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Ontario Medical Review
Jan. 3, 2023

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2022 issue of the Ontario Medical Review magazine.

Empowering members through the evolution of OMA elections

What you need to know to cast a vote for OMA leadership positions

OMA elections are a key engine of member empowerment, allowing Ontario’s doctors to shape the future of the Ontario Medical Association and drive their most important issues forward. That could include throwing their hat in the ring to run for a position or vote directly for candidates, including board members and the president-elect. 

Since the new governance structure was introduced in 2020, the single election period has been enhanced to support an engaging election cycle and transparency around the election of leaders.

Here’s a recap of the key changes made in the last three years to OMA elections:

2020-2021

All members can run for the new OMA Board of Directors and directly elect a smaller, skills-based board consisting of seven physicians and three non-physician directors. All members are eligible to serve as the association’s president. Members can now also directly elect the president-elect. An independent third-party company is retained to support the recruitment of the new skills-based board.


2021-2022

Changes were made to the board elections process, which included a streamlined application process and the introduction of reference and social media checks for all board and president-elect candidates. Campaign restrictions were also put in place, but based on member feedback, they were reviewed and updated.


Election timeline

Oct. 27, 2022

Nominations opened


Nov. 24, 2022

Nominations closed at 5 p.m. The voter list was fixed, and acclaimed positions were announced


Dec. 1, 2022

Final day to submit a candidate statement


Jan. 9, 2023

Voting opens


Jan. 16, 2023

Final day to request a paper ballot


Feb. 2, 2023

Voting closes at 2 p.m. and results are announced online

2022-2023

2022/2023 elections – further improvements made based on member feedback:

  • Election oversight changes: The immediate past president will now provide election oversight. This was previously managed by the board chair
  • Constituency nominations requirements: Any candidate can now self-nominate and is no longer required to submit three nominators to run
  • Board director, president-elect candidates reference check: Candidates are now exempt from the reference check process providing that they have a recently completed reference check on file within the last 18 months
  • Non-physician director recruitment and electoral process: Non-physician members seeking re-election and who have excelled in their role, will be presented to the membership through a simplified re-election process
  • Campaigning, promotion and advertising: The president-elect and board candidates will now be allowed to engage with members through social media and through their own networks as outlined in new communications guidelines. A candidate toolkit was provided

Many of the changes implemented in this current year are designed to make it easier for candidates to step forward, and enable an engaging election in which all members are equipped with the information they need to effectively cast their ballot.

For more information about this year’s elections process and nominees, visit OMA elections.

Election tips members need to know

Polls open Jan. 9 and close Feb. 2 at 2 p.m.

Cast a vote

Visit the OMA elections web page during the voting period to access the BigPulse platform, which directs members to the polls in which they can vote. Members sign into a confidential voting account via OneLogin using their OMA login credentials (OMA number or the email address on file with their OMA record, and password).

General Assembly appointments

Elected constituency leaders can be appointed to roles within the Priority and Leadership Group (125 delegates) and three General Assembly panels (Advocacy, Issues and Policy and Compensation).

These appointments occur separately from OMA elections and require elected leader candidates to submit an expression of interest or application. Following the elections, vacancies in the General Assembly are shared with the executives of the respective sections, districts and fora and eligible members.

Election results

Once available, election results are posted to the OMA elections page.

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