Health Professions and Occupations Act

• Doctors of BC’s CEO Anthony Knight moderated the webinar which began with a brief introduction from Doctors of BC’s President, Dr. Adam Thompson
• Dr Inderveer Mahal, Chair of the Council on Health Economics and Policy provided an update on Doctors of BC’s longstanding advocacy, highlighting key concerns we have continually raised with government regarding the HPOA.
• Dr Patrick Rowe, CEO and Registrar and Graeme Keirstead, General Counsel from the College and Benson Cowan, HPDT Director of Discipline then provided insight on their respective roles in complaints and investigations and how these will function moving forward. 

Representatives from the College were invited to describe their role in complaints and investigations under the HPOA.

As under the Health Professions Act, the College will continue to receive and investigate complaints. However, if the College determines the complaint is serious and should be considered for discipline, they will request that the Director of Discipline issue a citation. At this point, the complaint moves to the HPDT to determine appropriate disciplinary action.

The College also explained how the HPOA provides additional pre-investigative powers to more promptly address frivolous, vexatious, and trivial complaints.

The HPDT is an independent body that will oversee the discipline process for regulated health professions under the HPOA. Doctors of BC invited the HPDT’s Director of Discipline to speak to the structure of the Discipline Tribunal and how it will work with regulatory colleges in the discipline process.

The Discipline Tribunal’s role is to:

• Review requests for citations from regulatory colleges,
• Support consent resolutions between parties,
• Establish an impartial discipline panel comprised of a Vice Chair, Professional Member, and Public Member,
• Determine disciplinary action, and
• Hear appeals from disciplinary hearings.

The Director of Discipline emphasized a desire to resolve cases without a hearing, when appropriate, to avoid lengthy and challenging hearings. The HPDT is actively recruiting professional members to sit on discipline panels and continues to seek physicians’ interested in participating as panel members. 

The webinar culminated with a Q&A session where physicians submitted questions to the College and HPDT. 

Key areas of interest included:

• The handling of frivolous, vexatious, and trivial complaints
• Whether registrants have recourse following decisions made at the HPDT
• Information on the publication of and anonymity of certain complaints
• The expectations of physicians navigating the complaints investigations
• Physician obligations related to the duty to report colleagues
• The composition and selection process for discipline panels
• Definitions for key terms used to describe investigation and discipline processes
• How complaints currently in progress will be handled after April 1

The answers given by the College and HPDT to these questions can be found in the recording of the webinar.

• Health Professions and Occupations Act webpage (updated Mar 2026) 
• Health Professions and Occupations Act Q&A (Jan 2026)
• Key Responsibilities Infographic
• Health Professions and Occupations Regulatory Oversight Office
• Health Professions Discipline Tribunal
• Regulatory Modernization Update Newsletter #2 (June 2024)
• Regulatory Modernization Update Newsletter #1 (Dec 2023)

• HPOA general information and FAQs 
• HPOA bylaws
• Webinars on upcoming changes under the HPOA 
• Registrar’s message (Jan/Feb 2025) 
• Registrar’s Message (Jul/Aug 2024)

• Current and past BCHR Bulletins 
• HPOA Project webpage 
• FAQs

In addition to confirming that the HPOA will take effect on April 1, 2026, the Ministry of Health also:

• Announced amendments to the scope of practice of other health professions, limits or conditions of practice, and reserved titles.
• Added other professions (clinical perfusionists, respiratory therapists, radiation therapists, and medical laboratory technologists) to those regulated by the BC College of Physicians and Surgeons (effective November 29, 2027).
• Indicated that Physician Assistants will also become licensees of the BC College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Doctors of BC is working to understand the specifics and significance of these new changes introduced through the regulations and their impact on physicians.

The amalgamation of 11 health-professional colleges into two: The College of Health and Care Professionals of BC and the College of Complementary Health Professionals of BC.

Parts of the Act necessary to establish the Superintendent’s Office and amalgamate some health regulatory colleges come into force.

Bill 36 receives third reading and Royal Assent. The Health Professions and Occupations Act is enacted but not in force.

Bill 36 is introduced for first reading in the Legislature.

The Province releases its What We Heard consultation summary and its Steering Committee Recommendations report.

The Province releases a formal Consultation Paper on modernizing health profession regulation.

The Province undertakes direct engagement and releases an Engagement Summary.

The Cayton Report is publicly released. The Report was an inquiry into performance of the College of Dental Surgeons, with Part 2 being recommendations on broader health profession regulation modernization.