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Thread: Corruption in the College of Opticians of Ontario

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    Corruption in the College of Opticians of Ontario

    Has anyone else considered that there may be some sort of corruption going on within the College of Opticians??? I don't understand what is going on with their lack of movement on all the illegal dispensing cases, the new delegation laws they are trying to put through, and completely lowering the standards for the board examinations.

    Bruce Bergez and his Great Glasses (along with many other stores) chain have been running for at least six years now and they have done virtually nothing, leaving it to the College of Optometrists.

    Perhaps some big box company (maybe one that owns half the industry) has made some type of offering to the Optcians that are working within the college. How easy would it be to offer a large sum of money to an Optician at the college in exchange for this fantastic delegation policy. The massive chains stores would only have to hire one optician, laying off thoussands.

    There is an opticianry school in BC that is a six month program with no co-op necessary. The college has allowed these students to write the National exam in Ontario while our students require X amount of class time and 1100 hours of dispensing.

    The College of Opticians of Ontario has been quick to defend themselves saying they look out for the best interest of the public. I think it is for the best interest for themselves.

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    Master OptiBoarder Snitgirl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Leslie View Post
    Has anyone else considered that there may be some sort of corruption going on within the College of Opticians??? I don't understand what is going on with their lack of movement on all the illegal dispensing cases, the new delegation laws they are trying to put through, and completely lowering the standards for the board examinations.

    Bruce Bergez and his Great Glasses (along with many other stores) chain have been running for at least six years now and they have done virtually nothing, leaving it to the College of Optometrists.

    Perhaps some big box company (maybe one that owns half the industry) has made some type of offering to the Optcians that are working within the college. How easy would it be to offer a large sum of money to an Optician at the college in exchange for this fantastic delegation policy. The massive chains stores would only have to hire one optician, laying off thoussands.

    There is an opticianry school in BC that is a six month program with no co-op necessary. The college has allowed these students to write the National exam in Ontario while our students require X amount of class time and 1100 hours of dispensing.

    The College of Opticians of Ontario has been quick to defend themselves saying they look out for the best interest of the public. I think it is for the best interest for themselves.

    Leslie, excuse me for having a blank moment in my brain.. But what does

    with no co-op necessary mean?

    thanks

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    you have no buiness accusing people of corruption without any facts. The 6 month B.C. course does indeed use a practicum, the College of Ontario has sought legal action agianst unauthorized practice, but receive minimal support from the courts. As far as the qualifications for opticians and educational requirments, the College of Opticians of Ontario has spent countless hours working on the mutual recognition agreement, and NACOR, which will eventually bring all jurisdictions in line with educational requirements, and allow opticians to move freely throughout the country. It is an enormous undertaking, and many hours of work remain to be done.
    If you have questions, contact the College, and speak to the registrar about your concerns. You may find this more enlightning and informative. Making public accusations about corruption without the facts will not make you any friends.

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    Are you a flunky for the college?

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    Forever Liz's Dad Steve Machol's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Leslie View Post
    Are you a flunky for the college?
    Knock it off or say goodbye to further posting privileges on OptiBoard. If you can't be mature, then find another playground more suitable for your level.


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    Master OptiBoarder Snitgirl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Leslie View Post
    Are you a flunky for the college?
    Leslie,

    Dave a flunky? Ah nooo sir/madam

    Please listen to Steve... and...

    Stick around, learn more about the people who are members. Optiboard has some truly amazing people here who are extremely well educated in the field with years of experience. Also some newcomers who are stiving to be the best that they can be.

    Michelle

    P.S. If the question was for me, I did pass the schooling in BC.

  7. #7
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    if the provincial government feels that a College is not working in the public interest, it may step in and remove the current administration and replace them. That would be quite a unique step in Ontario, but I believe the College of Opticians in Ontario is heading in that direction.

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    OptiBoard Professional Ory's Avatar
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    Corruption is a strong word to be throwing about. I think the College of Opticians of Ontario drags their heels on certain issues, and I think they aren't as focussed on protecting the public as they should be. I've posted previously that the COO actively intervened in Bruce Bergez' favour in the 2003 injunction motion against him. This motion was brought about by the College of Optometrists and you can read it here

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    OptiBoard Novice Truth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ory View Post
    Corruption is a strong word to be throwing about. I think the College of Opticians of Ontario drags their heels on certain issues, and I think they aren't as focussed on protecting the public as they should be. I've posted previously that the COO actively intervened in Bruce Bergez' favour in the 2003 injunction motion against him. This motion was brought about by the College of Optometrists and you can read it here
    Thanks for the link, but if you look at the first page of your link, you'll notice that the OD's and the College of Opticians are against Bergez.

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    OptiBoard Novice Truth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Leslie View Post
    Has anyone else considered that there may be some sort of corruption going on within the College of Opticians??? I don't understand what is going on with their lack of movement on all the illegal dispensing cases, the new delegation laws they are trying to put through, and completely lowering the standards for the board examinations.

