Welcome | College of Opticians of British Columbia

Who is the Board?

As a self-regulating profession, the COBC is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of elected and appointed members. Of the 9 board members, 6 are elected from the profession and 3 are appointed by government. Each board member serves a three-year term commencing at the beginning of the calendar year.

The Board of the College is responsible for ensuring that the duties and objectives of the College are met. The Board is also responsible for ensuring that the vision needs of the public of British Columbia are met by B.C. Licensed Opticians through safe and effective means. In addition, the Board forecasts the long-term needs of the public in order to guide educational priorities and practice standards for B.C. Licensed Opticians.

In the course of performing its duties and exercising its powers under the Health Professions Act and other enactments, the board is required to promote and enhance collaborative relations with other provincial entities including other colleges established under the Act, post-secondary academic institutions and the government.

The Board is also required to promote and enhance inter-professional collaborative practice between its registrants and persons practicing other health professions; as well as to promote and enhance the ability of its registrants to respond and adapt to changes in practice environments, advances in technology and other emerging issues.

Meetings of the College are open to the public to observe discussion of a wide range of issues affecting the governing of the profession. Those who wish to attend a meeting are asked to contact the College for more information, and to review the Guidelines for Meeting Observers.

Current Board Members

Electoral District Representative Term

District 1 (Lower Mainland) Kim McEachern (Vice-Chair & Finance Officer) 2018-2020

District 1 (Lower Mainland) Rajbinder Mann 2018-2020

District 2 (Vancouver Island) - Appointed Raheem Savja 2020-2022

District 3 (Okanagan and Kootenays) - Appointed Erik Bucaneg 2019-2021

District 4 (Cariboo) - Appointed Sue Randhawa 2020-2022

District 5 (Contact Lens Registrant) Martin Semaniuk 2019-2021

Public Appointee Location Appointee Term Expiry

Vancouver Piotr Majkowski December 31, 2020

Burnaby Peter Luongo (Chair) January 31, 2021

Burnaby Barbara Larkin January 31, 2021

How do you become a Board Member?

Elections of Membership of the Board are normally held at the end of each calendar year. Notices of upcoming elections are announced 150 days before the election date.

Each registrant who is eligible to vote is eligible to vote both in Electoral District #5 and in one of Electoral Districts #1 to #4, being the electoral district in which the registrant principally resides.

Districts	Description	Next Election
Electoral District 1	Lower Mainland	2020
Electoral District 2	Vancouver Island	2022
Electoral District 3	Okanagan and Kootenays	2021
Electoral District 4	Cariboo	2022
Electoral District 5	Contact Lens Fitter	2021

A registrant is eligible for election to the Board in an electoral district if on the date of the election she/he is:

A registrant in good standing
Engaged in practice of Opticianry or, is a resident in the electoral district for which she/he is nominated
Not a candidate for election in, or already a member of the Board for another electoral district
In the case of Electoral District 5, must currently be registered as a Contact Lens Fitter with the College

The term of office is three years. Call for nominations occur in August - September of each year, and the elections are held in December.

Who We Are

Get to know the Board by reading their bios below:

Kim McEachern, District 1 (Elected)