Discipline Decisions
The primary mandate of the Saskatchewan College of Opticians is to serve and protect the public by regulating the profession and governing its members, and to assure the public of the knowledge, skill, proficiency and competency of its members, according to the Opticians Act and regulatory and administrative bylaws. As part of its mandate to protect the public, a disciplinary hearing will be conducted when a report from the Professional Conduct Committee recommends that the Discipline Committee hear and determine a formal complaint.
The Discipline Committee consists of at least three persons appointed by the Council, the majority of whom are to be practicing members and one of whom is a government public appointee. The Disciplinary Committee shall conduct all hearings in public unless the Discipline Committee is of the opinion that evidence will unduly violate the privacy of a person other than the member whose conduct is the subject of the hearing. By making discipline hearings and decisions available to the public, the College is being transparent in its decision-making and demonstrating its accountability to the public.
Disciplinary Committee Powers
Where the Discipline Committee finds a member guilty of professional misconduct or professional incompetence, it may make one or more of the following orders:
- Order that the member be expelled from the College;
- Order that the member’s licence be suspended for a specific period;
- Order that a member’s licence be suspended pending completion of any conditions;
- Order that a member may continue to practice, under restrictions;
- Order to pay a fine not exceeding $5,000.00
- Order to pay costs of the investigation and hearing, as well as related costs, including the expenses of the Professional Conduct Committee and the Discipline Committee and costs of legal services and witnesses;
- Any further requirements, as requested by the Discipline Committee.
Once a complaint has been resolved through a disciplinary hearing, the results become a matter of public record. The names of the complainants and witnesses will be redacted from the documents for reasons of privacy.
References:
The Opticians Act 2011: Section.4, Subsection. (1) and (2); Section 31, Subsection (1); Section.32, Subsection (1), (15), (16); Section 33, Subsection (1) and (2)
Discipline Hearings and Alternative Dispute Resolutions (ADR)
The College has a duty to serve and protect the public at all times, regulate the profession's practice, and govern members in accordance with the Optician Act and Bylaws. The public and the opticianry profession deserve fair, timely and effective resolutions of complaints of professional incompetence and professional misconduct. To minimize costs and expedite the discipline process, the Professional Conduct Committee may resolve a complaint through mediation if the complaint is deemed not to require formal charges for a disciplinary hearing and if both parties agree to the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as per section 28(3) of the Regulatory Bylaws and Administrative Policy No 015 of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Process. The professional conduct committee may, with the consent of the complainant and the member whose conduct is the subject of the complaint, resolve the substance of the complaint through a non-disciplinary, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process.
The results of each complaint remediated through an ADR process, and the identity of the member(s) that is the subject of the complaint shall be published on the College's website for general and specific deterrence and educational purposes. A Consent Resolution Agreement (CRA), a type of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), maybe the result of a resolution or remedy.
There have been no previous discipline decisions prior to 2019.
Please click on the following year to see what discipline decisions have occurred.