    Bruce Bergez and his Great Glasses (along with many other stores) chain have been running for at least six years now and they have done virtually nothing, leaving it to the College of Optometrists.

    Perhaps some big box company (maybe one that owns half the industry) has made some type of offering to the Optcians that are working within the college. How easy would it be to offer a large sum of money to an Optician at the college in exchange for this fantastic delegation policy. The massive chains stores would only have to hire one optician, laying off thoussands.

    There is an opticianry school in BC that is a six month program with no co-op necessary. The college has allowed these students to write the National exam in Ontario while our students require X amount of class time and 1100 hours of dispensing.

    The College of Opticians of Ontario has been quick to defend themselves saying they look out for the best interest of the public. I think it is for the best interest for themselves.
    I believe most, if not all of the opticians on the College are independent operators, why would they risk their livelihoods? Most independent opticians earn a fairly good living working for themselves, why sell out to the "Man"?

    And another thing Leslie, if Lenscrafters was paying people off, why would they allow Great Glasses to go on for so long? The business model for Lenscrafters depends on the working relationship of the OD and the optical store; Great Glasses does not. Great Glasses is more of a threat to Lenscrafters and the "big box" store than anyone else. If they were paying people off, it would be to eliminate Great Glasses altogether. An independent can easily hire an MD or OD to provide Rx's, Lenscrafters is tied to their OD's through mutual business agreements which outline very strict conditions. They can't risk losing their patients to Great Glasses type operations.

    The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. Socrates

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    OptiBoard Professional Ory's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Truth View Post
    Thanks for the link, but if you look at the first page of your link, you'll notice that the OD's and the College of Opticians are against Bergez.
    Are we looking at the same thing?

    Mietkiewicz, the vice-president of the COC, contends that:

    • The COM lacks the jurisdiction to seek injunctive relief against opticians in Ontario.

    • Communicating the result of a refractometry test is not a controlled act under the relevant legislation.

    • Prescribing by an optician should not be the subject of injunctive relief. Moreover, it does not appear from the application record that any opticians are prescribing.

    • Dispensing by an optician without the prescription of a physician or optometrist, or illegal dispensing by a non-optician, should not be the subject of injunctive relief. Moreover, Mietkiewicz argues that there is no evidence that an optician dispensed eyeglasses to McMeekin or Thompson.

    • There is no statutory requirement that an optician properly dispensing on the prescription of a physician or optometrist, must look behind the prescription to ascertain the nature of the doctor/patient relationship. Injunctive relief in this regard is therefore inappropriate.

    • Refractometry testing should not be the subject of the relief sought on this application. She contends that there is insufficient evidence on this application to enable the court to draw conclusions about the safety and accuracy of the Eyelogic System. She notes that at the request of the Minister of Health, the COC has already passed a motion prohibiting opticians from conducting refractometry tests until standards of practice for these tests are in place. Mietkiewicz notes that the COC is taking steps to enforce this ban. She also noted that draft standards have been approved in principle by the COC for the purpose of circulation to stakeholders. These standards would only permit an optician to dispense eyeglasses if certain conditions have been met. These conditions include the following:

    - The task of performing the refraction on the patient must be assigned to the member by a physician or optometrist who has an existing patient/prescriber relationship with the patient;

    - The member must have, with the express written consent of the patient, communicated the results of the refraction to the patient’s prescriber; and

    - The member must have received a prescription for the patient from the patient’s prescriber or the prescriber’s authorization to alter the patient’s existing prescription
    Sounds to me like the College of Opticians was on his side (or at least against the College of Optometrists)

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    For the right amount of money anyone will do anything. A company (I didn't say which one) would benefit substantially if this new delegation law came into effect. Besides, the "heads" of the College of Opticians are seeking employment and education in other fields. This could be an indication that Plan B is being sought out. I think this is only the beginning.

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    Leslie, there are times when I have seen our college or association act so contrary to what appears to be the obvious course of action that a "payout" seems to be the only thing that makes any sense. Until you contact the people who make these descisions. Sometimes you may find there are circumstances you are unaware of, and other times you may find whatever logic they are applying seems to defy any common sense- which leads to the question I have asked many times: "are you out of your mind?" People are to different. Just read the optiboard, and you can see a wide variety of opinions on almost any given subject. Now its a lot different when people are deciding the future of your livelihood for you. Rather than publicly theorize corruption, I suggest you do the following: attend a board meeting of the college-ask them some pointed questions about any issues you feel you are unclear about. Ask them why they don't appear to be stopping unauthorized practice, and ask them to explain the delegation proposal. This may help clarify how some decisons are made, and why. If you are unhappy with the answers, you always have the option to vote for someone else next college election, or consider running yourself for the board. There is nothing wrong with criticising the college, I almost made it a hobby, but I now serve on the board of the College of Opticians of B.C, so I can make changes from within. We get criticised often, it comes with the territory, but I LISTEN to the criticism, try and explain why certain decisions are made, and try to make changes that benefit both the public, and the membership. Lastly, I work as an optician every day, so every decision affects me as much as it affects anyone in B.C.

