At its March 1 meeting, College Council will consider the Ministry of Education's plans to strengthen our ability to protect students from sexual abuse by teachers. The Ministry announced its plans to amend the definition of sexual abuse resulting in mandatory revocation in the Ontario College of Teachers Act.

The new definition will bring our act into alignment with the government's recent changes to the Regulated Health Professions Act.

The College is coming to a city near you!

Do you know what Council members do or how they help to shape the teaching profession in Ontario?

Voting for the new College Council opens on March 5, and we want to help you get voter ready. The College will visit six Ontario locations in the month of March. Join current Council Chair Angela De Palma, OCT to learn how Council members participate in regulating the teaching profession in the public interest and meet with College representatives who will explain the voting process and your ballot(s). Sessions will run from 6-7pm in each of the following locations:

• Tuesday, March 6, Toronto, College Office, 101 Bloor Street West
• Thursday, March 8, Ottawa, Ottawa Conference and Event Centre, 200 Coventry Road
• Tuesday, March 20, St Catharines, Four Points by Sheraton, 3530 Schmon Parkway
• Thursday, March 22, London, Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 374 Dundas St
• Tuesday, March 27, Sudbury, TownePlace Suites, 1710 The Kingsway
• Wednesday, March 28, Thunder Bay, Hampton Inn & Suites, 760 Arthur Street West

Questions? Email us at youdecide2018@oct.ca

Share which steps you take to improve your professional practice. See how your peers respond to that same question in the June 2018 issue of Professionally Speaking. This poll enables OCTs to share advice, opinions and effective practices on educational topics related to professional practice, one of the College’s standards of practice.

Myth: College members need to contact the College when they successfully complete an Additional Qualification (AQ) course.

Fact: When a member successfully completes an AQ course through an approved provider, the provider automatically forwards a report to the College on the member’s behalf. The College adds the qualification to the certificate and sends an acknowledgement within 20 business days to the email address on file provided by the member.

If your membership fee isn’t deducted through payroll, please pay the $150 fee to the College directly. You can pay with debit or credit through your bank, using our mobile app, or via the Members’ area on our website. The deadline is April 17, 2018.