Summer 2025 Board Meeting Highlights

June 18, 2025, meeting highlights:

The board was presented with the 2025-2026 budget, including an overview of CDHA’s multi-year financial plan. The Board approved the budget as presented, which includes a strategic deficit of $286,528. The board also approved:

• moving $123,000 from the strategic initiatives fund to support four key strategic projects: position paper, job market and employment survey, public perception survey, and national NDHW TV campaign;
• moving $20,000 from the technology fund to support CDHA’s work on a new Association Management System (AMS); and
• moving $5,000 from the Building Fund to support an office window replacement and a reconstruction appraisal.

Board Awards

CDHA celebrates exceptional volunteer service through its award program, recognizing members who have made outstanding contributions to the dental hygiene profession, either in their communities or nationally through the association.

The Board approved the following award recipients:

• Lezah Evan – Award of Merit
• Laura Iorio – Award of Merit
• Mary Bertone – Distinguished Service Award

July 8, 2025, meeting highlights:

The CDHA president held a special meeting on July 8 to de-brief the Board on the Town Hall that she hosted on June 23 with members from (primarily) Alberta. The Board agreed to send a letter to the College of Dentists of Alberta (CDAB) highlighting CDHA’s concerns and other concerns raised by participants at the Town Hall about the CDAB Pilot Program for Internationally Trained Dentists. The CDHA board reaffirmed its stance regarding allowing internationally trained dentists who are not yet licensed in Canada to practice dental hygiene without meeting established educational and regulatory standards. In the interest of protecting the public and ensuring quality care, maintaining strong professional standards, and recognizing the specialized role and scope of dental hygienists as essential health care providers, CDHA unequivocally opposes such proposals.

July 30, 2025 meeting highlights:

Finance

• One of the key roles of a Board of Directors is its fiduciary responsibility. The Board received a report from the audit committee and met with CDHA’s auditor to review the audited financial statements for 2024-2025.
• The Board accepted the Auditor’s External Monitoring Report as presented, which validates that the financial affairs of CDHA meet the auditor’s standards for financial management as required in Board policy.

Policy

• The Board reviewed organizational performance to ensure compliance with its existing Ends and Executive Limitations policies. (The Board directs, controls, and inspires CDHA through the careful establishment of broad written policies reflecting the Board's values and perspectives. Thus, one of the key roles of the Board is monitoring and assessing Board policies and executive limitations at each Board meeting.)

Board work

The board approved a Request for Proposal (RFP) for an individual(s) to lead the dental hygiene profession in developing a Reconciliation Action Plan for the profession of dental hygiene in Canada. The Plan will support culturally safe, respectful, and inclusive practices that support Indigenous Peoples' oral health and well-being.

The Board approved an updated constituent agreement with the British Columbia Dental Hygienists Association (BCDHA).