Call for Nominations

The purpose of Council is to guide the organization through its strategic and governance responsibilities. It provides oversight and guidance in several core areas such as finance, risk management, and stakeholder relations. It empowers staff and volunteers to implement the strategic plan.
 
OPPI has a full-time Executive Director who reports to Council through the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is made up of the Chair, Chair-Elect, Secretary Treasurer, and a non-officer Director. The Executive Committee meets a minimum of four times a year, between regular Council meetings, to provide important guidance on strategic and planning matters.
 
The Executive Director manages a staff team of eleven individuals including a leadership team of four, the Registrar & Director of Special Projects, the Director of Finance & Administration, the Director of Marketing & Communications, and the Senior Manager of Education & Events. The Registrar maintains the register of members and manages OPPI's complaints and discipline process.

OPPI Council convenes for in-person meetings at OPPI headquarters (at the Yonge-Sheppard Center in Toronto) four times per year, quarterly. The meeting schedule is agreed to and published one year in advance. In-person meetings begin on a Thursday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. with a strategic discussion or workshop followed by a dinner, and then Council business is dealt with on Friday until approximately 1:00 p.m. Transportation, accommodation, meals, and/or travel reimbursement are provided based on OPPI's Travel Policy.

If an OPPI Council member is unable to travel to a meeting, a Teams option to join the meeting will be available. Additionally, if government protocols prevent in-person gatherings, the quarterly meetings will be held via Teams. There is a possibility that additional Teams meetings may be scheduled throughout the year to deal with important matters. These meetings tend to be scheduled for 1.5 hours and are focused on one or two specific agenda items. 

OPPI Council members also attend OPPI's annual conference, which is typically held in September, and participate in the Annual Members Meeting (AMM), held in June.

OPPI Council members are also asked to participate in workshops focusing on leadership skills, governance, and strategic planning. 

In addition to their role on Council, OPPI Council members are invited to participate in a standing committee.

The roles and responsibilities of OPPI Council members ensure effective governance of OPPI. The general responsibilities of Directors, as well as restrictions on candidacy, are outlined in the By-law. First and foremost, Directors must fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities:
 

• Duty of care: acting as a reasonably prudent person would under similar circumstances.
• Duty of diligence: fully informed as reasonably possible and exercising attention and care.
• Fiduciary duty: position of trust so acting in the best interests of the corporation.
• Duty to avoid conflicts of interest: avoid conflicts of interest (extending to where relatives, friends, or coworkers would benefit).

 
OPPI Council members must adhere to a Code of Conduct and sign a Confidentiality Agreement annually. Each new OPPI Council member is provided with an orientation session and governance training to ensure there is complete understanding of these responsibilities, especially as it relates to OPPI.

The Governance & Nominating Committee (G&N Committee) is responsible for managing the nominations and elections process for OPPI. A call for nominations will be published to invite candidates to submit their nominations package. A convenient self-assessment questionnaire has been prepared to help you assess readiness for a position on OPPI Council.
 
If you submit a nominations package, you can expect the following actions to be taken by the G&N Committee:
 

• Confirmation of your status to submit for the position.
• Confirmation from your nominators that they endorse your candidacy.
• A thorough review of your nominations package by the full G&N Committee.
• An invitation to attend an interview with a minimum of two members of the G&N Committee, followed by a phone call: either indicating whether your candidacy is being considered, or that your candidacy is not being considered at this time. 

Reasons that your candidacy may not move forward during this nominations cycle are varied and will be fully explained to you at the time of the phone call