History
CORA was formed in 1994 as an offshoot of the previous Canadian Council on Optometric Education and Regulatory Authorities (CCOERA). At the time, its only purpose was to administer the newly created Canadian Standard Assessment in Optometry (CSAO) - our first national exam recognized by all provinces for registration purposes. Within a couple of years, CCOERA recognized that it could not fulfill its mandate with its existing organizational structure. At that point, CCOERA was disbanded. CORA was officially formed as the national voice for regulatory and registration issues and the Canadian Examiners in Optometry (CEO) was formed to administer the CSAO on behalf of CORA's members.
Recently, CORA has redrafted its Governance and Operational Policies to better reflect the evolving profession of optometry, the proclamation of new legislation (such as the AIT), increased inter-professional collaboration and the changing provision of health care services in Canada. We have also modified our internal structure to now include representation from all 10 provinces and 3 territories.
