TMTA conducts general meetings for the whole membership on a quarterly basis according to a set schedule. Other meetings and special events occur at different intervals as the need arises.

This page focuses on summarizing the contents of meetings that occured in the recent past.
 

TMTA's last Quarterly Meeting of 2007 took place at the York Downs Golf and Country Club on December 11. The meeting was well attended and the agenda was quite packed. What follows is a bare-bones summary of the topics covered.

Recent changes in global regulation>
This topic was handled by Bill Whittington. Bill is Director of Regulations for TMTA. He presented a cursory overview of the state of the industry in so far as changes in global regulations are concerned.
 
Market Access: what happened in 2007 >
This topic was handled by Phil O'Brien, the Head of TMTA's Market Access Committee. Phil explained that the Committee has been quite busy this year because it has been fighting a battle with government on two fronts at the same time.

On the Ontario front, the Committee has been confronting the issue of GPOs. Access to Ontario hospitals has been threatened by the increasingly aggressive actions of the General Purchasing Organizations set up by the Ontario government. Several letters were sent to key Liberal ministers as well as to ministers of the Opposition. As a result, TMTA managed to secure a meeting with a key bureaucrat who promised to remedy the situation. We are still waiting to see a change in policy that would give back to our members the right of access to hospital purchasing departments.

On the national front, the Committee has been dealing with the Federal government over the issue of Health Canada's Cost Recovery Framework. As most members know by now, Health Canada's proposed increase to licensing fees would present a severe threat to SMEs since all companies no matter their size would face a substantial rise in fees.

TMTA has been appealing to Health Canada by email, through letters and in person. As a result of our intervention and the intervention of other similarly-focused associations around the country, a formal panel was set up to re-evaluate the feasibility of Health Canada's intended increase. We are still waiting for results.

Help to research, develop and commercialize new products:
Tania Massa handled this topic. Tania is the Business Development Manager at the Ontario Centres of Excellence. She talked about OCE's set up and programs. OCE offers academic, technical and financial assistance for start-up companies. It also assists established companies with the research, development and commercialization of new products and services, often matching companies with academic, scientific and financial organizations that can either launch a project or take a venture to the next level.       

The tendering process: Why are hospitals so tough on us?:>
This topic was presented by Denis Chamberland. Denis is a public sector procurement lawyer, at Aird & Berlis LLP, Barristers and Solicitors. He is also Canada’s leading legal authority in the field of public sector procurement.

Denis talked about the tangled legal issues relating to hospital RFTs. His presentation emphasized steps that TMTA members can take to safeguard their interests when dealing with hospitals. Of particular interest was the fact that the Ontario government has passed several measures that specifically guarantee "fair and equitable" access to all government services for purposes of tendering. This gave us all much hope as it supports our contention that denying our members open access to hospitals is actually illegal. Denis promised to explore the matter further with our Market Access Committee in early January 2008.

In addition to talking about GPOs, Denis also gave attendees the opportunity to ask questions and discuss specific cases.

Note that this particular meeting was followed by a restricted-access meeting of RASIG (the Regulatory Affairs Special Interest Group) which took place at the same location immediately after the luncheon which followed the Quarterly Meeting. This meeting was open to all regulatory staff of TMTA member companies.

june 28th, 2006 meeting

Jeff Stevens, President
The Stevens Co. Ltd.
Mr. Stevens provided an important presentation as to how organizations can begin to strategically prepare for the expected flu pandemic that has the potential to cripple our healthcare system, our businesses, the economy, and our communities. Mr. Stevens is the President of The Stevens Company Limited, the largest, privately-owned Canadian distributor of hospital, physician and nursing home supplies. He is also a key member of the MEDEC Pandemic Planning Committee, which is shaping a national strategy for the Canadian medical manufacturing industry for pandemic readiness and response

march 7th, 2006 meeting

Catherine Swift, President
Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Ms. Catherine Swift, the Chair and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, spoke to our members and guests on the changes in federal and provincial government policies and their impact on small businesses in Canada. Ms. Swift is a well-known, dynamic speaker, and is often seen on our national media channels as the voice of Canadian independent business. Her organization, the CFIB, has been acknowledged as a key reference source for small business policy development by the Conservative and Liberal parties.

Nils Clausen, Country Director
Global Healthcare Exchange - GHX
Mr. Clausen provided our association with an update on the developments within the eSupply Chain project, representing approximately 30% of the Ontario Hospital market. GHX is providing the trading platform for this initiative and will explain how all suppliers and distributors can participate regardless of their size and current technology capabilities.

december 6th, 2005 meeting

Andrew Wilkes, Chairman
National Angel Organization
Mr. Wilkes spoke to our members about the Canadian angel investor community, who they are and the facts about their role in financing companies that will thrive and excel. He provided further insights to the members so they could determine if an angel investor right would be for their company and an understanding how such investment can help the enterprise grow.

Frank Hayes, President
Stanley Software Finance;
Financial Mentor, ISCM Markham
As one of our most sought after presentation files, Mr. Hayes' topic, "The Top Cash Flow Mistakes Made by Growing Companies" provided our audience timely, practical advice and tips on keeping their companies in the black, month after month, by recognizing the mistakes and pratfalls that have sunk other enterprises.