3 minute read
Building on the Tradition of Trust
John Mayr
Iwelcome the opportunity to serve The Society of Notaries Public of BC as the new Executive Director.
I am assuming the regulatory functions for The Society and will work with Jacqui Mendes, CEO of the trade association, to transition the association to an even more vital organization for the Notary profession in our province.
My experience over the past 20 years has included regulating a number of different vocations.
After graduating from the denturist program, I became very involved in continuing education for the members and was later President of the organization of about 300 members. I oversaw the process that resulted in the profession being granted full self-regulating status and was the first registrar of the College of Denturists. The members practise as part of a duopoly representing the only alternative service providers in a marketplace dominated by dentists.
After 12 years with the Denturists, I next regulated the licensed practical nurses who were facing challenges similar to those the denturists had seen; the Licensed Practical Nurses also faced challenges-to-practise by a dominant group. The duopoly in that case was with the Registered Nurses, a much larger membership of health care providers—in the 35,000 to 40,000 range.
There is a distinct parallel between the size of the membership of BC Notaries and the lawyers in our province.
Most recently, I regulated the social workers in BC. Through a collaborative and consultative approach, we were able to implement a number of important programs. It was estimated that approximately 50 percent of social workers were not required to be registered. That created some real issues when explaining to people who had serious concerns about a social worker that the regulatory body did not have the authority to deal with their issue.
While each profession had its particular idiosyncrasies, so did their Boards. In each case, I saw that further education was the key to improving the status of the associations, the quality of care, and internal and external relationships.
I believe my regulating experience and understanding will provide the strong foundation necessary to move The Society smoothly forward, together with the new trade organization, to better serve our members and ultimately the people of our province who look to BC Notaries for excellence in noncontentious legal services.
In 2007, I earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Royal Roads University, followed by a graduate certificate in Health Systems Leadership and, in 2011, a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall with a focus on Administrative Law.
My rather unusual education background includes the right-wing capitalistic perspective of an MBA, contrasted with the socialist universalprogram focus of administrative law.
I was born and raised in New Westminster, the second of four children of European immigrants who moved to Canada after WWII. Both parents embraced the Canadian culture and the magnitude of what their new country had to offer. They worked hard to contribute and taught all of us the value of education and hard work.
Winter sports were a priority in the Mayr family with early memories of the Mount Baker Slush Bowl and the installation of the Mystery Peak Chairlift on Mount Seymour. I grew up skiing at Whistler and can be seen periodically in the bowls and back-country.
Shortly after high school, I started running and trained with City Track. At one time, I was a member of a 4 x 400 team that held the BC master’s record for the relay. I now enjoy seeing the sights on Summer bike rides around Vancouver.
My wife Barbara and I raised three girls who are now grown and pursuing various advanced-education opportunities and careers. s
