The 2025 Spring elections for the ODA Board of Directors was a wake up call to our ODA leadership. Many Component societies, through their General Councillors had been unhappy with the government negotiations on the CDCP, provincial dental plan reimbursements, lack of transparency on ODA Finances, the removal and mistreatment of a fellow female board member for asking for transparency, and the general direction our association was moving towards in 2026.
Such dissatisfaction with both our leadership, and the many one-sided editorials by the then Ontario Dentist Editor Dr. Carlos Quiñonez, led Past President, Dr. Art Worth, to pen a letter of protest to the Board. This letter was wholly ignored and so Dr. Worth began making calls to other Past ODA Presidents, Component Society Presidents, and colleagues asking for their help in changing the ODA Strategic direction by changing the elected board members through the democratic election process. Dr. Worth enlisted the help of General Councillors, encouraged new members to run for office, supported the removal of Dr. Quiñonez (which was successful on the premise that he failed to disclose his benefitting financially from government consulting work), and also ran himself for the board.
His strategy was successful, and on his pledge to change the ODA from the inside out, five new Board of Directors were elected, including another Past ODA President, Dr. Victor Kutcher and Art, himself. Our members were excited and encouraged by the change – little did they realize, ODA CEO Frank Bevilacqua and the existing Office of the Chair (OOTC) which included Drs. David Brown, Maneesh Jain, and Brock Nicolucci were already planning to derail, with whatever means necessary, this new movement towards progressive change. This was not surprising, as Dr. Nicolucci was under investigation from a number of complainants for behaviour unbecoming of an ODA President. (Verified)
First began the isolating, criticisms, and withholding of information towards the new board members. At every meeting they were prevented from speaking and providing their full opinion. Dr. Maneesh Jain, at a local component society meeting is quoted as saying: “How could General Council elect these new board members who are totally inexperienced and unqualified?” (Verified). He must of forgotten that he was also once a newly elected and inexperienced board member. Leaks from ODA whistleblower staff have verified how new board members have been stifled in their presentation of new ideas, threatened with investigation, verbally censored, excluded from meetings, and verbally chastised for asking hard financial questions. This is not only bad leadership, it destroys the potential for consensus, but also goes against all good governance practices. Letters of complaints from these newly elected members have been ignored or censored by Dr. Brown from the rest of the board.
Next, the OOTC began a “witch hunt” using staff resources by virtue of ODA members’ dues, which ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, to find out who among the ODA membership was championing the cause of change. The old board members banded together in secrecy and enlisted their own Past ODA Presidents such as Drs. Jerry Smith, Bernie Dolansky, Peter Fendrich, and Ian MacConnachie to encourage the idea that this new movement for change was “out to destroy” the ODA. Members who spoke out were attacked with legal threats, having their ODA membership revoked, smeared through ODA media campaigns, and prevented from running to be councillors of their component societies. Drs. Maneesh Jain and Jonathan Mayer broke board confidentiality when they appeared at the Muskoka Simcoe Dental Society to prevent a past female ODA board member from running for a councillor position. This is absolutely egregious and runs against our ODA democratic process. Dr. Jonathon Mayer is currently under investigation for inappropriate comments/images he has presented on his social media, currently being investigated by the RCDSO. Dr. Ed Busvek has had multiple formal RCDSO complaints for “inappropriate proximity issues” and “failing to cooperate with the RCDSO” and is planning to run for VP of the board. Dr. Mayer is in jeopardy of NOT being ratified on his election to ODA Vice President. ODA insider staff have verified that a majority of ODA Board members do not wish to ratify Dr. Jonathan Mayer as he poses a reputational risk to the ODA.
The OOTC has enlisted the disgraced and unelected past board members to run for election again, and help set up an “anti-group” who through social media denigrate those who dare question the “old order.” They try to make anyone who is an advocate for change “a radical, a heretic, out to destroy the good old ODA.” How small-minded. They claim the ODA has done “so much for our members” – but refute any criticisms or revelations of malfeasance, even when presented with evidence at General Council.
