For the Public

The Inquiry Committee of the College of Health and Care Professionals of BC (CHCPBC) is responsible for addressing public complaints, registrant reports and investigations regarding the conduct, competence, and capacity/fitness of registrants. The Inquiry Committee is established under the Health Professions Act and is made up of members of the public and health professionals who are registrants of CHCPBC.

The Committee is responsible for investigating complaints involving any of the following issues:

• a registrant contravening the Health Professions Act, the regulation for the registrant’s health profession, or the College’s bylaws
• a registrant failing to comply with a limit or condition imposed under the HPA, the regulation for the registrant’s health profession, or the bylaws
• a registrant’s professional misconduct, sexual misconduct, or unethical conduct
• a registrant’s competence to practise their profession that the CHCPBC regulates
• a physical or mental ailment, an emotional disturbance, or an addiction to alcohol or drugs that impairs a registrant’s ability to practise

The nature of the Inquiry Committee’s investigation will depend on the complaint. Generally, an investigator will interview the registrant, the complainant and any relevant witnesses. The investigator may ask for additional information or documents from the complainant. Typically, the investigator will obtain patient/client health records from the registrant.

It is each registrant’s responsibility to practice in accordance with the Health Professions Act as well as CHCPBC bylaws, standards of practice and code of ethical conduct.

Health professionals must recognize that in any patient/client relationship — no matter who the patient/client is —an imbalance of power exists. By the very nature of the relationship, the health professional holds more power than the patient/client because the patient/client relies on the health professional for care. Ways to lessen that power imbalance exist, such as by using a patient/client-centred care model, but there will always be some imbalance inherent in any healthcare encounter.

Sexual misconduct includes:

• sexual intercourse or other forms of physical sexual relations between the registrant and the client
• touching, of a sexual nature, of the client by the registrant
• behaviour or remarks of a sexual nature by the registrant toward the client.

Zero tolerance of sexual misconduct by a registrant

Professional misconduct of a sexual nature is a misuse of power that violates the human dignity of clients seeking care for themselves or their relatives, or both. It is characterized as a violation of the relationship of trust and confidence that exists between clients and registrants. Such professional misconduct by any registrant, providing any type of care, in any practice setting, will not be tolerated by the College.

CHCPBC can only investigate complaints that fall within its statutory mandate. The College’s primary purpose is to protect the public from harm. For a complaint to be accepted for investigation, it must relate to unprofessional conduct or incompetent practice by a registrant of CHCPBC (a dietitian, occupational therapist, optician, optometrist, physical therapist, psychologist, or speech & hearing professional). Such conduct may include sexual misconduct or unethical conduct.

The College is unable to address:

• Claims for financial compensation or business disputes between health professionals.
• Ordering provision of specific assessment or treatment
• Providing advice on patient diagnosis and care
• Providing legal advice or assistance
• Employment disputes

No, the College cannot accept anonymous complaints. A copy of your complaint and evidence gathered through the course of the College’s investigation will be provided to the registrant whom you made the complaint against.

If you have a concern about the conduct or competence of a registrant of the College of Health and Care Professionals of BC (CHCPBC), you may submit a complaint to the College.

Complaints must be made in writing. You may submit a complaint through the following options:

• Use the Complaint Form.
• Contact CHCPBC by sending an email to complaints@chcpbc.org.
• Contact CHCPBC using the Contact Us form. In the form, under “Subject of Enquiry”, select “Complaints”.
• Mail a letter to:
  • Director of Inquiry and Discipline
    College of Health and Care Professionals of BC (CHCPBC)
    900-200 Granville Street
    Vancouver, BC V6C 1S4
    
    Canada Post update: After a four-week strike, Canada Post workers are back on the job. As there is a large backlog of mail to be sorted and delivered by Canada Post, CHCPBC continues to strongly encourage applicants, registrants, and members of the public to use alternate options for sending material to the College:
    • Drop off a letter at our Vancouver office.
    • Use a shipping or courier service to send a letter.
• Fax: 1-604-608-9863

You must provide your full name when submitting a complaint; CHCPBC is not able to accept anonymous complaints or complaints made by phone. You must also provide your contact information (address, phone number, and email address), complaint details, and name and profession of the professional you are complaining about. To look up a professional, see License Verification.

There is no time limit on submitting a complaint.

When you submit a complaint to the College of Health and Care Professionals of BC (CHCPBC) about a registrant’s conduct, it triggers a statutory process that provides them with procedural rights. Typically, the Inquiry Committee will disclose information about the complaint to the registrant during an investigation, including providing them with a copy of the complaint, as the registrant is generally entitled to receive the complaint so they have an opportunity to respond.

As a complainant, you should also be aware that as part of any investigation:

• information you provide to the College in connection with your complaint, including correspondence, documents and notes made by College staff about telephone calls that you make to the College, may be disclosed to the registrant
• information provided by you may be disclosed to other witnesses when this is considered necessary for the investigation of your complaint
• the registrant may be asked to respond to your complaint
• you may be required to provide further information relating to your complaint
• the College’s registrar or the Inquiry Committee may obtain copies of records relating to your complaint
• an investigator may contact you or anyone who may have additional information as part of the investigation.

The Inquiry Committee will keep the information it gathers confidential, except when it must disclose information as part of its investigation.

As a complainant, CHCPBC will provide you with regular updates about the status of the investigation. Once the Inquiry Committee decides on a course of action concerning the complaint, the College will provide you and the registrant with notice of its resolution (disposition).

The Inquiry Committee has four options for disposing of (resolving) complaints. The Inquiry Committee may:

1. Take no further action if the registrant’s conduct or competence was satisfactory, or if the information provided does not make a reasonable case for further action by the College.
2. Act informally to resolve the matter between you and the registrant, by taking any action the Inquiry Committee considers appropriate.
3. Reach a voluntary formal undertaking and consent agreement with the registrant. Measures that may be required under a formal undertaking and consent agreement include: reprimands, specified educational courses, limits/conditions on practice, or suspensions.
4. