Doctors in revolt against their professional body came close but failed to fire the head of the Ontario Medical Association Sunday in a raucous meeting. The meeting did however issue a 55 percent rebuke of no-confidence in the OMA leadership. The drama took place at a meeting of the 260-member governing council of the OMA. But a vote to remove Virginia Walley and her six-member board did not gain the two-thirds majority needed to win. It did however garner nearly 50 peer cent support, a considerable slap at the executive. Many physicians want to engage in some form of job action after the OMA agreed to a salary package with the province that was later rejected by the membership. The OMA represents 29,000 doctors. It warned in December that job action – including moves that could affect patients was on the table. So far the provincial government refuses to submit its talks with doctors to binding arbitration.
