Ontario Association of General Surgeons | Members | Mar.27, 2026 |
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Member E-Update - Q1 2026 |
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Dear Colleagues,
It has been a long winter here in the north, with some weeks seeing -35 degrees Celsius temperatures to some weeks seeing all four seasons. Mother Nature seems to be trying to figure things out for us, but hopefully spring is soon for those still experiencing winter conditions.
We are set to start planning topics and speakers for this year’s OAGS Annual Surgical Symposium. A preliminary meeting will be happening over the next couple of weeks to brainstorm. Your feedback always helps with respect to delivering relevant, high-valued and expert presentations. So, don’t hold back and let us know what topics you would like to be educated on. Our administrative assistant is always available by email.
Our next in-person board meeting of the year will be at the end of April to hopefully draft the Symposium agenda. Last year’s event seemed to be well received. We are planning to bring back the reflexologist, so make sure to wear clean socks (or have clean feet)! Perhaps some massage chairs again. Along with topics, if there are things that would make the breaks more restful or relaxing, feel free to let us know. We will be trialing childcare again this year; it’s important to provide this option, as it adds some flexibility to registrants.
Enjoy the spring! I am not sure what Wiarton Willie predicted, but…some of the northern highways were completely closed last week! Hope to see you at the Annual Symposium. P.S. A snack that I have come across that is undeniably great is dates + all-natural peanut butter with sea salt…healthy but tasty! Enjoy! Sincerely, Dr. Ravinder Singh OAGS President
Any queries can be sent to our office: info@oags.org. |
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Current OAGS Board of Directors & Committees can always be found on our website. |
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| OAGS MEMBERSHIP DRIVE 2026
The new fiscal year has begun (Jan-Dec, 2026). Dues fees have remained the same. The grace period ends March 31. Email reminders will be sent via email. If you authorized auto-renew in your Member Portal account, dues transactions are slated to begin ~Mar29. Otherwise, you will need to renew your membership manually through the OAGS Membership Portal on our website. If your membership lapses, you will no longer receive quarterly updates, communications, benefits or discounts. More member benefits are in the works; an updated list and category descriptions can be found here.
Early Bird Deadline expires September 1st. Until then, current 2026 OAGS members in good standing can register for the 2026 OAGS Surgical Symposium FOR FREE. After the deadline, admission will be an additional $100 for members. Discounts will not be applied until checkout. |
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2026 OAGS Surgical Symposium
Our annual event is slated for Saturday, November 7, 2026 at the Hilton Toronto Hotel. Our OAGS Program Committee and board at large are currently planning the agenda; member feedback is always welcome! Registration is now open through the Member Portal. Early Bird deadline is September 1st. Hope you will join us!
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| MEDICAL STUDENTS
If you know any medical students interested in General Surgery, we will be allowing complimentary admission to this fall's 2026 OAGS Surgical Symposium for 2 medical students from each program again this year. They have to be vouched for by a current 2026 OAGS Active General Surgeon Member (email is fine). In return, they will have to volunteer with early morning registration. Contact: info@oags.org
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Announcement Coming Soon!
Thank you to everyone who applied to our competition. Our OAGS Research Committee and Resident Liaison Panel have almost completed their reviews, and a winner will be announced soon! |
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| 2026 OAGS BOARD MEMBERS & COMMITTEES Your current OAGS board and committee representatives can be found on our website: https://oags.org/board/. Of the 14, there remains 2 vacancies, which will be discussed at the next board meeting: April 25.
