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Medical Matters: Farewell from Scott
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Medical Matters, September Messenger 2025 |
Posted September 11, 2025
Read time: 3 minutes
As you may recall, back in August 2024 I announced my plans to retire from CPSA. After 35 years in medicine, including the last eight as CPSA’s Registrar and CEO, that time has officially come.
I’ve been reflecting a lot on my time with CPSA. It has been a tremendous honour to have been your Registrar and, as much as I’m looking forward to my next challenges, I’m going to miss working with such an incredible group of physicians throughout Alberta.
People sometimes ask me, “Why would anyone want to be the Registrar?” In fairness, the regulatory college is not an organization most physicians feel a strong attraction to. In fact, many physicians might do everything possible to avoid the regulator, often thinking that we’re “out to get doctors.”
As a physician myself, and a leader at CPSA for the past several years, I can assure you that CPSA is not out to get you. Rather, CPSA exists to ensure that we, as a profession, are accountable to those we serve every day and to each other. If we want to be afforded the privilege we hold in society, we must be responsible for providing safe care. Having a Code of Ethics and Professionalism established by and for the profession demonstrates that we all know the standards we are expected to uphold. We can’t expect to have absolute autonomy and zero accountability. Self accountability—being answerable to yourself for your actions—also plays a role in regulation. If we make a mistake, it’s up to us to address that mistake, learn from the feedback we receive and be better as a result of it.
I’ve come to realize that often the wrong physicians are afraid of CPSA. Some of our very best physicians may receive complaints and feel shaken to their core. Meanwhile, a few potentially dangerous physicians are completely fearless of the regulator. The legislation is in place to protect patients from these rare, potentially dangerous physicians, but, unfortunately, it can create some extreme stress for good physicians who receive complaints.
Although we’re not quite there yet, CPSA has been working on flipping that perception: making things less stressful for those getting feedback in the form of a complaint while ensuring dangerous physicians are aware of the implications of their behaviour.
This is going to be a generational change that will require lots of work, not just from CPSA team members, but from every physician practising in Alberta. Self regulation means exactly that: it means regulating ourselves every day. Paying attention to our own health, staying current in our knowledge and looking for feedback that can help us grow and develop. It also means looking out for those around you. Reaching out to those you think are struggling and providing support when required, as well as contributing to the profession as a collective through physician-led regulation.
Being a physician is hard. We are all doing our best to juggle the many responsibilities that come with caring for people during their best and worst times, while working in demanding and constantly-changing environments. Taking on this challenging work alone only makes it harder. But if we support each other, empower one another and build strong, collaborative working relationships, it will make this work (and life, in general) that much easier.
To make a long story short, I didn’t take on the role of Registrar to go after doctors. I took on the role to help physicians be the best they can be and, as a result, help Albertans receive better, safer care.
I’m very happy to be handing over the role of Registrar and CEO to someone I have known for over 15 years now and for whom I have tremendous respect. Dr. Forestier brings an exceptional background in clinical leadership, healthcare system operations and public service. She began her career as a rural family physician in southern Alberta before joining the Canadian Armed Forces as a medical officer in 2003, embarking on a two-decade journey marked by meaningful service, teamwork and unique opportunities that took her across Canada and around the world. With strong Alberta roots and a deep commitment to healthcare leadership, Dr. Forestier is both proud and excited to be returning home.
Dr. Forestier may be the new Registrar, but the concept of self regulation means that her role will still only be a part of what self regulation actually means. I ask everyone to stay curious and engaged about the work CPSA does and the reason the organization exists, while considering ways to become more engaged in self regulation.
Thank you again for the work each of you do every day to provide safe and high-quality health care to your patients. I wish you all the best in the coming years!
Scott
Thank you for your exceptional service Dr McLeod, you have served the profession and public well, all the very best to you and your family in your future endeavours. Safe travels back to Ontario.
