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AUGUST NEWS BULLETIN
THANK YOU FOR RENEWING YOUR CAPA MEMBERSHIP
These have been extraordinary times for PAs and with your continued support; we are committed to advocating for the advancement of PAs and for issues that are important to you. Together we represent the voice for our profession.
We know it’s been a difficult couple of years; the staff and Board members want to thank each and every one of you for the continued support of your professional association.
ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING
The 2021 Annual Members Meeting (AMM) will take place on Friday November 5, 2021 and will be conducted through our Zoom platform. The AMM is hosted in accordance with our bylaws. All members may attend the AMM but only Regular, New Graduate, Sustained, and Retired PA members are eligible to vote. Members will be asked to advise if they are attending through a pre-registration process.
Board Members and the Executive Director will present the association’s financials, speak about the activities of the past year, and will provide important updates. The agenda and other meeting documents will be posted to the CAPA website in advance of the meeting.
2021 ELECTIONS
The 2021 Elections expression of interest window is now closed. The following positions were open for election:
- British Columbia – Director and Alternate Director
- Saskatchewan – Director and Alternate Director
- Manitoba – Director and Alternate Director
- Ontario – Director and Alternate Director
- Quebec – Director and Alternate Director
- Newfoundland – Director and Alternate Director
- New Brunswick – Alternate Director
- Prince Edward Island – Provincial Director and Alternate Director
- Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon – Provincial Director and Alternate Director
- Canadian Armed Forces Representative
Through our election process no candidates opposed the following individuals and they will be acclaimed to the positions and will take their new seat on the Board following the November 5, 2021 Annual Members Meeting.
- British Columbia Director – Lisa Stewart
- British Columbia Alternate Director – Eric Demers
- Saskatchewan Director – Todd Bryden
- Manitoba Director – Steve Hall
- Ontario Director – Anthony Desloges
- Quebec – Jean-Nicolas Chagnon
- Canadian Armed Forces Representative – Ashley Milham
A vote for the following candidates will be held:
Alternate Director Ontario
Cole Moro
Kevin Kitzul
Voting will open on September 13 and close on September 24. Eligible Ontario voting members will receive a link to a secure site where they can vote electronically.
All candidate bios and letters of intent are be posted to the CAPA website.
Once the voting for the Alternate Director Ontario is completed, we will announce the successful candidate and they too will take their seat following the November 5, 2021 AMM.
After the unopposed deadline extension (August 27), the following positions remain vacant:
- Saskatchewan – Alternate Director
- Manitoba – Alternate Director
- Quebec – Alternate Director
- Newfoundland – Director and Alternate Director
- New Brunswick – Alternate Director
- Prince Edward Island – Director and Alternate Director
- Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon – al Director and Alternate Director
The following members will be leaving the Board after the November 2021 AMM.
- Manitoba Director – Steven Piotrowski
- Ontario Director – Sahand Ensafi
- Alternate Ontario Director – Maitry Patel
- Canadian Armed Forces Representative – Stuart Russelle
Join us in thanking them for their dedication and commitment to the PA profession and the association.
ADVOCACY NEWS
National
Now that the federal election has been called, CAPA encourages all PAs to ask their MP candidate about prioritizing PAs. Whether on social media or at the doors, here are some questions you may consider asking your MP candidate.
- Will you hire PAs to work in indigenous communities?
- Why this matters.
- Indigenous communities are among the hardest hit by health care staffing shortages. PAs can work in collaboration with physicians in urban centers to support these underserved areas.
- Will you add PAs to the Health Human Resources strategy?
- Why this matters.
- Canada’s Health Human Resource Strategy aims to ensure that Canadians have access to the health providers they need both now and in the future. PAs should be part of that plan.
- Will you support PA training programs?
- Why this matters.
- The PA profession is in demand and more training spots are needed to meet the ongoing and projected health care needs of Canadians. Training PAs in all jurisdictions will also make them more likely to stay home and serve their community.
Alberta
Labour Relations
We are currently seeking to hire a labor relations consultant to assist our working group. If you know of anyone who has labor relations expertise in Alberta, please contact mbanister@capa-acam.ca to get involved.
Saskatchewan
CAPA is preparing to reach out to the Government of Saskatchewan to advocate for introducing the profession in the province. We are looking for PAs from Saskatchewan or allied health stakeholders to help with this advocacy. Currently we are putting together a list of physicians who support the introduction of PAs. If you know of someone who may be interested in helping with Saskatchewan advocacy, please contact mbanister@capa-acam.ca to get involved.
Ontario
Career Start Program
CAPA has been in weekly communication with the Ministry’s office to determine when the Physician Assistant Career Start Program will begin accepting applications for the year. CAPA has also submitted a proposal for the PACS portfolio to be administered externally by CAPA in order to more efficiently align employer needs with timing of graduation and health workforce gaps.
Ontario Physician Assistant Association
A members meeting will be held on September 22nd whereby the negotiated collective agreement will be presented to members for their approval and ratification. Participant details will be sent in a separate email.
Nova Scotia
A provincial election was held on August 17th. The result of which saw the Progressive Conservatives come out with a majority win. A congratulatory letter was sent to Premier Tim Houston, promoting the benefits of further implementing the PA model. Recommendations for the immediate collaboration with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia was made to license and regulate PAs, along with a plan to train PAs locally by implementing a PA Education Program at Dalhousie.
CALL FOR AWARDS
Do you know a deserving candidate for the Tom Ashman Physician Assistant of the Year Award, CAPA Honour Roll, or the Physician Assistants for Research, Scholarship and Education in Canada (PARSEC)/CAPA PA Educator of the Year Award? If so, click here to learn more. Don’t be shy, nominate your colleague today!
CAPA ANNUAL CONFERENCE – November 4 – 7
CAPA 2021 is coming to you, virtually! The high-quality education program is ready for viewing and will feature presentations on Residential Schools and Social Impacts on Health, Cultural Safety for Non-White Patients, as well as Providing Crisis Care in a Pandemic: Virtual Based Wards & Crisis Units in Winnipeg, Manitoba to name a few. Do not hesitate, register before October 1st and as a bonus, be entered into a draw to win a gift card!
POSTER ABSTRACTS
Have you conducted a research project? Do you have valuable data to share? Submitting a poster abstract is an important way to showcase your knowledge and expertise amongst your peers. The deadline to submit for consideration to be displayed at CAPA 2021 is September 13th. For more details, consult the CAPA website.
PA RESEARCH
Have you been a part of a research study? Have you written an article that was published? If so, please send it to admin@capa-acam.ca so that we can share it with your PA colleagues.
PAs IN THE NEWS
If you see members being recognized within your workplace or in your community, let us know so we can spread the good news. And if you see local health care headlines and believe there is an opportunity to highlight PA contributions, or follow up with a letter to the editor, we would like to hear from you. Please contact Alexis admin@capa-acam.ca.
2021 PA CERTIFICATION EXAM
Registration for the 2021 PA Cert Exam which will be administered on November 4, 2021 is now open. The registration deadline is September 24, 2021 and it is important to note that NO registrations will be accepted after this date.
Once all of the registrations are completed, candidates will be provided with information on how to proceed with getting registered through the ProctorU platform.
JOB LISTINGS
Visit members-only Job Listings on the CAPA website for the latest career opportunities across Canada.
If you have job ads to share, send them to us at admin@capa-acam.ca. We post job ads for free on the Job Listings page and, for a small fee we email job opportunities on behalf of employers directly to all our members. |