NOTE OF APPRECIATION Special thanks to Drs. Peter Dauphinee of Barrie and Joel Weaver of Ottawa who completed their final term serving as OAGS Board Members after 10 years. Your service and dedication are most appreciated! |
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| OAGS BLOG UPDATES
A few OAGS blogs have been updated on our website. Our latest Case Study 26-1 was submitted by OAGS President Dr. Ravinder Singh regarding Chronic RLQ Pain. After reviewing the case, what would you do next? |
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| IN MEMORIAM We remember our colleagues who have passed recently: Dr. Katherine Diane Bury Dr. Alan J Byrne Dr. Leo Chaikof * Dr. Sean Cleary Dr. Sante Joseph Fratesi Dr. Donald Keith Hadley Dr. Hugh Trevor Hallam Dr. Gerald Stephen Lansky Dr. George Yat Poh Lau Dr. Gordon Lorne Liberty Dr. H Lavina A Lickley Dr. Sean Alexander McIlreath * Dr. Victor Allon McPherson Dr. John Harris Moffat Dr. Dennis Frederick Pitt *
Dr. Miodrag Alexander Ristic Dr. Peter B Walkovich * Honourable Mention for those surgeons who previously served as OAGS Board Members. |
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| OMA SECTION ON GENERAL SURGERY UPDATE Section Chair: Dr. Kevin Lefebvre Physician Services Agreement Implementation. (2024-2028)
You will be or have already received an email from the OMA regarding increases to the SOB taking place and planned implementation timelines. All of this information is available on the OMA website, and I strongly encourage you to look at it, as it is confusing to say the least, even for those of us who have been involved in the process. A few things will happen as of April 1, 2026....
Download Full Report |
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| 2026 OMA ELECTION RESULTS
Final election results were delivered March 10. Section on General Surgery Executive are as follows. Details: www.oma.org |
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| CRS‑HIPEC Implementation
The Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) Surgical Oncology Program (SOP) engaged Ontario’s peritoneal malignancy centres regarding cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS‑HIPEC) implementation. In an effort to standardize referrals for potential CRC-HIPEC candidates across the province, a provincial information sheet was created in collaboration with HIPEC centres. To receive a copy of this document, please contact: SOPInfo@ontariohealth.ca.
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CPD Listings:
These can be found on our website CPD calendar. Let us know of others that should be posted. |
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| EVENT
7th Annual McMaster Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease Update Date: March 27, 2026 Location: Burlington, ON CME: yes
Details: download |
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| EVENT UofT Update on General Surgery Date: April 15-18, 2026
Location: Hilton Toronto Hotel CME: yes Details: download |
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| EVENT 2026 CSSO Annual Spring Scientific Meeting Date: April 23-24, 2026
Location: Toronto, ON CME: yes Details: download |
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| EVENT UofT Toronto Breast and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Symposium Date: April 23-24, 2026 Location: Toronto, ON CME: yes Details: download |
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| EVENT UofT Toronto Breast Imaging Conference Date: May 9, 2026 Location: Chestnut Conference Ctr., Toronto, ON CME: yes Details: download |
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| EVENT BHPN: Canada Health Heroes Awards Date: May 30, 2026
Location: Woodbridge, ON Details: download |
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| EVENT General Surgery Review Date: June 15-19, 2026 Format: Virtual Details: download |
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| EVENT CAGS Forum Date: September 16-19, 2026 Location: Halifax, NS CME: yes Details: download |
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| Job Listings
Check out our latest job, locum, fellowship postings. They are posted as they come in daily. OAGS members can post an ad FOR FREE.
Job Listings Page: https://oags.org/jobs/ Job Post Request Form: complete |
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BILLING CORNER Check out our billing page on our website. Here, you can submit your billing queries. You can also download Schedule of Benefits PDF excerpts dedicated to General Surgery billing codes.
Billing Corner Page |
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| BLOGS
Check out our blogs: President, Case Study and Resident Rostrum. We also accept GUEST blogging, so if you're interested in submitting something, let us know. We're interested in hearing your perspective on any topic. This and other features will begin to be password protected for members only in the new year.
OAGS Blog Page |
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Stay on top of your key 2026 tax deadlines with a physician‑friendly calendar designed to keep your planning smooth and stress‑free. Learn more |
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YOUR FEEDBACK Have a query or suggestion? We welcome your opinion. |
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Follow us on social media. Be sure to tag us if you'd like us to repost to our followers. |
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NOTE: You are receiving this email because you were either an OAGS member or event attendee within the last two years. Your membership may or may not be current. |
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