NSDA Newsletter - October 2019

Executive Manager's Update

NSDA’s vision is “trust and excellence in regulation and practice.”  Work is well underway on our strategic plan toward this vision.  In addition, new tools and processes have been introduced to ensure sound decision-making and due process.

NSDA's volunteers and staff stay informed of best practices in professional regulation.  Influenced by training, collaborations and recent reports (e.g. Cayten Report), we have implemented new processes and developed tools to ensure and document that decisions are made in a fair and objective manner.  A document, Integrity in Decision-making, is a tool for board and committee members, and staff to reflect upon, identify and address conflict of interest and bias. We developed a decision-making framework to systematically address issues and consider stakeholders’ perspectives to ultimately inform decisions that are fair, objective, consistent, reasonable and in the public interest.

Later in the fall, we will undergo our Fair Registration Practices Progress Review.  This is undertaken in collaboration with the province’s Fair Registration Practices Act Review Office. Every two years, we review our registration practices, report on our action plan to improve registration practices, and file a report on the results. We will share the results with you and the report will be published on the Review Office’s website.

In contrast to a union or professional association, NSDA regulates the profession.  Self-regulation, whereby legislation delegates regulation to the profession, is a privilege.  This is not the trend internationally and is why self-regulation is referred to as a privilege. It is important for the public to trust NSDA’s ability to regulate in a manner that is in their interest.  It is also important for the profession to trust that NSDA’s processes and decisions are fair and objective. 

Jennifer Hemeon (previously Garus)
Executive Manager