Applying to Become a Community Appointee
Get Involved as a Community Appointee on COO Committees
The COO is seeking members of the public to serve as Community Appointees on its committees. Committees make decisions in areas such as registration, quality assurance, investigations, and discipline, and make recommendations to the COO’s Board of Directors on policy-related matters.
Serving as a Community Appointee is a personally and professionally rewarding way of ensuring safe, high-quality vision care for Ontario patients. If you are interested in using your knowledge and skill in the interest of public protection, consider getting involved in the COO as a Community Appointee. Appointments are for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2027, ending December 31, 2028. Compensation, including reimbursement for reasonable expenses, is included.
The Role of the College of Opticians of Ontario
The College of Opticians of Ontario (COO) is the regulatory body for opticians in Ontario. Opticianry is one of 26 health professions granted the authority to self-regulate by the Ontario Government, which means that both opticians and non-opticians participate in setting the rules that govern the profession. The COO’s mandate is to protect and serve the public interest by ensuring that opticians deliver safe, ethical care to Ontario patients. We do this by establishing and implementing rules, standards and guidelines around registration requirements, practice standards, continuing education and professional responsibilities.
Time Commitment
Community Appointees commit to attending one to two virtual committee meetings each month. Committee meetings take place during regular business hours and typically run from one to three hours. Appointees should also expect to spend one to four hours preparing for each meeting.
Professional Appointees are also invited to attend and observe four Board meetings each year. Two of these meetings take place in-person at the COO offices in Toronto, and two are held virtually.
Professional Appointees also attend three to five days of training throughout the year.
Professional Appointees receive an honorarium for time spent preparing for and attending meetings, and are reimbursed for reasonable expenses, including travel.
Community Appointees are not board members and do not vote on board matters. Instead, they play a vital role on committees by making decisions on cases (e.g. disciplinary matters) and making policy recommendations to the board. As an Community Appointee, you will bring a unique perspective to committee work that will balance the perspectives of board and committee members who are registered opticians.
Eligibility Requirements, Values, and Attributes of Community Appointee
To be eligible for appointment, you must meet the eligibility requirements for a Community Appointee as set out in Article 12.2(b) of the College's By-laws and the
Appointed Committee Member Policy.
- Passion – Public Service Oriented: Demonstrates outstanding initiative and commitment towards the practice of opticianry. Committed to serving the College’s mandate to regulate the profession of opticianry in the public interest.
- Exemplified Integrity: Demonstrates a conviction to do what’s right and to reject what’s wrong, regardless of the consequences.
- Unbiased and Open Minded: Demonstrates the ability to self-identify and set aside conscious biases. Proactively reflects on the impact of unconscious biases in all situations. Actively listens and absorbs all information to make an informed and open-minded decision.
- Critical Judgment and Decision Making: Makes good decisions based upon a combination of analysis, wisdom, experience, and sound judgment. Comfortably deals with concepts and complexity and looks beyond the obvious to avoid ‘group think’ and/or the status quo.
- Collaboration and Inclusion: Demonstrates an open mindset, listens without judgment, and embraces the diversity of others and thought. Seeks to understand and build on the strengths of others.
Applicants may have the following experience, skills and knowledge, or be willing to learn them during the appointment:
- Cultural Safety and Humility: Appreciation and respect for unique perspectives, cultural contexts, power imbalances, and biases in deliberation and decision-making.
- Diplomacy: Articulate a perspective, engage in respectful, and sometimes difficult discussions with the committee, while consistently reinforcing a culture of trust.
- Health Professions Regulation: Understand the role of health profession regulators, the mandate to protect the public, applicable legislation, and the core work of the College.
- System Thinking: Knowledge of the complex system in which the College works, the stakeholders within that system, and the potential impacts of College decisions.
- Technological Competence: Use technology to work effectively and uphold security and privacy.
- Governance: Understand the role of Appointed Members and good governance principles.
- Organizational Decision Making: Understand the policy development and decision-making process. Base decisions on objective principles informed by evidence and best practices.
- Risk management/oversight: Identify, communicate, and mitigate safety, operational, financial and strategic risks potentially arising from committee decision making.
Training and Skill Development
Community Appointees participate in a variety of training opportunities throughout their term. Training may cover areas such as:
• Communication skills
• Meeting facilitation
• Governance
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Board/committee member duties
• Serving on a panel of the Discipline Committee
Watch our information session to learn more
If you still have questions about becoming a Community Appointee, watch our information session or reach out to us at [email protected]
The deadline to apply will be Fall 2026. To apply, please email your submission to
[email protected]. To watch a video of the information session, click on the
link. Interviews will be held in November.
How to Apply
The COO typically recruits Community Appointees in the Fall for terms beginning the following January. Details and the application deadline for the 2027-2028 term will be posted on this page in September/October 2026.
To apply for a position as a Community Appointee, please submit the following:
• A completed Eligibility Checklist*
• A resume, and
• A letter of interest
Please note that due to time constraints it maybe not be possible to interview all candidates that apply.
