Mark MacKinnon

Mark R. MacKinnon is a Canadian government official based in Victoria, British Columbia. He is the Executive Director of Professional Regulation and Oversight at the British Columbia Ministry of Health.

MacKinnon attended the University of Victoria from 1983-1986 for his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and 1987-1990 for his Bachelor of Law.¹⁾

MacKinnon began working at the British Columbia Ministry of Employment and Investment in 1996 in the Gaming Project Office, and then Director of Gaming Policy Development and Coordination on the Lotteries Advisory Committee. He then worked as Executive Director for the Gaming Policy Secretariat, then the British Columbia Information, Science and Technology Agency from 1999-2001.

He fulfilled further roles at:

• British Columbia Ministry of Management Services (2001-2004)
• British Columbia Ministry of Labour and Citizens' Services (2004-2006)

From June 2007 to October 2013, MacKinnon served as Executive Director of Business Development at HealthLinkBC under the BC Public Service Agency.

In May 2014, he became Executive Director of Professional Regulation and Oversight at the British Columbia Ministry of Health.

On October 15, 2014, MacKinnon and Laurianne Jodouin participated in a meeting with an osteopathic practitioner named Anthony Mathews. Mathews brought several unexpected guests with him: a lobbyist named Michael Geoghegan, another osteopathic practitioner named Howard Dieno, and an unnamed notetaker. Geoghegan had previously registered as a lobbyist on behalf of Mathews for the purpose of establishing “recognition of UK trained Osteopaths.”²⁾

The topic of discussion was not disclosed in advance, but the group wound up proposing changes to how osteopathic practitioners are regulated.

MacKinnon and Jodouin noted in minutes from the meeting that the group raised some “interesting points in respect of the overall approach to professional regulation and oversight” that they intended to “give some thought to over the coming year.” Specifically, the “notion of an over-arching body/council to oversee all colleges” and “how to address public safety most effectively in relation to health occupations which are not subject to college oversight, and which do not warrant self-regulation.” The guests did not disclose whether they sought the meeting on their own behalf or on behalf of an outside interest.³⁾

MacKinnon was scheduled to attend a September 2017 meeting of the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia to provide board training.⁴⁾

In January 2018, MacKinnon met with the board of directors of the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC) to “discuss regulatory governance and role clarity.”⁵⁾

In May 2018, MacKinnon asked Brian Westgate to prepare guidance for how to deal with a regulatory college that “is not meeting its legal obligation” in response to so-called “anti-vaccination” statements by Avtar Jassal, Parm Rai and Gil Desaulniers, all chiropractors.⁶⁾

MacKinnon received a letter on June 24, 2019 from Doctors of BC President Kathleen Ross providing feedback on the so-called “Cayton Report,” noting the “relatively short timeframe for providing comments,” preventing the organization from canvassing its membership for input.⁷⁾

• September 13, 2021: College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia

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