Letter from the President, May 2002

In the last few months, OHA activity has increased in volume and intensity. We have had many people working hard on our various committees, and though I haven’t the space here to thank every one of them, I wouldlike to extend our gratitude and thanks to all our volunteers.

The professional committee has managed to complete the updated Code of Ethics, Code of Practice and the new Educational Standards for professional members. The committee is at present analyzing the educational programs of the various herbal schools to determine which curricula meet our educational standards and which will need some supplementation.

We now have a student membership category in the OHA. This is really a special category of general membership that will allow us to communicate efficiently to our student members information that is relevant specifically to them without having to do a general mailing. Any student members who are currently general members should contact us so that you can have your membership category changed. There is no increase in cost for this.

Diane Tait has been doing a great job organizing our May 18th Annual Herbal Medicine Seminar featuring Susun Weed. Ticket sales have been excellent. If you haven’t registered yet, there may still be a few tickets available.

Attendance at John Redden’s “A Walk in Toronto’s Chinatown” and Christine Dennis’ “Tree Identification and Birch Syrup Making” was excellent and everyone had a great time. We have many more great OHA events coming up over the next few months, so check them out in the OHA Events section of the website. A special thanks goes to Celina Ainsworth for coordinating all these events and Darryl Burgwin for putting together the flyers and posters.

Our biggest event of the year is coming up June 2: “A Celebration of Herbs” Herb Fair. Monika Ghent has taken over as the head of the Herb Fair committee. They are all doing an incredible amount of work pulling it all together. Of course, it takes many, many volunteers to put on the Herb Fair and we are very thankful for their contribution towards making it another success this year.

Daria Nedilsky is our first OHA Branch Coordinator. She is currently organizing the first regional branch of the OHA in London. The new branch will be holding their initial meeting June 11.

As usual, a big thank you goes out to the Journal team for all their hard work.

Inserted in the May issue of the “Canadian Journal of Herbalism” is a questionnaire compiled by Victoria Foulger, who will also be collecting and analyzing the results. The board of directors of the OHA wants to know what you think about our association, herbal events, political activities, Journal and anything else that you would like to comment on. We want to know what you like, what you don’t like and what you would like to see more of in the future. This is an important opportunity for all our members to contribute their views to help make us a better and stronger association. Please fill out the questionnaire and send it back to Victoria as soon as you can. We look forward to your comments.

We hope to see all of you at one or more of our events throughout the coming months. Have a great summer!
The material contained on this web site is intended for educational purposes only and no responsibility is assumed for misadventure resulting from the misuse of botanical preparations. If you have a health problem, you should consult a qualified medical doctor for diagnosis. Herbal treatment should be undertaken only with the advice of a qualified herbal practitioner. Self medication may be dangerous or ineffective.

General membership in the Ontario Herbalists Association is open to any herbal enthusiast, and does not imply any fitness to practise herbal medicine. The OHA only supports those members who have met or exceeded the requirements for professional membership, who have been approved, and whose membership is in good standing.
.