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Focus on Connection
I am so pleased to connect with you as we enter this season of membership renewal. We don’t take your continued membership for granted, so I wanted to take this chance to remind you of what we’ve done over the past year to build community, improve our benefits and workshop offerings, increase our opportunities for members to connect with one another – and how we’re planning for the future!
2023 Conference & AGM – Connectivity Delivered
When we were developing the 2023 Conference & AGM, we listened to you! You told us that you wanted opportunities for in-person learning and connecting, so we put this front and centre. We focused on creating a welcoming environment for learning new things, for forging and strengthening bonds with fellow professionals and for building greater connections across the mental health and addictions sector. And, by the feedback we received, it was a success! You told us you left the event feeling inspired and reinvigorated by being in the same physical space as each other. Thank you for all who participated and thanks to our staff and board who made this a reality. I’m looking forward to an even bigger turnout next year!
Please have a look at the conference recap here.
Strengthening Member Connections
As the pandemic has receded (and, we hope, remains in the past) - the value of being a member of OAMHP is becoming clearer. We’ve been strengthening ties amongst members – as well as making the connection between members and the association more robust. We’ve created Listservs, curated learning opportunities, connected members with each other, and offered personal support for members. Our focus on connecting with – and among – members remains a priority for the coming year. We will be creating more “meet and greet” opportunities and hosting town halls. Please look out for dates for these events, which will be announced shortly.
Our Accomplishments this Year - and Looking Ahead
Strategic Plan
I hope you had a chance to see the video I made of our accomplishments over these past two years - and our vision for bringing our strategic plan to life. A strategic plan is the true north for our organization enabling us to marshal our finite resources to deliver on our objectives, ensuring our priorities remain just that. Developed in 2021, our association’s strategic plan is now in the second full year of its implementation. There is much more work to do to deliver against the audacious goals of that plan. I am committed - along with the board and association staff - to following the plan and bringing it fully to life over the next several years.
Pressing Forward on HST
I am resolved that we will drive the conversation about HST and mental health forward and achieve our goal of eliminating it. This tenacity has been borne out by the high level of engagement with policy makers and political figures since the spring. Most recently, we have met with the Ontario Ministry of Finance twice, the second being this past month with a third meeting planned for December. The purpose of these meetings is to press forward and build the case for Ontario’s elimination of the provincial portion of the HST in order to better address the province’s mental health crisis.
As many of you know, this past March Conservative MP, Stephen Ellis, introduced a private member’s bill in the House of Commons. This is Bill C-323, which aims to change the Excise Act and exempt mental health services from HST. Legislation is a slow-moving train but I’m happy to report that our persistence is paying off. The bill has passed second reading and is now with the Standing Committee on Finance for consideration. After that, it will be read for a third time and voted on in the House of Commons before moving to the Senate and then, we hope and expect, becoming law. Our work to remove HST from psychotherapy has been a decade long and has intensified in the past year. We ramped up our lobbying efforts, engaged with elected officials including NDP MP Lindsay Mathyssen, written pointed letters to the Department of Finance, contesting their narrow interpretations and mobilized all of you to raise a united voice. I have also met with the bill’s sponsor, Stephen Ellis, to ensure our perspectives were captured and to offer ideas for positioning the legislation. I am hoping the Standing Committee on Finance will pass the next steps. We will keep you posted.
Membership Renewal Season - Invite a Friend!
Supporting New Practitioners with New Fees
It’s that time again! We are now officially in renewal season! In the next few days, you’ll be receiving an individual email inviting you to renew. Or, if you’d like to renew now, you’re welcome to visit the Member's Portal and do so. In terms of fees, we have decided to invest in our students and have reduced their fees. And fees for Retired members have stayed the same. However, despite holding the same fees since 2017, we have had to make modest adjustments for General and Affiliate memberships this year.
Spread the Word about the Value of OAMHP - Invite a Friend
On a personal note, in my travels and conversations with Psychotherapists across the province, I am surprised that some do not belong to the OAMHP - or any other association for that matter. I am seeing that many may not understand the value that is on offer and, indeed, often confusing a professional association with their regulatory college (the two organizations have very different mandates). The board is committed to addressing this gap in awareness and to promoting the association with tomorrow’s mental health professionals through our deepening relationships with educational institutions.
Most sincerely,
Liana Palmerio-McIvor, RP, (Cert-S) OAMHP
President, OAMHP
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