Ont. optician stripped of licence there sets up shop in Chilliwack

[Guest]

http://www.theprovince.com/news/optician+stripped+licence+there+sets+shop+Chilliwack/6493343/story.html

Local opticians say Bergez is not only offering sight tests without a licence but is also testing clients only optometrists and ophthalmologists are legally allowed to test — such as those with health complications, those under the age of 19 and those over the age of 65.

"He's auto-refracting everybody, children, seniors — anybody," said Nicole McEdwards, an optician with Image Optometry.

[eyemanflying]

Although I don't agree with what this minion is doing, as he did in Ontario, he has found his legal loopholes in BC and will continuously jump through them like a cheap circus act making a mockery along the way.

Folks, focus on your own businesses and don't waste your valuable efforts, resources and time watching the Barnum & Bergez circus show.

[LandLord]

any press is good press

[idispense]

Why did the judge suspend his sentence and why have the Colleges not reported the outcome to their members after spending how much on legal fees ? Why did the Colleges not object to the suspension ? When will the Colleges develop some guts and transparency and accountability ?

They have a duty to report significant things to their memberships. This is very significant.

Let's have some answers from the Colleges. This case involved millions of dollars in legal fees and 17 million in fines but where are the updates?

Whose job is it to update the memberships ? The President's , the Registrar's ?

[mike.elmes]

BC deserves this clown....It all started with the BC Health Ministers vision of deregulation....He now will test the legal system there. Hope he continues to pay down the 17 mill he owes the Ontario tax payers.

[eyemanflying]

BC deserves this clown....It all started with the BC Health Ministers vision of deregulation....He now will test the legal system there. Hope he continues to pay down the 17 mill he owes the Ontario tax payers.

Many more like him will soon set up shop in BC - who the hell will want to get their eyewear from that province?

[Speed]

A true cutting edge Optician.

[idispense]

A true cutting edge Optician.

He did not get there alone.

The people that wrote our rules and regulations did not suspend his license for years, they kept renewing it for close to 6 years and then did not revoke it for almost another 2 years. He also got out of jail with a suspended sentence. Think about it. And why are there no updates posted in newsletters or websites ?

Accountability and transparency and integrity ? Yeah right .

When all of our Standards of Practise are violated , millions were spent on legal ,but nothing was spent on advertising to the public about the dangers of dealing with that chain ? And we should believe in transparency, accountability, integrity ? Yeah right. We should believe in change management and press releases that never hit the newspapers or TV too .

A true cutting edge optician ?? Hmmm

More likely a true cutting edge mechanism for deregulation complete with support system.

Any other optician's license would have been suspended within 30 days on a non-payment issue, but his license was not suspended for many many years , inspite of far more serious issues and Provincial Court rulings not to mention the College's own disciplinary proceedings.

Think long and hard about what went on and is continuing.

Every judge and appeal court ruled against this guy and the judges called it a sham operation right from the start, so how does it happen then that his license kept being renewed? The College discipline committees were capable of making their own decisions without the Provincial court systems, instead they CHOSE to let him operate and CHOSE not suspend his license and even after suspension they CHOSE NOT to revoke it till a much later time period.


Read the discipline cases and the transcripts. He did not get there alone. There was no resistance and non-resistance is help.


How does it happen that an asset like the name and logo are still in use ? How does it happen that the "Brand" ...the name and logo ... were not seized and kept by the creditors like the College or the Attorney General ?


There was help and opportunity was always left on the table.


Just like in monopoly there are Get out Of Jail Free cards.


How do you get those ?

[idispense]

"Ontario optician stripped of licence"

that wording and title might be dramatic but I wonder if it is correct? "Stripped of license" insinuates it was yanked and jerked forcibly away .

That never happened as near as I can see .

He was allowed to operate for many years even after being consistently found in the wrong.


A better description might be that the licensing parties finally became so "pushed" to do something correct that they would have been totally embarrased to have let him continue further so finally they had no option but to try to reign him in and they did that with a half-hearted move to appease their criticisism, but that only yeilded a suspension when he should have been revoked.

The suspension looked like a positive step in a direction that should have occurred years prior ,,,, but still he operated.
It might be a better description to say that the options were running out ....... but ... he was still allowed to operate.


"Stripped of his license" a dramatic headline yes , but that is all . It does not describe the truth . The exact opposite is the truth .

Ontario opticians were stripped of their belief in the value of their licenses , the value of their Regulatory Body and the value of their Associations and the value of their Standards of Practise, and the value of their court sytem and the value of their Minister of Health and Provincial Opticianry Acts.

Anyone want to discuss the ORNGE affair ?

[idispense]

''

[idispense]

BC deserves this clown....It all started with the BC Health Ministers vision of deregulation....He now will test the legal system there. Hope he continues to pay down the 17 mill he owes the Ontario tax payers.

AH ?? ??? ??/ What would make you think he paid anything down ? What are you smoking ?

[Golfnorth]

He did not get there alone.

The people that wrote our rules and regulations did not suspend his license for years, they kept renewing it for close to 6 years and then did not revoke it for almost another 2 years. He also got out of jail with a suspended sentence. Think about it. And why are there no updates posted in newsletters or websites ?

Accountability and transparency and integrity ? Yeah right .

When all of our Standards of Practise are violated , millions were spent on legal ,but nothing was spent on advertising to the public about the dangers of dealing with that chain ? And we should believe in transparency, accountability, integrity ? Yeah right. We should believe in change management and press releases that never hit the newspapers or TV too .

A true cutting edge optician ?? Hmmm

More likely a true cutting edge mechanism for deregulation complete with support system.

Any other optician's license would have been suspended within 30 days on a non-payment issue, but his license was not suspended for many many years , inspite of far more serious issues and Provincial Court rulings not to mention the College's own disciplinary proceedings.

Think long and hard about what went on and is continuing.

Every judge and appeal court ruled against this guy and the judges called it a sham operation right from the start, so how does it happen then that his license kept being renewed? The College discipline committees were capable of making their own decisions without the Provincial court systems, instead they CHOSE to let him operate and CHOSE not suspend his license and even after suspension they CHOSE NOT to revoke it till a much later time period.


Read the discipline cases and the transcripts. He did not get there alone. There was no resistance and non-resistance is help.


How does it happen that an asset like the name and logo are still in use ? How does it happen that the "Brand" ...the name and logo ... were not seized and kept by the creditors like the College or the Attorney General ?


There was help and opportunity was always left on the table.


Just like in monopoly there are Get out Of Jail Free cards.


How do you get those ?

You sound like a broken record

[idispense]

Broken record or not , you can't deny that anyone failing to pay the prescribed renewal fee on time would be suspended in 30 days, he wasn't, therefore they kept renewing him inspite of court findings and disciplinary actions. These were not trivial matters to be taken lightly . Why did they do it ? Why is CBC making him out to be a good guy ? Actions like these make us all look bad . Actions like these lead to deregulation .

Where is the outrage ?

Why has the other most publicized case that recieved global attention never had a disciplinary hearing ?

[ex-optician]

It is not just this particular case but white collar crime in general. The message is that" if you get caught in Canada the consequences are minimal" God forbid that you man handle a shoplifter in your store, you would be in more serious trouble then Brucey!

[eyemanflying]

You sound like a broken record

+1