Highlights from the February 2021 Council meeting and AMM
This update reports on the February 18-19, 2021, Council meeting and the February 25, 2021, Annual Meeting of the Members.
Council Meeting: February 18-19, 2021
After two years of exceptional service, Ian Bowmer, MD CM, FRCPC, FRCP (Lon) chaired his final Council meeting as Royal College President.
This meeting was also the final meeting for several Council members, who each made great and long-lasting contributions to the Royal College: Carrie Bourassa, PhD; Elizabeth Cowden, MD, FRCPC; Stéphanie Dufour, MD; Sophia Leong, MBA; Bill Pope, MD, FRCPC; and Irit Weiser, LLB.
The following key topics were addressed during the meeting.
Appointment of the President and Immediate Past-President
Council appointed Richard Reznick, MD, FRCSC, as Royal College President (2021-2023), and Dr. Bowmer, as Immediate Past President (2021-2022). This is after each had respectively and successfully served as President-Elect (2020-2021), and President (2019-2021).
Employee wellness
As COVID-19 continues to evolve, the Royal College remains committed to finding ways to help its employees feel supported and connected during the pandemic and while they work virtually. Council discussed the results of staff surveys and initiatives on the part of management to support employee wellness and team morale.
Strategic planning
Council approved the penultimate version of the Royal College’s True North framework (purpose / vision, mission, differentiators, attributes and values), which will be core elements of the Royal College’s new 2021-2022 strategic plan.
The framework was developed based on the advice and guidance of a Strategic Planning Advisory Group, comprising Fellows, residents, patient partners, and Royal College leadership and staff.
The advisory group will remain active throughout the next phase of strategic planning work, including the identification of strategic priorities, metrics, and risks. The new strategic plan will be presented to Council for approval June 17-18, 2021.
Financial oversight
Council reviewed and approved the 2021-22 Royal College operating and capital budgets and the 2021 Employees’ Retirement Plan budget. It also participated in a workshop to discuss the development of a responsible investment strategy for the Royal College as well as its investment portfolios.
In follow up to the workshop, Council members are completing a survey to further explore environmental, social and governance (ESG) investment beliefs and requirements relevant for the Royal College. The survey results will inform the development of a responsible investment framework to be presented to Council in fall 2021.
Next Council meetings
All Council meetings will be virtual until at least August 31, 2021. Council is scheduled to meet next on
- June 17-18, 2021 and
- October 28-29, 2021.
Annual Meeting of the Members: February 25, 2021
The Annual Meeting of the Members included a report from the President during which he spoke of the stunning uncertainty and change all experienced in the past year. He acknowledged that Fellows and Residents rose to the occasion, working under extraordinary circumstances and providing excellent care for patients and the Canadian public.
He also reported that throughout 2020 and the pandemic, the Royal College demonstrated the ability to be nimble, focused and aligned to meet member needs. He previewed the 2020 Annual Review, which is now available for Fellows and Resident Affiliates.
Susan Moffatt-Bruce, MD, FRCSC, PhD, MBA, FACS, and chief executive officer, reported on the status of the 2021-2022 strategic plan and welcomed feedback from Fellows on the Royal College’s ‘True North’ (purpose / vision, mission, differentiators, attributes and values).
Decisions made
The members made several key decisions, including
- Approving the Council proposal to keep the Royal College annual membership fee for 2021-2022 at its current rate of $990,
- Appointing Deloitte as the public accountant of the Royal College for the financial year ending March 31, 2022, and
- Supporting the continued application of the Corporations Canada exemption granted to the Royal College permitting the next AMM to be held in February 2022, more than 6 months after the financial year end, and
- Electing Royal College Council members.
Please visit our Council membership web page to read Council member biographies. Congratulations to the following new* and returning Council members.
Division of Medicine
- Terry Colbourne, MD, FRCPC*
- Anurag Saxena, MD, FRCPC*
- Kaif Pardhan, MD, FRCPC
- Trevor Young, MD, FRCPC
- Eleanor Elstein, MD, FRCPC
- Pierre LeBlanc, MD, FRCPC
Division of Surgery
- Marcia Clark, MD, FRCSC
- Samuel Ogunbiyi, MBBS, FRCSC*
- Mark Walton, MD, FRCSC
- Sarkis Meterissian, MDCM, FRCSC
- Geneviève Milot, MD, FRCSC*
Fellows-at-large
- Brian Cummings, MD, FRCPC
- Alika Lafontaine, MD, FRCPC
Resident member
- Henry Annan, MD*
Public members
- Meena Ballantyne, MHA, ICD.D.*
- Major General J. Jean-Robert S. Bernier (retd), OMM, CD, QHP, MD, MPH, DEH, RMC, KM, DSc (Hon), FRCPSC (Hon)
- Rose M. Carter, QC
- Susan Harley, MBA*
- Shafique Shamji, P. Eng., CPHIMS*
