Elections

2026 OMA elections results are in

The 2026 OMA elections are now complete. Thank you to all who took part in this year’s elections and helped shape the future leadership of the association.

2026 OMA elections results ratification

Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) requires that board directors be elected by “ordinary resolution”, which means they receive a simple majority of the votes cast (more than 50 per cent + 1 of votes cast). If an elected candidate doesn’t receive the required majority, the results will be brought forward to members at the OMA’s Annual General Meeting for ratification. This will satisfy the ONCA requirement. While the three successful physician board director candidates received the most member votes, none of them reach the 50 per cent + 1 threshold. Members will be required to ratify the election results for the three physician board director candidates to confirm the election results at the AGM to ensure the ONCA requirement is met.
 
We also ran a simple yes/no vote for non-physician board members seeking re-election, in alignment with ONCA requirements. Ratification applies where the director remains eligible, continues to meet the expectations of the role, and brings skills and experience aligned with the board’s needs. This has taken place with a 50 per cent + 1 threshold and requires no further ratification at the AGM.
 
The president-elect becomes a voting board director in their president year. As such, the president-elect is also required by ONCA to be elected by ordinary resolution. As the president-elect in this year’s election received 50 per cent + 1 of the votes cast, their election meets the ONCA requirement and members will not be required to ratify this result at the AGM.

Changes to 2025-26 elections

We regularly review our elections process and policies to make sure they reflect members’ needs and experiences. This included receiving feedback from voters, candidates, third-party recruiters, and physician leaders.

The recommended policy and process amendments stemming from the review were approved by the board at their October meeting and have been implemented for the 2025-26 election period.

Key highlights of these changes include:

  • Board candidate screening process. Our third-party recruiter will conduct a screening process for board candidates, which will be overseen by the Governance and Nominating Committee (GNC). It will focus on evaluating candidates against a core set of competencies, the preferable knowledge and skills outlined in the Individual Board Director Position Description, and skills in priority areas for the board identified on an annual basis. These changes support OMA members’ expectations that their board directors have the skills and experience the board needs to be successful. The three priority areas identified for the 2025-26 recruitment are: Strategic & Transformational Thinking; Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility (EDIA); and Innovation & Digital Leadership.
  • Shortlisting process. Based on the results of the screening process, a shortlist of a minimum of two (2) and a maximum of four (4) candidates per open board position will be presented to GNC for approval. Once approved, those candidates will be presented to members for voting. The total number of candidates to be shortlisted will depend on the skills and experience in the initial pool of candidates, the board’s identified needs, and the number of vacancies available in any given year. This change responds to members’ input that the increasing number of candidates for the board, with a total of 39 names on the ballot in 2024-25, was a significant impediment to making an informed decision.
  • ONCA legislation compliance. As part of our annual election review process, we conducted a legal review of our policies to ensure they were aligned with the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA), which came into full effect in 2024.
  • Social media checks. Our policy on social media checks has been expanded to include all constituency chair candidates, in addition to board and president-elect candidates. This is in response to members who voiced concern that not all OMA leaders were adhering to the Member Code of Conduct & Civility. It is important to note that social media checks are not concerned with the opinions or positions members express on social media, but rather in their approach to expressing them and their interactions with other members. Concerns arising from a candidate’s social media check will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis with the candidate and OMA Legal to determine whether there are impacts on eligibility to hold office.

You can also review the amended Single Election Period policy, Board Recruitment Policy, and Election Communications Guidelines for further details.

Dr. Dominik Nowak, past president, outlines what’s ahead for the 2025-26 elections season and highlights the key changes you can expect.

Hi, everyone. Dominik Nowak here, now your immediate past president at the OMA. And in this role, I have the responsibility of overseeing your 2025–2026 OMA elections.

I’m coming to you today to tell you a bit about some of the changes you can expect this election season. Every year, we look at our elections policies and practices to make sure they reflect feedback we hear from members and from candidates, evolving best practices, and legal requirements. And this year, the board approved several enhancements to elections policies, and I’d like to take a few minutes to walk you through a couple of these changes at a high level.

