Over the summer, we have been working closely with the 10 other amalgamating colleges and consultants in planning efforts for amalgamation Day 1 in June 2024. Here are the key updates:
There is a proposed plan to identify, decide and execute on critical priorities for the new multi-professional regulatory college. In the interim, the College is committed to ‘business as usual’ service delivery today, tomorrow, on Day-1 and beyond.
As previously mentioned, the Minister of Health officially appointed Allan Seckel K.C, pursuant to S.25.05(04) of the Health Professions Act (HPA), to lead the upcoming regulatory college amalgamation. Mr. Seckel has a diverse background spanning public service, private legal practice and work in the not-for-profit sector in BC and brings expertise and guidance to amalgamation efforts.
With his appointment, Mr. Seckel assumes the powers of the college boards for matters directly relating to the amalgamation. His appointment allows us the benefit of a clear decision maker with respect to amalgamation-related decisions, and he is working closely with current college boards to make these decisions with alignment and in a timely manner.
The important services for Registration & Renewals, Complaints & Discipline, and Practice Support set out by the HPA remain our current college responsibility. This amalgamation appointment does not have any impact on the services you rely on today. If there are changes, we will communicate these changes as quickly as possible in the coming months.
In August 2023, we undertook a recommendation process to propose new college names to the Ministry of Health. Using this input, we look forward to the Ministry of Health’s final decision for our new college names.
The progress made so far has defined the amalgamation plan inclusive of specific activities that need to be completed to prepare for amalgamation. Mr. Seckel’s appointment is an important step in moving this process forward and provides a single escalation point to guide decisions.
From September 2023, we will continue with our amalgamation activities as planned. We are providing amalgamation-specific updates to our Board this month and will continue to provide information important to registrants in the coming months. We will share details with as amalgamation decisions are made, including any changes to communication methods with our college, future college structure, pertinent fee information, or other relevant topics.
