The Advisory Group for Regulatory Excellence (AGRE) was formed in 2012 by the registrars of colleges with a long history of self-regulation and shared expertise in the regulation of professions with scopes of practice that pose significant risk of harm to the public – College of Nurses of Ontario, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, and the Ontario College of Pharmacists.

These regulatory leaders identified both an opportunity and an obligation to demonstrate leadership in strengthening current regulatory mechanisms.

Following an invitation to all health regulatory colleges in Ontario, the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario and the College of Optometrists joined the other four as founding members of AGRE.

AGRE's goal is to identify opportunities and make policy recommendations that will strengthen public confidence in self-regulation. This is done through research, debate and policy development. The audiences are the public, government and other regulators who share an interest in regulation in the public interest.

AGRE: Transparency principles

  1. The mandate of regulators is public protection and safety. The public needs access to appropriate information in order to trust that this system of self-regulation works effectively.

  2. Providing more information to the public has benefits, including improved patient choice and increased accountability for regulators.

  3. Any information provided should enhance the public’s ability to make decisions or hold the regulator accountable. This information needs to be relevant, credible and accurate.

  4. In order for information to be helpful to the public, it must:
    • be timely, easy to find and understand.
    • include context and explanation.

  5. Certain regulatory processes intended to improve competence may lead to better outcomes for the public if they happen confidentially.

  6. Transparency discussions should balance the principles of public protection and accountability, with fairness and privacy.

  7. The greater the potential risk to the public, the more important transparency becomes.

  8. Information available from colleges about members and processes should be similar.