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    I am unfamiliar with this situation and have no interest but some of our greatest dangers are:
    "The end justifies the means."
    "Everyone else does it."
    "That used to be against the rules but no one cares about that anymore."
    "I wouldn't have done it, but it's this way: "It's not costing me much money."
    "The circumstances are such that we are going to ignore the rules in this case."

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ory View Post
    Are we looking at the same thing?



    Sounds to me like the College of Opticians was on his side (or at least against the College of Optometrists)
    While I'm sure their college is quite displeased with this guy, I get the impression that they do no want to see any judgements in his case or any other that may impair their efforts to attain independent prescribing priviledges. Basically they don't want any precedents that would allow the college of optometrists to seek an injuction against an optician.

    IMHO, the college of opticians has not been taking its duty to protect the public interest very seriously, or in the least has been dragging its feet on these matters to help advance the scope of practice. For example, the Superior Court ordered Mr. Bergez to stop prescribing in June 2003 and up until just recently the only college action against Mr. Bergez was a probationary period and a small fine b/c he allowed a non-registed employee to dispense. Why in the world did it take three years to suspend this guys license?!?! Now that HPRAC has comfirmed the authority of a college to regulate members acting outside the scope of practice when will the COO step up to the plate and begin reining in its members that violate RHPA?
    Last edited by Oedema; 11-24-2006 at 01:23 AM.

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    Forever Liz's Dad Steve Machol's Avatar
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    The original accuser and anyone else making charges of 'corruption' in this thread have exactly 24 hours to post their full name, position, employer, and location. The plain fact is that I do not take kindly to people using OptiBoard to make accusations like this anonymously. Frankly I'm sick of people who hide behind a screen name and think they can make any accusation they want without accountability for thier worrds.

    If you do not have the courage to state who you are, then you have no business making public accusations like this and your participation on OptiBoard will be over.


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    OptiBoard Professional Ory's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Machol View Post
    The original accuser and anyone else making charges of 'corruption' in this thread have exactly 24 hours to post their full name, position, employer, and location. The plain fact is that I do not take kindly to people using OptiBoard to make accusations like this anonymously. Frankly I'm sick of people who hide behind a screen name and think they can make any accusation they want without accountability for thier worrds.

    If you do not have the courage to state who you are, then you have no business making public accusations like this and your participation on OptiBoard will be over.
    Well, I didn't accuse them of any corruption but I did express my opinion on the commitment of the college. I have no problem attaching my name to the opinions I express.:cheers:

    Gregory Wilson, OD
    Brantford, ON

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    As a college board member, I am quite used to criticism. When one is regulating a profession and making decisions that effect people's livelihoods, including, somewhat indirectly, that of optometry, you can expect it. Heck, some optiboarders may remember our college being criticized, anonymously, for obtaining the services of Prof Mo Jalie to deliver a (free) continuing education seminar for our registrants. Criticise away, "eggbert" but you'll go a lot further by criticising to our faces, and tell us why you felt the seminar was lacking. We won't get mad, I assure you, and I promise, we'll look at your comments and try to improve things next time. I concur that making unfounded accusations of corruption publicly and anonymously is way over the line, and if there are any legal ramifications, the poster should not be hiding behind a "nic." I am often asked, sometimes quite pointedly, why B.C. opticians have to pay the highest registration fees in the country, and am always quite pleased to inform them, or prove to them if desired, that they actually have the lowest. Why any group of opticians would run around trying to convince opticians that they pay the highest fees in the country when the facts are so easily proven is a mystery I have yet to unravel, but it certainly points to the need to get both sides of a story before making any rash judgements. There does not appear to be anyone else, besides the first poster, who supported the "corruption " concept, and, again as a college board member (In British Columbia) the rest I consider to be fair criticism, and would not be unduly offended by the comments, accurate or otherwise. There needs to be some freedom to express opinions and comments on this board, even if some take some offense to what is being said, and at the same time, anonymous accusations of criminal behavior should not, and is not tolerated.

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    Forever Liz's Dad Steve Machol's Avatar
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    When someone make statements that can be construed as slanderous, they do NOT have the right to do this anonymously. They have to have the courage to do this openly and not hide behind a screen of anonymity and attack at will.

    Time is running out.


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    Call me a coward then. It was a great run on optiboard. At least I got the thought into peoples heads. I wouldn't realease my name and put the company that I work for on the line. As soon as I paid my renewal fee to the College I'm sure I would be audited or peer assessed. Thanks for letting me share my dispair!

    Chao

    P.S. I will watching...

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    Forever Liz's Dad Steve Machol's Avatar
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    Goodbye then. You have the nerve to come on a public Board and make unsubstantiated accusations and don't even have the courtesy or courage to state who you are. You deserve no respect or consideration as far as I'm concerned and your actions say more about you then the College you attacked.


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