Council Members’ Period occurs during Council meetings for two hours. It allows members of Council to bring forward advisory motions directing the Board of Directors to investigate a matter or issue, and report back to Council.
Read the Council Members’ Period Motions Policy to learn more.
Fall 2019 Council Members’ Period Motions – Updated November 24, 2020
| # | Motion | Mover / Seconder | Staff Update | Council Priority |
| 1 | That the OMA initiate a collaboration with the C.P.S.O., the O.P.P. and the College of Pharmacy to create an effective contact and response center for forged narcotic prescriptions | Dr. Paul Zalan / Dr. Frank Sommers | We have raised this with the CPSO as well as with government. Government is working to improve notification processes. | Leading Health Care Transformation |
| 2 | That OMA endorse and promote the recent call by the editor of The Lancet to “include the Holocaust in the curriculum of health professionals.” | Dr. Frank Sommers / Dr. Paul Zalan | MRAC is doing work on this in collaboration with the mover. | Leading Health Care Transformation |
| 4 | That the OMA develop a campaign to expose and respond to bullying. | Dr. Constance Weicker / Dr. Cathy Mastrogiacomo | Staff agrees with this motion. We will develop a scope of work on bullying for our Advocacy Plan for 2020. | Leading Health Care Transformation |
| 5 | That the Ontario Medical Association work to advocate to allow dentists & dental surgeons to obtain OHIP referral numbers to facilitate their ability to refer to specialists directly. | Dr. Crystal Chettle / Dr. David Pugh | Completed. This was tabled at the AWG. The Ministry of Health indicated they are working with the health regulatory colleges to expand the scope of practice for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (OMFS), Nurses, Pharmacists, Midwives, Optometrists and Chiropodists/Podiatrists. As part of this, they are working to enable OMFS to directly refer to physician specialists by enabling payment for patient consultations to the physician specialist. The OMA requested clarification on the ability for a dentist who is not an OMFS to refer directly, as well as the projected timeline of the above. The ministry indicated that with respect to the high-risk, medically complex patients, ministry hopes to respond shortly. The OMFS changes are not yet in effect. The first step is for government to post the regulation on the Regulatory Registry for 45 days before going to LRC for approval. | Health Human Resource Planning |
| 6 | That OMA communicate with the CPSO regarding updating the Managing Test Results policy to include language advising physicians not to order bloodwork for non-physicians for the purpose of accessing OHIP coverage. | Dr. Christine Tai / Dr. Siobhan Muldowney | Completed. We spoke with the CPSO about this. | Leading Health Care Transformation |
| 7 | That the OMA work with the CPSO and Public Health Ontario to increase physician education and awareness under the Infection Prevention and Control guidelines. | Dr. Sharadindu Rai / Dr. Lisa Dalby | Staff have confirmed that Public Health Ontario has a deep repository of IPAC-related training for clinicians readily available including a comprehensive, easy-to-use guidance document along with a number of smaller resources such as videos demonstrating proper procedures and inspection checklists related to specific aspects of practice. The intent was to explore how best to share these resources with the members in early 2020, however with the advent of the pandemic, staff focused instead on specifically delivering COVID-specific IPAC information. | Leading Health Care Transformation |
| 8 | That the OMA work to educate the Ontario population against the harmful effects of vaping. | Dr. Alykhan Abdulla / Dr. Chandi Chandrasena | Staff agrees with this motion. Through the President the OMA has already taken a leadership position with the Government in supporting their efforts. As well, we will develop a scope of work on vaping for our Advocacy Plan for 2020. | Leading Health Care Transformation |
| 11 | That the OMA work with OntarioMD to ensure all doctors in Ontario with EMRs have appropriate cybersecurity protection. | Dr. Mike Kates / Dr. Alykhan Abdulla | The OMA and its subsidiaries OntarioMD and OMA-Insurance are working together to be well-positioned in preparing, protecting, and helping Ontario’s physicians against cyber risks. We have seen an increase in cyber attacks targeting health care organizations during the pandemic and we understand the needs of Ontario physicians. In addition to securing our systems and data, members now have access to tools, training, advisories, cyber liability insurance, and other offerings via the OMA Portal. In the coming year, we are seeking to expand our ecosystem through strong partnerships to advance cyber resilience for doctors and improve assurance for patient care service continuity. | Partner in Technology |
