COO) to discontinue processing applicants for the College Registry of Refracting Opticians. It must be noted that at the present, graduates of the NAIT/OAC, Seneca College and Georgian College programs who have not yet registered with the COO will not able to apply for refraction status. The Minister has indicated that those Opticians who are currently registered may continue to refract. The Association advises all Refracting Opticians to make sure they are practicing according to the Standards of Practice set out by the COO. The Minister has also instructed the COO to work with the Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council as it develops its review of the Vision Health Professions.
The Ontario Opticians Association firmly believes that the discussion of Optician-performed refracting is all about the future and we will continue to support Ontario Opticians by advocating for this increase in scope of practice. The OOA will continue to lobby the Ministry of Health and all members of the legislature for the right to refract. We encourage the Minister of Health to consider the interests of Ontario consumer. The Ontario Opticians Association believes the more educational opportunities Opticians have, the better Health Care Professionals we will become in the future. Accordingly the Ontario Opticians Association will continue to offer excellent education opportunities for Ontario Opticians such as the NAIT/OAC Advanced Practice 2 Sight Testing and refraction clinics at Inside Optics 2010.
Unauthorized Practice Up-date
UPDATE:
SUPREME COURT OF CANADA DECISION – BERGEZ MATTER On June 11, 2009, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed both of Bruce Bergez's two applications to appeal a contempt ruling. As is customary, the Supreme Court gave no reasons for not allowing the appeals to go forward. By refusing to allow Bergez to appeal, the Supreme Court's announcement upholds a number of decisions that have been made against him by Ontario's lower courts. The two colleges (Optometrists and Opticians) will now advise Ontario's Ministry of the Attorney General that the government can begin taking action to force Bergez to begin repaying the staggering amounts in fines he now owes. The College of Opticians continues to take a number of Great Glasses franchisees to court, seeking contempt orders similar to the one faced by Bergez.
Please clicks for more http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca:80/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1610311 http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/582004 http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/582967
Disciplinary Hearing for Optician Great Glasses founder faces allegations of professional misconduct Hamilton Spectator, Hamilton, ON click here for details
Court rejects Great Glasses appeal bid. Panel upholds contempt fine
of at least $34 million click here for details
January 15, 2009
The College of Opticians of Ontario is going to court this week in an attempt to begin shutting down Great Glasses franchises.
For more details see: http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/494584
Facebook for OOA Members
Keep up with optical news and network with other Opticians.
Join Facebook at www.facebook.com and go to
the Ontario Opticians Association Group.
All are welcome!
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