COBC Newsletter June 2021


Statement on Kamloops Residential School | New SOP | Certificates

In solidarity with Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc and all First Nations

In light of the recent discovery of the remains of 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, COBC would like to express our sympathies and our outrage in solidarity with the Indigenous peoples of BC and Canada.

We understand that this discovery may not come as a surprise to Indigenous communities, but that it nonetheless brings indescribable pain, grief, anger, and sadness—and that it is particularly traumatic for survivors of Residential Schools and their families. It is vital that we acknowledge this pain and do everything we can to support the First Nations communities we serve through these trying times and beyond.

Read full statement

 

Help us build the new standards of practice

We are excited to kick off our summer season with an important initiative that is critical to the opticianry profession in British Columbia. We are in the process of streamlining and simplifying our Standards of Practice to reflect changes in the regulatory environment and to ensure a positive and safe service experience for clients and Licensed Opticians.

In the coming month, we will be engaging and seeking input from all Licensed Opticians in BC on the draft Standards of Practice through a survey consultation. Your engagement and participation in this change initiative will ensure that the revised standards and criteria are clear, relevant, and actionable. More information will follow. 

 

Display your certificate

Your practice permit or certificate is how the public identify that you are a Licensed Optician, qualified to provide optical services and safe eyecare. It is a requirement under the Standards of Practice, Section 3 Clinical Requirements to have it displayed at your place of work.

 

You must hold and display a certificate for each designation of your licence—dispensing and contact lens fitting—and, if applicable, for your certification to conduct automated refractions. If you need to order a new or additional certificate, you can do so by emailing COBC at reception@cobc.ca. If you have any questions about your certificate, please let us know.

 

Did you know?

Licensed Opticians have an obligation to ensure the staff they are working with are licensed with the College of Opticians of British Columbia. Titles such as optician, dispensing optician, contact lens fitter, optical dispenser, and contact lens technician are titles that may only be used by registrants of COBC.

College of Opticians of BC operates on the traditional, ancestral and unceded Coast Salish territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

Unsubscribing from this email will revoke your consent to receive email correspondence from us as outlined in Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). We will no longer be able to send you important reminders pertaining to your licence, which may affect your registration with the College of Opticians of BC. Please contact us if you have any questions.