Who do you believe ?

[idispense]

(1) This advertisement that is giving away eyeglasses in Ontario

http://smartcanucks.ca/clearly-contacts-canada-ontario-free-glasses-giveaway-august-2nd-discount-coupon-code/

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/clearlycontacts-ca-10-000-free-glasses-giveaway-canada-wide-june-22-9am-est-1049984/




(2) Or this statement on the College of Ontario opticians website :http://www.coptont.org/PUBLICINFO/in...dispensing.asp

Illegal Internet Dispensing

UNREGULATED SELLING OF PRESCRIPTION
EYEWEAR OVER THE INTERNET IN ONTARIO
IS NOT JUST UNSAFE. IT IS ALSO ILLEGAL.

(3) Or this statement


To provide public protection for you and your family, the College:

• Regularly investigates and prosecutes unlicensed people who practice Opticianry.

[Chris Ryser]

idispence ..........................your link above is 3 years old during which Coastal has sold another few million pairs of glasses.

Obviously the college of Ontario opticians has done nothing else than to put out a warning which most probably has not even reached the public or has been ignored. The government through Health Canada is ignoring the fact, with the same happening elsewhere as the USA and Europe and the far East.

There would be an easy solution for the optical retail, by just changing its way's of doing business by simply charging fees for professional services which on-line retailers can not offer. They work with the same type technicians than you optical wholesale labs do. This would bring your retail pricing down and the income levelwould depend on how good you are professionally.

[idispense]

If you are right Chris, maybe another few million pairs of glasses overall has been dispensed and I ignored those for the simple reason of making the point of ten thousand pairs advertised directly in Ontario,ten thousand is a very significant number in itself in Ontario.

[idispense]

If you read this :

Mission, Vision, Values
College Mission:
The College of Opticians of Ontario serves and protects the public interest through effective regulation of the practice of Opticianry.


Vision:
To be recognized and valued as a progressive, accessible organization that ensures the public’s right to quality vision care while providing accountable leadership in the self regulation of Opticians.


Values:
We strongly believe in and are committed to:


Transparency
Accountability
Integrity
Efficiency


Then would it be reasonable to expect to find Minutes of The Meetings and legal updates on important cases past 2010?
Perhaps an taccounting of legal fees spent on the most important and expensive case in the history of the College and protecting the public and the final outcome of that case for the public to see ?

I think that information falls under the heading of transparency, accountability, integrity and efficiency.

What do you believe?

[Chris Ryser]

I just checked the official yahoo site for Quebec in french...........and there are no on-line optical ads tp see in french

[idispense]

Didn't the French seek an injunction and they won ? Or did they seek to stop it through the search engine route of insisiting that no one is above local applicabale laws?

If you search, do you see a reduction in Ontario pop up eyeglass ads ? Did you try using Google in both Ontario and Quebec ?

[idispense]

Now here is an interesting website advertisement under the banner of the Naturopathic Students Association of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine explaining how to file an insurance claim with Sun Life and purchasing from where? Does it appear that this College may be in Toronto ?

http://www.ihaveaplan.ca/rte/en/Cana...learlyContacts

Thoughts ?

[Robert_S]

Online selling is a disgrace to the profession, but what is even more of a disgrace are the regulatory bodies, as you continually point out, idispense. I appreciate your passion for the subject.

[idispense]

I disagree with you on one point, which most opticians never do understand . We are self governing. Any continual failures are ultimately the fault of the membership !

[Robert_S]

I don't disagree with you on that at all. What is to be done?

[idispense]

Stand up and speak up, ask questions and don't be quieted or put off until you are satisfied with the answers and the accountability and the transparency. Insist on the facts and insist on the results and answers in writing including the minutes of all meetings to be published on line.

Thats a beginning.

If elections are called and rerun insist on knowing why and again in writing.

Self governing organizations belong to the membership, not the chair of the meetings or the Registrars or anyone else. The membership has the responsibility and the right to know what is being done with their money. Each asset, computer, piece of furniture was paid for by the membership or the money to purchase them was raised on behalf of the membership.

Demand to check all minutes of all meetings for conflicts of interest declarations. Ask why any meeting is going in camera. Get the answer in writing and published in the minutes. In Camera meetings defy accountancy and transparency in the same manner that not publishing Minutes of The Meetings for all membership to see, defies the integrity of the organization and the foundation of acountability and transparency. Minutes of the Meetings must be on line or it is a slap in the face to the trust that membership places in elected officials.

Minutes of the Meetings prove to membership who to vote for better than only the attraction of a mug shot on a piece of paper. I want to see who works and contributes and who does not . Minutes of the Meetings prove that. Live recorded and video taped Minutes would be even better.
.
Decide if you believe in part time, selected transparency or if it is better to be fully transparent and accountable.

Learn what self governance is and take responsibility. If the results are not right and to your liking then stand up and challenge the results or lack of results. Every optician could stand up at group meetings and refuse to allow a meeeting to end without first receiving satisfactory answers.

[Chris Ryser]

Request that these meetings are run by "Roberts Rules" and you should get better results.