Memo from the desk of the COHNA-ACIIST President, Juanita House
I hope this finds everyone well and that you all had a wonderful summer.
COHNA-ACIIST board members have been hard at work, and I wanted to provide an update to our members as to the status of our organizational restructuring.
As you are aware, COHNA-ACIIST has immediate and longer-term challenges:
- The immediate challenge is a structural one. How can the profession match available resources with a structure to ensure there is some form of national organization(s) representing our profession?
- The longer-term challenge is about provision of value. What can a restructured organization focus on and what activities can it undertake (within the resources available) to provide value to OHNs that will stabilize membership and attract new members?
We have coordinated our strategy to directly address these two challenges in the next 12-18 months, giving time for the organization to test a new value proposition once it has completed its restructuring. We will be moving to individual membership nationally.
The challenge is to provide a representative national board WHILE ensuring that, where there are significant numbers of members, those numbers are reflected in board seats.
New Board Composition
The Board shall include at least one (1) director from each of the following regions:
- Atlantic Canada (NL, NS, PE, NB)
- Central Canada (QC, ON)
- Prairies (MB, SK)
- Western (AB, BC, Territories)
And up to seven (7) additional directors elected at large.
Changes to Officers of COHNA-ACIIST Executive
The Secretary and Treasurer were in one role and will now be separated. There will be more demands on both roles with the planned changes, so we want to ensure volunteers in these positions have less demands on their time.
- President
- Vice-President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
Current Status
Our new bylaws are currently with a non-profit law firm for due diligence review to ensure that the changes and restructuring comply with non-profit legislation and regulations.
We anticipate in the next board meeting October 22,2025, we will be getting down to doing the hard work of updating policy, processes, and general documents impacted by the by-law changes, including membership levels and fees, and the transition from the current provincial structure.
How Can You Stay Involved?
- Consider volunteering in one of the new directorships or executive positions.
- Continue to support COHNA-ACIIST with active membership.
- Support education webinars that are offered at a nominal fee.
COHNA-ACIIST is committed to remain your national voice and our executive and provincial representatives remain committed to see we survive and thrive in coming years.
Thank you for your time.
Juanita