Further, the OOTC now has sent notices to component societies informing THEM on how to run their own elections, to use the ODA digital (and rigged) voting system to have the OOTC choice of councillors elected to General Council. Every ODA Component Society has its own set of bylaws and protocols on how to elect their executive, run their elections, and who they may ask to speak and lecture at their meetings. The ODA Board has now conspired to meddle in our component societies and their electoral processes, by having ODA staff dictate to society executives on how to appoint, whom to appoint, and who to bar from running. This has happened recently at the Waterloo Wellington Dental Society, where Dr. Maneesh Jain sent insulting and inappropriate emails questioning the election of a certain WWDS councillor. When is it appropriate, if ever, for an ODA President to ask a component society president on why or who they elected? (Verified). More recently, unhappy with who was chosen as Vice President at the West Toronto Dental Society, the OOTC moved to insert themselves into the governance process and election by trying to bar one specific member who had already been acclaimed as a councillor, was verified to attend the General Council meeting and did so, and then was told his acclamation was null and void, even though no other candidate at the time came forward. This is absolutely undemocratic and reaks of election interference. When confronted with this, our current President, David Brown, did what he has done his entire term – not responded and ignored members’ letters. Dr. Brown himself, because of his incompetence has been formally asked, by a number of his own board members, to RESIGN.
More concerning is the OOTC’s strategy to limit who can run for the ODA Board of Directors, by trying to implement a series of ODA election bylaw changes that severely limit who, in our membership can run. Check your recent ODA communication, where buried inside all the babble is a proposed bylaw change, that no member asked for. These proposed bylaws were not scrutinized by the the Articles and ByLaws Subcommittee of which disgraced Dr. Jonathon Mayer is Chair, did not have full discussion at the Governance and Nominations Committee of which the inept Dr. Janet Leith is Chair, and has not been discussed for approval by the fully apprised ODA Board of Directors of which David Brown is Chair.
What is happening here? No proper ONCA or best governance practices in the ODA Board Manual are being followed, it remains leaderless under David Brown who defers all decisions to Frank Bevilacqua, who by his own staff has been accused of conspiring (through a leaked email) with ODA legal council Dan Fabiano, of submitting planted pre-planned questions into General Council through ODA sycophants on the promise of benefits such as speaking at the ODA ASM, Chairing ODA Committees or being awarded ODA Awards through a tainted Nominations and Awards Committee, under the Chairmanship of Dr. Paul Romansen.
Election interference and uncalled for bylaw changes are the last straw. If our members allow the ODA Board to dictate who should, and can run for all ODA elected positions, we have lost our right as dues paying ODA Members, through our elected General Council Members, to direct our Board to then enact the policy and strategic direction of OUR Association.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “ Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
29 Responses
This article pretty much sums up all that is currently wrong at the ODA. No less than four current ODA Board members are under investigation by RCDSO. It’s on the public record for all to see. There are numerous Human Rights Complaints against this board, and multiple unanswered investigations and complaints about a Past President for his inappropriate behaviour towards female board members, as well as ODA General Councillors. Nothing has been done. Nothing is transparent. Shame. Shame. Shame.
Who are the four board members under investigation by the RCDSO?
Jonathon Mayer
Janet Leith
Ed Busvek
Brock Nicolucci (just came off the board as past president)
This is fascinating and also quite disturbing. How would anyone have knowledge of RCDSO complaints against anyone? The entire process is supposed to be confidential; also, what does a mishap with a patient have to do with anything regarding organized dentistry? Doesn’t it rattle any of you who read these posts that there just might be a breach or a leak in the RCDSO? And they are feeding this information to your colleagues? Our regulator can now violate our privacy at their own whim for their own nefarious reasons. If you are ever the subject of a college complaint (trust me, it’s coming, no one is immune and this is the nature of our profession now) do you want that information blasted out there for all to see?
You’ll revel in the misfortune of others until it’s your turn.
No one “revels” in an RCDSO complaint. But it’s all on the public record. Go to the RCDSO website.
Are you the councillor from waterloo wellington or durahm
Why hasn’t elected ODA Vice President Jonathon Mayer resigned yet? His posts were not approved by our ODA President. I thought the board only “speaks with one voice?” The University of Toronto Dean of Dentistry resigned immediately for his inappropriate posts?
That exactly why this article is true. The corrupts protect their own. Also, the dean at uoft has a sliver of dignity at least.
I think Dr. Nicolucci is not under investigation by the RCDSO, he is under investigation by the ODA President for his bullying of female board members, a complaint about accosting General Council Members, and possibly verbally assaulting both a current board member and Past ODA female president.
I heard from a past female board member it’s because Dr. Nicolucci stood up against these people, and they did not like it. All I can say is that when he came to visit us, he made a point in getting all our problems heard and answered. Only one who has listened in a long time.