Dear Scott. Your departing letter is so very well written. After 47 years of practice, I couldn’t have done better at all to describe regulation and a snapshot of our profession. I am not quite ready to retire.! But I will remember the stability and determination that you brought to our profession during some very difficult years and during major cultural transitions.. now it’s not the time to take it easy ! Have fun in your next chapter! Yours Tom
Thank you very much for your excellent support and care.
We really understand and appreciate all what you have done
Wish you all the best in your future life
Thanks Scott for your service, despite your concerns listed above, you have directed the CPSA to a better and responsive body in keeping with the times and societal norms. Having said that I am glad that I haven’t had the opportunity to have ‘The Discussion” with you.
Best to you and your family going forward.
Cheers and BZ
Well said, Scott. Your leadership has completely reshaped my perspective on regulators (and yes, I may have once been the one asking, “Who would want to be a regulator?”). The impact you, your team, and the Council have made extends not only across Alberta, but across Canada. May the CPSA continue to lead the way, building on the foundation you’ve set. Wishing you all the best in this next chapter!
Thank you Scott for your tremendous leadership, your unquestionable integrity, and your steadfast dedication to both patients and the profession through very challenging times. I wish you and your family only the best in your next adventures.
Thank-you, Dr. McLeod, for these important thoughts and for your solid and principled leadership during some very challenging times for medicine. Wishing you all the very best.
Thanks much, best wishes
Dear Dr, McLeod / Scott, It was an honour serving with you in the Canadian Forces including overseas. It was an honour again have you lead our college. You are a fair, direct, principled, and open leader. All the best in your future challenges. I’m sure you will excel at those as you always have.
Scott
Thank you for your committment to protecting the public and guiding the profession by supporting of accurate investigations, due process and quality improvement. Because of you, and previous Registrars, Alberta is in a better place than when I moved here 35 years ago. You have been open to and have fostered new ideas, discussion and debate. We are all appreciative.
Enjoy Life
David
Well said and well done Scott: From the vantage of retirement – I look back on my long career in Alberta – over 40 years – and have only positive things to say about CPSA. I’ve appreciated your leadership, Scott. I’ve appreciated knowing that your phone and your door were always open to me for discussion of difficult issues. Enjoy a well earned retirement. Arnold Voth
Scott: I thoroughly enjoyed reading your “final post” and feel it reflects well on the person I have come to know and respect, as well as the mission of the CPSA. I have admired your professionalism, hard-work and dedication over your time in the CEO role. While we will miss you, you have set the profession up for success and likely mentored your successor for a smooth transition. Thank you for your service and best wishes for continued health, happiness and success in your future. Sincerely, Brian Rowe
Dr. McLeod, Scott; as you pass the torch you remind us we are a marathon team and our learnings needs to be passed to willing hands. Well done. Many of us are ready to work as a team, many others won’t even read this. Reducing vindictiveness is key to ongoing self-government and service to community. We are at another step in progress and we recognize your contributions and humanity.
Sincerely Randall Sargent, MD
Thank you Dr. Scott for your emphasis on self regulation, which as an Associate Physician 100 percent agree that self accountability is important part of self regulation. But time and again noticed that in our work environment this is not the case where we as an Associate Physician at odd hours in the night, have to take over the case handling of in-patient of such dangerous physician who put the onus throughout on us despite the limited scope of practice to deal with the case particularly at the time when the hospital are overwhelmed with admission and there is acute shortage of Associate Physician to work extended hours leading to burn out and frequent call in for sick leave.
Wonder whether the new Registrar would look into this matter and make matters easy for Associate Physician who are working extended long hours with inadequate remuneration from AHS.
Wish you the best in your future endeavour with good health and success.
One of my rare but truly positive interactions with the College was speaking with you—twice. You personally modeled the openness and collaboration you describe here, showing that physicians and managers can work together with genuine respect. While experiences like this aren’t common, you demonstrated the standard you hoped the College would embody: receptive, constructive, and supportive.
I look forward to working with Dr. Forestier and to seeing this approach become a constant across all interactions. Thank you, Dr. McLeod, for setting such a strong example.