Message from the Registrar
How should health care professionals and regulatory bodies respond in an era of political polarization, disinformation and with declining trust in both governments and professional expertise? Does it matter if regulators and professionals diverge when it comes to professional standards, competency measures and scientific evidence? These are some of the topics explored last month by Dr. Zubin Austin, in a presentation titled Regulation and “Wicked Problems”: Addressing issues in the public interest – or scope creep?
Dr. Austin’s webinar was – and is – incredibly relevant both for professionals delivering care directly, and for CHCPBC as a regulatory body. He provided a thoughtful and provocative analysis of the challenges we face as participants in the health–care system.
We received a number of positive comments from attendees about Dr. Austin’s presentation, which is available to As one participant wrote: “This learning event was an important step in signaling to members a new and more enlightened approach to the regulation of Health Professionals in BC.”
CHCPBC intends to offer more leaning opportunities in the future, on topics such as the incoming Health Professions and Occupations Act, how to promote health equity in the delivery of care, and supporting registrants to implement regulatory standards and policies in practice.
Harmonizing our practice standards across all nine professions
The topic of practice standards is also timely for us as an organization. A regulatory standard reflects the expected and achievable level of performance against which actual performance can be compared.
Upon the amalgamation to create CHCPBC, all legacy standards for the nine professions remained in place. As a result, inconsistencies and discrepancies exist. We also need to ensure that we uphold the expectations for regulatory standards as set out in the incoming Health Professions and Occupations Act.
There is a project underway to develop harmonized standards and one code of ethics. Profession-specific requirements will not be lost; to this end our work will be informed by the expertise of our practitioners on staff, the Professional Practice and Standards Advisory Committee, and broad consultation with registrants and the public.
Your feedback on draft HPOA bylaws
Finally, I want to thank everyone who has responded to our public consultation about CHPCBC’s draft bylaws under the Health Professions and Occupations Act. The final bylaws will be approved by the Board and will come into effect upon implementation of the HPOA on April 1, 2026.
It is clear from the feedback we’ve received thus far that commenters have put time and care into their review of the draft bylaws. Each submission is being read and considered carefully.
There are currently three draft bylaw parts open for consultation, with additional bylaw parts being posted in the weeks to come. You can provide feedback and follow our progress on the HPOA Bylaws Consultation page of our website.
As a new regulatory college, we truly appreciate all the ways registrants have engaged with us over our first year, and we welcome your participation as we continue our transformation as a modern multi-profession regulatory college.
Dianne Millette
Registrar and CEO
College of Health and Care Professionals of BC