The cowardice of the individuals behind this website is absolutely mind boggling.
Come out and show your faces, reveal your identity so we can see who is behind the campaign to smear our colleagues’ names
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For those of you who are reading these articles and all of these comments: ask yourselves who you want representing and serving you. Individuals with years of experience and service who may need some guidance as to how to make an imperfect organization run for the betterment of its members, or people who are behind and/or tacitly approve of mocking and defaming people they don’t agree with on a public forum. When the time comes and it’s you who is disagreeing with them, what makes you think your head won’t be on the chopping block?
If and when this organization falls into the hands of people who want to tear it down without any clear direction as to how to make it function better (and no, firing the CEO and a free ASM are not the answer) all of you who voted for this will get what you deserve. Be careful what you ask for.
the irony you attack anonymity and make yourself anonymous.
Many calls have been made for transparency and accountability in vain. They keep making things worse. I don’t care for your “experienced colleagues” when all they care about is to wine and dine without bothering to read the material on hand. Time for a change
The difference between anonymous comments and the “organizers”‘of this pitiful excuse of a website….
Anonymous commenter is not defaming, doxxing, or harassing colleagues online. Anonymous commenter is not the one violating anyone’s privacy by posting confidential salaries or information regarding ongoing RCDSO investigations. All of these actions, when the identities of the admin is eventually revealed, are going to be subject to massive civil and possible criminal lawsuits (not sure if you were aware that online harassment and bullying are criminal offenses). I think the OP’s know this. How brave of them to enlighten everyone while violating every single shred of human decency and common law under the cloak of anonymity, what an effective way to implement change in a volunteer professional organization. All over, as you claim above, excessive food and drink. And all while undermining their own credibility as well as that of ours as a profession in a public forum.
Since you are so dissatisfied and seem intent on justifying this awful and possibly illegal behaviour as a means to a end, why don’t you and the admins on here enlighten all of us with a post on how exactly you would improve the ODA, and some concrete strategies moving forward? Because we still have yet to see them. Maybe some “sycophants” and “defenders of the old guard” might actually be receptive if you offered some real solutions. Just an anonymous tip. So to speak.
Are you serious? You have way less to lose by disclosing your name but you still chose to be anonymous. They paid almost a million dollars, of our money, in legal fees to remove board members who disagreed with their corruption.
Yeah, I am serious. You want to know what these clowns are doing? Going onto people’s business websites and posting negative reviews using bots and fake accounts. You don’t think word gets around? Everyone knows what this group is up to. We do not live in a vacuum and word travels fast. How does that help the profession or their cause? How can YOU condone this kind of petty and childish behaviour? Speaks volumes about YOU. So,
sorry if I don’t want to “disclose my name” I’ve got enough drama in my life, I don’t need people messing around with my well-being and professional reputation. Irony coming from the people who claim they are afraid of speaking out against the ODA for fear of “consequences” and “repercussions” and yet they are trying to damage the reputations of the people who dare to disagree with them! Bunch of hypocrites, and what childish behaviour from a group of professionals. AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE PROFESSION.
It was stated before – be careful who you align yourself with. If you want these kinds of people leading you and guiding the future of the profession, good luck with that.
Just wondering if the current ODA board didn’t keep misbehaving and shooting themselves in the foot, if less people would be so upset? So it’s OK for Jonathan Mayer to say hurtful things online, but not anyone else? It’s OK for him to insult our Prime Minister, yet everyone else “is an embarrassment to our profession.” OUR profession embarrasses itself. We kicked off a former board member for “going outside the board,” and “breaching confidentiality.”yet when Jonathan Mayer does it, well “we don’t actually speak with one voice.” Who is the pathetic one here. You want solutions – here’s one – elect new board members and make sure the old disgraced ones don’t get de-elected. You want to talk about lawsuits and illegal – ask the board how many human rights complaints are before them.
you have a problem with Jon Mayer. so you attack everyone else including volunteers, people who left the board a year ago, and others who have nothing to do with what he posted online? your argument of “Jon Mayer did this therefore we can do it too” is childish and makes your movement lack credibility.
“Cowardice,” is when you are so afraid that you refuse to see the nonsense going on at the ODA board. If the board was serving its members why would so many be upset? Why were so many voted off? This dissatisfaction was NOT created by “a radical small group.” It was created by the current ODA leadership. Johnathan Mayer shooting himself in the foot is just another in the slew of embarrassments by leaders that are frankly – unacceptable.