| 12 | That the OMA move from research and analysis of Gender Pay inequity, under employment and unemployment of physicians to possible solutions that address these issues by next council in Spring 2020. | Dr. Alykhan Abdulla / Dr. Dalia Karol | OHRC, with support from EPR staff, have completed their analysis of both topics and have developed recommendations on each topic that will be presented at Spring 2020 Council. | Health Human Resource Planning |
| 17 | That the OMA discuss with the MOHLTC the government's responsibility to advertise all AWG changes to the citizens of Ontario. | Dr. Cathy Mastrogiacomo / Dr. Alykhan Abdulla | With the COVID outbreak at the beginning of the year, AWG Phase II work was put in abeyance. | Leading Health Care Transformation Government Relations |
| 18 | That the OMA lead Ontario physicians in job action if Schedule 15 as written passes. | Dr. Cathy Mastrogiocomo / Dr. Constance Weicker | Completed. The OMA was successful in securing amendments to Schedule 15 of Bill 138. All 11 areas of concern were amended. | Government Relations |
| 20 | That Council recommends that the OMA explore the possibility of establishing a Canada-Model pension to augment the Advantages Retirement plan. | Dr. Cathy Mastrogiacomo / Dr. Vimal Kapoor | The ARP plan already provides a foundational level similar to what can be done within the funding limits of the current legislation, and includes many of the features of a good pension plan as outlined in the World Bank report on Canada-Model pensions (lower fees, longevity risk pooling, institutional investments, fiduciary duty to plan members, focus on monthly retirement income). | Health Human Resource Planning |
| 21 | That the OMA advocate to the MOH for remuneration for physicians involved in OHT planning to allow for their sustainable involvement in health care transformation over the long term. | Dr. Jane Charters / Dr. David Schieck | We continue to advocate and reinforce the importance of remuneration for physician leadership in OHTs. As well, OHTs are receiving funding available for multiple needs including compensation doctors. The government is providing funding in the amount of $350K in 2020 and $750K in 2021 to candidates OHTs for project funding. Physician compensation for leadership is one of the eligible expenses of the funding. | Government Relations Funding Strategy |
| 22 | That the OMA research and advocate for ways to ensure that de-identified and/or aggregate health data be accessible in the public domain for purposes of advancing patient care and public health. | Dr. Stephen Copper / Dr. David Barber | EPR is currently conducting research of the data sources that could be available publicly, with the goal of providing access on the OMA website. | Leading Health Care Transformation Partner in Technology |
| 23 | That unrestricted adequate funds be allocated effective ASAP, but no later than Spring Council 2020, to the Districts, to support the work of the District executives including but not limited to physician advocacy and member re-engagement. | Dr. Joy Hataley / Dr. Chandi Chandrasena | The OMA has a policy on how it allocates funds to the different constituencies. Over the past two years we have provided more flexibility in how funds can be spent. We continue to update the policy to ensure we provide adequate funds for our constituency groups. | N/A |
| 24 | That the OMA assess the role and responsibilities of District executive and delegates, with a goal to create comprehensive job descriptions and expectations, as well as funding for the work of Districts. | Dr. Chandi Chandrasena / Dr. Nicole Shadbolt | Role and responsibilities of District executive and delegates will change as part of the pending governance changes. | N/A |
| 25 | That the OMA host a yearly Summit of all District Executives (Chair, Secretary, Treasurer) and Regional Managers to facilitate a unified approach to member engagement and knowledge transfer between the districts. | Dr. Joy Hataley / Dr. Chandi Chandrasena | Role and responsibilities of District executive and delegates will change as part of the pending governance changes. | Leading Health Care Transformation |
| 26 | That funds saved by downsizing of Council resulting from governance transformation be reallocated to also support the work of section executives to enable Sections to be able to more effectively engage their disseminated members. | Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman / Dr. Neil Maharaj | It is not currently known if there will be material savings from the downsizing of Council. Once better known an analysis of how we can spent the funds can be performed within the context of the OMA budget process. | N/A |
Download a PDF of the status update (as of October 8, 2020).
