OAC represents the voices of opticians
The Opticians Association of Canada
(OAC) is the national association rep-
resenting opticians and their profession
in Canada. The OAC offers education
and professional liability insurance to
our members. The Opticians Association
of Canada supports public health and
advocates to government regarding
issues specific to vision care and the safe
delivery of visual services to the Canadian
consumer. The OAC also does something
else, something very important…. we
are directly accountable to our members.
As such, there is a responsibility to
speak up in instances where the business
of opticians may be adversely affected
or when input is directly required at
a business, government or regulatory
level. The OAC acts and reacts as
information and direction is received
from the membership. That informa-
tion could come in several ways.
Provincial representatives (directors)
will engage OAC members and serve as
emissaries for their concerns, either
at provincial events or other means
of direct communication. Members
often use the National Association
social media platforms to convey their
thoughts. Of course, many opticians
email and call directly to our office.
This engagement forms the OAC
agenda and becomes your voice on
issues of relevance and change.
The Opticians Association of Canada
is the leading provider of continuing
42 Optical Prism | July 2017
education in Canada. The combined
in-person education that the OAC
delivers through Vision Canada, pro-
vincial chapters and partner events is
thousands of opticians per year. The
online library supplies over 6,500
downloadable hours to more than
5,000 users. All this is to say, the OAC
is on the front line of the educational
paradigm. We see the change coming
nationally and are prepared to help
opticians achieve their learning goals.
These goals and the educational land-
scape will be changing in the coming
years; therefore, we assure OUR
MEMBERS, we are ready. events provides the platform for growth.
The most recent optician gathering
was Inside Optics in Ontario. The
attendance was massive and the
conversations were dynamic. We
always need to have in-person events
and opticians need to attend. What
will happen as more and more of us
go online to get our CE? Will these
events become too expensive to host?
How can we, as opticians, influence
the future of CE? Can the regulatory
requirement be leveraged as a posi-
tive performance indicator for our
profession and our ability to network
share and grow?
The most important of all the pillars
supporting the profession of opticianry
in Canada, is the strong sense of
community present in all opticians.
Opticians have now woven themselves
into the very fabric of the continuum.
Opticians can be found as leaders and
volunteers in the Regulatory Colleges
and Associations, teachers in the
schools, sales directors and management
in the industry sectors. Opticians are
working in every single dispensary
model available in the country. The
most reassuring of all this is the ability
of opticians to network at association
and other local and national events.
When all these opticians come together ,
there is a chance to share hopes and
concerns for the present and for the
future. The mere existence of such Speaking of events, after a nine-year
absence, the OAC will be hosting
Vision Canada (Continuing Education
and Trade Show) in Calgary, November
of 2017. The show promises to show-
case new educational offerings
including OACM courses plus activi-
ties, new business trends, products
and entertainment. Be sure to come
out and support this amazing event.
For a complete list of Canadian events
that support Opticianry in Canada go
to the OAC website.
Like what you see/hear …don’t like
what you see/hear? If you are a mem-
ber of the OAC, let us know your
thoughts… if you are not, why not sign
up and join the conversation.
Alternatively, you could just quietly
accept what gets decided…..