A message from the Registrar

As we concluded 2024, Linda Lacroix, OCT/EAO, Registrar & CEO of the Ontario College of Teachers, reflected on a year of progress, innovation, and collaboration.

We invite you to read Linda’s full message to the profession.

College Council meeting updates

December 12 meeting

At the College Council meeting on December 12, Diana Miles announced that she would be stepping down from her role as Chair of Council, effective December 31. She intends to remain a member of Council and help facilitate a smooth transition for the new Chair.

Throughout Diana’s tenure as Chair, which began on February 1, 2022, she was an advocate for student well-being, offering strong leadership and support for transformative change. She guided Council through major milestones, including the development of the College’s Strategic Plan and key legislative changes such as the Better Schools and Student Outcomes Act, to name a few. She also successfully navigated the transition to a governance model that is equally balanced between members of the profession and members of the public, and then went on to demonstrate that such a model can function effectively and operate smoothly.

Maria Vasanelli, OCT, began her role as the new Chair of Council on January 1, 2025. Maria is the director of education at the Superior North Catholic District School Board and has worked alongside Diana as a Council member since February 2022.

We are looking forward to working with Maria and gaining valuable insights from her vast experience in the education sector. Her expertise will no doubt be an asset to our work and ongoing initiatives.

October 1 meeting

A College Council meeting was also held on October 1. During this meeting, key updates were presented, including a quarterly report from Registrar & CEO Linda Lacroix, OCT/EAO, and a financial report covering the period ending June 30, 2024.

Council also received a report from the Selection and Nominating Subcommittee which addressed term lengths and appointment criteria for members serving on Council, committee, and roster positions.

Should you be interested in serving the public interest by helping to regulate the teaching profession, consider exploring roles within our governance structure including Council, committees, and rosters.

We welcome interest from members of the public and members of the teaching profession with diverse backgrounds, skills, and expertise.

The term length is typically two years, with eligibility for renewal for up to six years.

To learn more, please refer to our competency matrix.

Council meetings are livestreamed on the College’s YouTube channel, while meeting summaries and related documents are posted on our website. More information on how to view a Council meeting is available online.

2024 Annual Meeting of Members summary

The College’s Annual Meeting of Members was held online on the evening of October 23, and was open to all Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs) and members of the public.

Presiding Council Chair Diana Miles began the meeting by sharing an overview of the College’s five-year Strategic Plan.

Next, Registrar & CEO Linda Lacroix, OCT/EAO, provided an operational update focused on the College’s ongoing commitment toward increasing new certifications, improving service timelines, and addressing record volumes of complaints.

Keisha Lewis, Change Management Project Lead, spoke next about the development and launch of the College’s updated Focus on Teaching survey that was distributed to all OCTs in good standing last fall.

Her presentation was followed by the presiding Chair’s update on the College’s finances, which was provided on behalf of the Audit and Finance Committee.

Finally, speakers answered questions from the audience. Topics included application advice for internationally educated teachers, the Math Proficiency Test, and details about College governance.

Council approves administrative suspension for non-compliance with Sexual Abuse Prevention Program requirement

OCTs who have not completed the Sexual Abuse Prevention Program by 12:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, will have their teaching certificate administratively suspended and will be ineligible to teach in Ontario’s publicly funded school system. Teachers will be required to restore their certificate to good standing by successfully completing the Program and paying a reinstatement fee of $130.

In October 2024, College Council approved a request to the Minister of Education to amend regulations to enable the College to administratively suspend the certificates of OCTs who do not meet the professional requirement to successfully complete the Program. The Program was developed in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P), a national leader in youth safety advocacy.

More than 98 per cent of OCTs have successfully completed the Program to date, and the College remains focused on encouraging compliance rather than issuing certificate suspensions. All OCTs and applicants for College certification are required to successfully complete the online Program, which is offered at no cost.

Focus on Teaching survey results are in

We’re excited to announce that we have completed the data collection process of our second Focus on Teaching survey, designed to capture both long-term and short-term trends within Ontario’s teaching workforce.

Approximately 38,000, or one in six, OCTs shared their professional experiences through the survey. A key goal of Focus on Teaching is to support informed decisions throughout Ontario’s publicly funded education system by gathering information through an anonymized survey of OCTs. Findings related to employment and professional experiences can be helpful to many decision-makers, including school boards responsible for forecasting hiring needs and individual teachers who are looking for career opportunities.

The survey, developed with OCTs and education partners over the course of several months, gathers perspectives on four key issues:

• teacher workforce supply and retention
• barriers to equity, diversity and inclusion within the profession, as well as barriers to entry into the profession
• career prospects
• long-term trends.

The final report will be published on the College website later this year.

Ontario College of Teachers Scholarship Program celebrates outstanding teacher candidates

We are proud to announce the four recipients of the 2024 Ontario College of Teachers Scholarship Program. Each year, the College awards each recipient with a $1,500 scholarship to support their path to becoming exemplary educators. These scholarships are designed to honour a range of achievements, reflecting the diverse and unique qualities that define a great teacher:

2024 Joseph W. Atkinson Scholarship for Excellence in Teacher Education

Awarded to Elora Passafiume, OCT, Trent University

2024 Brian P. McGowan Scholarship for Resilience

Awarded to Lucas Aragao, OCT, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto

2024 Ontario College of Teachers Primary/Junior or Junior/Intermediate Scholarship

Awarded to Prachi Tanwar, OCT, Lakehead University

2024 Ontario College of Teachers Intermediate/Senior Scholarship

Awarded to Sarah Kaye, OCT, Queen’s University

Join us in celebrating these exceptional OCTs and their commitment to shaping the future of education in Ontario. Visit the College website to learn more about the recipients and the scholarship program, including eligibility criteria.

Refreshing Professional Standards: shaping the future of teaching

The College is engaged in a review of the Ethical Standards and the Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession. The standards articulate the goals and aspirations of the profession and convey a collective vision of professionalism that guides the daily practices of OCTs.

The last review was conducted almost 20 years ago, and we are responding to a need to update the standards to reflect the evolving context of the teaching profession.

To inform the review, the College has engaged in extensive consultation with its membership and members of the public. In October 2024, focus groups were held involving OCTs, school and system leaders, initial and continuing education providers, students, as well as parents and guardians.

In November 2024, the College sought feedback from all OCTs by asking them what changes they believe are necessary to make professional standards more relevant to their teaching practice.

Listening and learning from a cross-section of perspectives and experiences continues to be crucial to the review.

This winter, we will review the information gathered from these consultations to identify key themes that matter to OCTs and the public.

Please continue to check upcoming editions of The Standard for updates on the refresh of our professional standards.