Behind the scenes of consumer protection: how professional development drives innovation and regulatory excellence

By Trisha Richards and Dennis Furlan | The Registrar

When the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA), Ontario’s newest regulator, officially opened its doors virtually in February 2021, the organization was already an active member of the Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR), an international association and resource for professional regulation stakeholders.

“We wanted to be part of a regulatory community that thinks strategically about what today’s modern regulator could, and I would add should, look like,” says Marc Spector, deputy registrar, HCRA, and former CLEAR board member. “CLEAR has a focus on what I like to call relevant regulation, supporting organizations in making a truly meaningful impact in people’s lives.”

A CLEAR, universal perspective on regulation

CLEAR was initially the brainchild of regulators in the United States. Its purpose was to bring a range of professionals together to share challenges and discuss solutions to licensing and professional regulation challenges. Over the years, CLEAR’s mandate hasn’t changed much, but the organization now benefits from strong interest and participation from Canadian organizations, which began joining in the early 90s. Since the early 2000s, there’s also been an increasing presence from Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as Asia and Africa.

“We’ve trained in excess of 20,000 people in regulation, investigations, and inspections, and have an established program for executive leadership.”

“We’re an organization that’s been in existence for over 40 years. We have a health and non-health focus,” says Adam Parfitt, CLEAR executive director. “We’ve trained in excess of 20,000 people in regulation, investigations, and inspections, and have an established program for executive leadership.”

Adam Parfitt, Executive Director, CLEAR

CLEAR provides a range of professional development and training programs, most notably the National Certified Investigator/Inspector Training (NCIT) program which, to date, has trained thousands of regulatory investigators and inspectors worldwide. CLEAR also hosts an annual conference that directly reflects the priorities of regulators.

Canadian content

CLEAR isn’t the only professional resource for regulators in Canada. The Canadian Network of Agencies for Regulation (CNAR) is a national association for regulatory professionals. HCRA is also a member of this organization. Established in 2003, CNAR offers many of the same resources as CLEAR.

“CNAR does a great job at embracing smaller regulators, in addition to the larger ones,” says Spector. “I know that for the HCRA, as a young and new regulator, it’s great to know we have the support coast to coast to coast.”

The Alberta College of Occupational Therapists (ACOT) joined CNAR in 2020 to take part in the association’s conferences and workshops. “At the conference, they bring forward timely topics of interest to us, such as the future of regulation in Canada, how other regulators are preparing for this, the top 10 regulatory legal cases, and the role of regulators and systemic racism,” says Marianne Baird,CEOand registrar,ACOT. “These kinds of topics highlight the evolving nature of regulation, focusing us on what we can strive for to best serve the public interest.”

The Registrar asked what differentiates CLEAR and CNAR, aside from where its members are located. Parfitt says, “I certainly don’t want to take anything away from CNAR, which does fine work, but with CLEAR’s international focus, members get to learn about regulations from people around the world, which adds a perspective and dimension that might not be as readily available with local or national groups.” CNAR declined an interview with The Registrar.

Leveraging local and global support systems

Like HRCA, ACOT is also a member of CLEAR. According to Baird, being part of an international association for the professional regulatory community is also beneficial because it increases awareness of the international trends influencing Canadian regulation, which helps guide ACOT’s strategic planning efforts. “Comparing and contrasting the different regulatory systems operating in various countries to the Canadian regulatory context also provides examples of things we can implement to continuously improve Canadian regulatory practices,” Baird adds.

For Spector, perhaps the most attractive aspect of membership in a regulatory association is having the ability to network, learn best practices, and tackle head-on topics individual regulatory leaders may not have sufficient knowledge or experience to address alone.

“Now especially is a really exciting time to be part of an organization of professional regulators because our world is changing, and regulators are working hard to stay relevant in the face of the public’s evolving expectations,” explains Spector. “That’s why I believe in organizations like CLEAR and CNAR — they support regulators in the work we do to stay relevant, modern, flexible, and innovative.”