April 1, 2026 marks a significant milestone for the College of Health and Care Professionals of BC and for the regulation of health professions in our province. Today, the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) comes into force. The HPOA introduces many changes to the way Colleges regulate health professionals including:
- New requirements for anti-discrimination, improved governance, strengthened oversight of health profession regulatory colleges (through the Health Professions and Occupations Regulatory Oversight Office), a safer complaints and adjudication process, and better information sharing;
- A set of guiding principles that health professions regulators will be required to adhere to;
- An expanded list of duties that regulated health professionals will be required to uphold;
- Changes in regulatory language, including referring to “licensees” instead of “registrants.”
As part of our work to fulfil our obligations under the HPOA, CHCPBC has implemented a new set of Bylaws that are aligned with the new legislation, and Ethics and Practice Standards that outline the minimum level of acceptable performance required of licensees to ensure ethical and safe care for the public.
Under the new legislation, our commitment to high quality regulation of health professionals remains unchanged.
The tools and resources you rely on to access regulatory programs are still available to you. You can verify a health professional’s licensure status through the Public Registry, and share concerns through our complaints process. New support programs are now available, providing complainants with access to counselling and other services throughout the complaint process. Anyone who has a question about CHCPBC’s expectations for safe, ethical, and quality practice can contact our practice support team.
We look forward to serving the public with the same commitment that has brought us to this day.