For the last several years, we’ve consistently heard from voters that the increasing number of board candidates presents a real challenge to making an informed decision. Last year, for example, we had 39 candidates for only four board director roles. To support voters and their decision-making, and to ensure board candidates have the relevant governance and leadership experience appropriate for a provincial medical association board, the board approved a new skills-based screening process this year.
 
The screening process evaluates candidates on a set of core competencies and a set of prioritized skills, which are identified annually to address emerging organizational needs. A third-party recruiter overseen by the Governance and Nominating Committee will review all candidates and produce a shortlist of candidates to be presented to the membership. This shortlist will consist of a minimum of two and a maximum of four candidates per open position to support informed voter choice without overwhelming ballots. The total number of candidates shortlisted will depend on the skills and experience in the initial pool of candidates, the board’s identified needs, and the number of vacancies available in any given year.
 
As always, any OMA member in good standing who resides or currently works in Ontario can put their name forward for consideration during the nominations process.
 
Social media checks will now include candidates for chairs of sections, districts and fora. These social media checks are already in place for board and president-elect candidates and are aimed at strengthening alignment with the Member Code of Conduct and civility. As part of the application process, candidates will be asked to provide all their social media handles and usernames. These checks are limited to publicly available content and focus only on material inconsistent with the OMA’s mission, vision, values, or our Member Code of Conduct and civility. They don’t assess or consider political opinions, perspectives on the OMA, or views about the health-care system. Concerns arising from a candidate’s social media check will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis with the candidate and OMA legal to determine whether there are impacts on eligibility to hold office.
 
Voters want to know that regardless of who they vote for, they can feel confident that the candidate possesses a solid foundation of experience and skills appropriate for the board of a large, complex medical association. The aim of these changes is to ensure highly qualified candidates are presented to the membership and to support member confidence in the fairness and transparency of OMA elections.
 
All members will continue to have an equal chance to self-nominate for the board, president-elect, or the constituency group to which they are an eligible member during the nomination period. And all members will continue to have a final say on who sits on the board through the election itself.
 

Nominations are now open for positions on the board, for president-elect, and leadership roles across sections, districts and fora. Log into your OMA My Account and you’ll be able to see which positions are available this year to you.

The strength of our OMA has always been and always will be us — its members — and I encourage all of you to engage with our association in the ways that work for you. It could be running in an election or just staying informed, coming out to vote, or letting one of our colleagues know that they could be great at a leadership role. All in all, your participation matters and makes a difference for our organization and our health-care system.

Please visit the OMA Elections homepage to learn more about the improvements we’re making. And as always, please reach out to us at elections@oma.org with any questions, ideas or reflections you might have. Thank you.

The role of your elected representatives

Elected OMA representatives advocate for their constituents on issues identified as being important, develop and implement goals and work plans, and communicate with their constituents on their activities.

Members directly elect board directors during the regular election period. Directors hold a two-year term, up to a maximum of six years.

Duties of directors include:

  • Ensuring board oversight and performance related to all aspects of the board charter
  • Providing governance leadership in supervising the management of the OMA’s activities and affairs
  • Contributing consistently and meaningfully to the effective performance of the board

The president-elect position is a three-year commitment with the role evolving through three stages: president-elect, president and immediate past president. The president-elect and immediate past president have observer roles on the board. The president also holds the role of board director.

 

Overview of nomination and election process

To run, candidates must have an email address on file with the OMA. When the nomination period opens, members can log in to the OMA nominations system on this page to see which constituency leader positions are open this year. For more information or questions about specific positions, reach out to the elections team at info@oma.org.

Any OMA member eligible to hold office according to our bylaws can put their name forward for consideration for an open physician director position on the board. Promeus Inc., one of Canada’s leading executive recruitment firms, facilitates an independent candidate vetting process that results in a shortlist of two to four candidates per open position for members to choose from during the voting period. Promeus also facilitates the recruitment of non-physician board directors, who also stand for election by members. Read our Board Recruitment Policy for further information.

President-elect and board candidates are allowed to promote the elections in line with board-approved communications guidelines. To protect the integrity of OMA elections, board directors and the association will not endorse or campaign for colleagues. 

Voting is online using Big Pulse, a high-security electronic management system that uses a vote count veriļ¬cation protocol to provide voters with a receipt to enhance security. All OMA members who are eligible to vote will receive a Notice of Voting email with voting instructions.

