Our Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility
The College of Veterinarians of Ontario condemns acts of discrimination on any grounds, and aims to deliver its mandate in a fair, transparent, responsive and empathic manner. The College embraces diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility as fundamental to your full and meaningful participation in the College’s mandate to serve the public interest.
The College, its Council, its committees and its staff actively promote inclusion and respect for diversity in our processes and procedures. Vigilance is essential to ensure equity at all levels of our decision making. In its work to license veterinarians, accredit veterinary facilities, resolve complaints and assure quality practice, the College earns the public trust by focussing on the competence of all its licensed members.
We are committed to seeking improved opportunities to reflect and engage our diverse community. As we better understand one another’s lived experiences, we will continue to reduce those barriers that impact our regulatory practices and mandate.
2023 IDEA Action Plan
The College recognizes a thoughtful, collaborative and multipronged approach is essential to support the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility in its work. In 2020, the College began work on recommendations, prepared by its Customer Diversity Taskforce, with the goal of being current and responsive to all our audiences. We published Our Commitment to Inclusion and support the use of pronouns among Council and committee members, applicants, licensed members and staff.
In 2021-2022, the College engaged All Things Equitable, a consulting firm, to conduct an extensive diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) audit of its processes and to identify opportunities for the College to be more inclusive and equitable in its work. The Audit report focuses on the College’s policies and procedures in licensure, investigations and hearings, accreditation and quality practice. Following reflection on the report, the College has identified further opportunities for change.
The College will be working on initiatives in the following areas:
Enriching IDEA learning for the College Council, committees and staff
Advancing IDEA through engagement and data collection
Strengthening policies and practices using equity & inclusion lens
Exploring opportunities to boost diversity in representation