In July 2007, the Minister of Education appointed former Council member Gail Lilley, Mississauga resident Zubeda Vahed and Newmarket’s Anne Secord-Houston to the College’s Public Interest Committee for one-year terms.

The Minister reappointed these members for a second one-year term in 2008. They advise Council regarding its duty to serve and protect the public interest in carrying out the College’s objects.

The government amended the Ontario College of Teachers Act in 2006 to create the Public Interest Committee as a College committee. The Act determines the committee’s composition, membership and designation of a chair by ministerial appointment.

The legislation requires the committee to develop a work plan that identifies priorities, projects and activities through to the next election of Council in April 2009. This work plan was presented to Council in December 2007 and included three priorities for work in 2008.

As part of its first activity in the workplan, the committee explored the definition of the public interest in a self-regulatory context and reported to Council on its research. The committee also began a review of recent government legislation requiring Ontario self-regulating professions to establish mechanisms to ensure transparency and accountability to ensure that the College meets these standards.

The committee can ask for information from Council to help develop, modify and implement the work plan or to provide advice to Council. The committee meets at least four times a year and as requested by the Chair, by Council, or by Council’s Executive Committee. The committee is expected to report annually to Council.

Public Interest Committee

  • Gail Lilley
  • Anne Secord-Houston
  • Zubeda Vahed