An OMA by-election is a special election held to fill a position that is left vacant after the close of the OMA elections period. A notice of by-election will be sent to all the members of a constituency group that has requested the by-election with the pertinent information on how to nominate yourself for the role and how to vote.

Past presidents discuss balancing the personal and professional demands of the job

Oh, I had a lot of support while I was OMA president. I had support from home. This was a family decision for me to come forward into this professional role, and there was incredible support for me at the OMA in my role — the onboarding year, the communications team, and just a lot of help in helping me to craft the voice that I needed to have while I spoke for Ontario’s doctors the year I was president.

And it was an opportunity to live inside my passion and what I really believed was so important: the wellbeing of physicians as we provide care for our patients for an entire year. As a president, I was able to speak about that, so I loved it. That was the solution to my balance — loving what I did.

I’m very fortunate that I’ve been able to have, as an emergency physician, my groups give me basically a year-long sabbatical away from the clinical work. And I was able to carve that out in large part because I knew that I have a young family and they really still need me. I needed to carve that space out for myself to be able to dive into this job with all the energy and enthusiasm that I know it requires.

But at the end of the day, I think that every individual has to look at their work situation and see where they can create that space. The nice thing about this job is that it is very flexible. You have a lot of support and that will work around your clinical schedules. But it is a hard job and there’s a lot to be done, so you’re going to be, at times, working at odder hours than you might be used to. It’s just something to be aware of.

When I think about preparing for next year, I think of it in terms of three main buckets. The first bucket is: what do I need personally during this transition? The second bucket is understanding the organization — the OMA and its history and the people. And the third bucket is understanding the health system.

Next year, I expect I’ll have to lean on the people close to me and my colleagues, and that’s okay, because I would’ve set up those supports and built those relationships that I need next year, this year.

Past presidents talk about their experience 

We’ve got 43,000 members, and many of them have very differing and diverse views, but all of them are unified in wanting to provide the highest quality care to our patients. You need to be able to let people know why we’re saying the things we’re saying out in the public. You need to be able to really advocate for that amazing group of doctors that we have in this province.

I think that being the OMA president is an important job, and it’s important to have a face that talks to members and for members — and that that person be a direct connection to the individuals that we’re trying to represent. It has a role to have in policy and advocacy development, but also, and probably most importantly, the negotiations aspect. Being able to be the voice and take on the responsibility of putting food on the table and ensuring the financial wellbeing of our physician colleagues is a very important task. It’s therefore a very significant role to have, and it’s one that I have been very privileged and honoured to have served in.

Election results

See the results of the 2026 OMA elections.

Visit the voting and results web page

2025-26 OMA election key dates

  • Nov. 20, 2025: Nominations open
  • Dec. 17, 2025: Nominations close at 5 p.m.
  • Feb, 19, 2026: President-elect town hall
  • Feb. 23, 2026: Voting open
  • March 10, 2026: Voting closes at noon and results announced

How to get involved

There are a number of ways to help make a difference at the OMA, whether that’s by being a part of a committee, board or constituency group, becoming a health-care advocate, nominating a colleague for an award or sharing an idea.

Help spark change
Related resources
Charters, policies and position descriptions
Board director job description
Board recruitment policy
Single election period policy
Elections communications guidelines

Contact us

To learn more about OMA elections or by-elections email or call 416-340-6189 or 1-800-268-7215 ext. 2950.

Other elections

Section of Residents
Previous
Next
Section of Residents

After reviewing and consultations, the board has approved certifying the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario (PARO) results each year and the president, vice-president, secretary and past-president be formally confirmed as the OMA Sections of Residents officer position.

All PARO executives are required to be OMA members.

For more information, please visit the PARO elections page. 

Previous
Next
Section of Medical Students
Previous
Next
Section of Medical Students

After reviewing and consultations, the board has approved certifying the Ontario Medical Student Association (OMSA) election results each year and the president, vice-president finance and vice-president communications be formally confirmed as the OMA Section officer positions.

All OMSA executives are required to be OMA members.

Elections will take place on May 11, 2025. For more information, please visit the OMSA election page.

Previous
Next
Published: Nov. 24, 2020  |  Last updated: April 1, 2026