The College's role in protecting the public interest.
by Dr. Derek Haime, OCT @DerekHaime
Photo: Kenora Catholic District School Board
The Ontario College of Teachers is Canada's largest self-regulatory body, yet many don't fully understand what the College does or why it exists.
What the College does is license, govern and regulate the teaching profession. It sets standards of practice and ethical standards, conducts disciplinary hearings, and accredits teacher education programs affecting more than 232,000 licensed educators in publicly funded schools and institutions across Ontario.
Why the College does this is to protect the public interest — a term that has been characterized in many ways. The public interest we are charged with protecting is that of continual improvement of student safety and well-being through enhancing teacher professionalism. To this end, the College has undertaken, and will continue to undertake, a number of initiatives that will further protect Ontario students. Here are a few:
Student protections: With the proclamation of Bill 229, the Protect, Support and Recover from COVID-19 Act, amendments were made to the Ontario College of Teachers Act (OCTA) that retroactively revoked a member's licence if the member was previously found guilty of an act of professional misconduct relating to sexual abuse or child pornography. Further amendments to the OCTA require the implementation of a sexual abuse prevention program by the College, the development of which is now well underway. College members are also required to report to the Registrar regarding offences, charges, and bail conditions.
Funding for Therapy and Counselling Program: The College has introduced a program to help defray the costs of therapy and counselling borne by students who have made an allegation of sexual abuse, an act of child pornography, or a prescribed sexual act, against a member.
Professional Boundaries advisory video and the launch of the online "tour": Last year the College released its advisory on professional boundaries. While the vast majority of College members maintain professional relationships with their students in and out of the classroom, even one case of impropriety is one too many. Throughout the pandemic, Ontario Certified Teachers have worked tirelessly to help keep students safe. They should be proud of how well they serve the profession.
The work highlighted above illustrates our ongoing commitment to student safety and well-being. We will build on that success by continually evolving our approach to keep in step with a changing society.
