Changes to College Council

Council Chair Maria Vasanelli, OCT, decided to leave her position on College Council, effective May 16, 2025, to focus on other governance opportunities.

Maria has been a member of Council since the introduction of our new governance model in February 2022. Her governance expertise and education experience were vital to the success of our transition and throughout her time as a Council member and as part of the Audit and Finance Subcommittee.

Tammy Webster, OCT, will be stepping in as Acting Chair of Council, in accordance with her role as Chair of the Selection and Nominating Subcommittee and College bylaws, until a new Chair can be appointed. Tammy joined Council in February 2022. She is a registered member of Kitigan Zibi Anishnabeg and serves as an Indigenous education and equity consultant for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, delivering professional development material and training for teachers, principals, and staff. 

2024 Focus on Teaching report now available

The 2024 Focus on Teaching report, including the supplementary appendix, is now available. The report features insights from 37,991 Ontario Certified Teachers (OCTs) who completed the survey. We are grateful to everyone who demonstrated their commitment to informing the future of the teaching profession by contributing their professional experiences to the report.

The 2024 Focus on Teaching survey was designed to gather data about the teaching workforce and the profession, including data related to employment, demographics, equity, diversity and inclusion, career progression and labour mobility.

In addition to the survey findings, the final report includes selected extracts of aggregated and anonymized College registration data to provide a more complete picture of Ontario’s teaching profession. Together, this data will help inform education system leaders to make decisions that strengthen the profession — and, in turn, benefit students in classrooms across Ontario.

Development of the 2025 Focus on Teaching survey is underway. Our research partner, Forum Research, has begun outreach to OCTs, as well as key interested groups from the regulatory and education sectors, to convene focus groups. The goal of these collaborative sessions is to gather feedback that will enhance the 2025 survey to better understand the distinctive linguistic, geographic, and demographic characteristics of OCTs and further support effective decision-making. Focus groups will take place from April to June.

College Council meeting updates

The Ontario College of Teachers is governed by a 12-member Council, made up of six OCTs and six members of the public. Council members are appointed based on a competency matrix that identifies essential skills, professional backgrounds, and lived experiences required to effectively regulate the profession in a way that reflects the diversity of Ontario.

Council meets quarterly, as well as on an ad hoc basis to fulfill its governance obligations under the Ontario College of Teachers Act, 1996.

Council meetings are livestreamed on the College’s YouTube channel. Meeting summaries and related documents are posted on our website.

March 3 meeting

At a special meeting on March 3, College Council reviewed a report from the Selection and Nominating Subcommittee (SNS) and approved the recommended subcommittee member appointments for two-year terms beginning March 3, 2025.

Council also endorsed the SNS’s recommendations for Chair and Vice-Chair appointments for both the Audit and Finance Subcommittee and the Human Resources Subcommittee, each for a one-year term starting on March 3, 2025.

March 20 meeting

During the College Council meeting on March 20, key updates were presented, including a quarterly report from Registrar & CEO Linda Lacroix, OCT/EAO, a report from the Investigation Committee and an executive summary of the 2024 Focus on Teaching survey that gathered insights into the professional experiences from nearly 38,000 OCTs.

Additionally, Council received a financial report covering the period ending on December 31, 2024, and accepted the December 31, 2024, audited financial statements of the Ontario College of Teachers, as presented.

2025 Ontario College of Teachers Scholarship applications are open

Applications are currently being accepted for the Ontario College of Teachers Scholarship Program.

The scholarship program is open to teacher candidates who are enrolled in an accredited teacher education program in Ontario. Four $1,500 scholarships are awarded to teacher candidates for their academic achievement, their dedication to the highest ideals of teaching and their resilience.

If you or someone you know is an ideal candidate, apply by June 30, 2025, at 5 p.m. More information about each scholarship, including eligibility criteria and application details, is available on our website.

Did you know? Professional advisories support the practice of Ontario teachers

As Ontario’s teaching regulator, the College is mandated to provide guidance to OCTs about their professional practice. One of the ways the College fulfills this obligation is through professional advisories.

The College currently has nine professional advisories that provide valuable direction about issues that matter to OCTs and practical information to help them understand the legal, ethical, and professional standards that they must uphold in their practice.

These advisories aim to: 

• Provide practical advice and guidance to teachers at all career stages about important and timely topics.
• Help OCTs understand how policies and legislation govern their professional practice.
• Prevent misconduct by identifying legal and ethical parameters that govern educators' behaviour.

Advisories apply to all College members, including teachers, consultants, vice-principals, principals, supervisory officers and directors of education. OCTs can consult the advisories any time they need guidance with respect to their professional practice, and members of the public can review them to understand the expectations and obligations of OCTs.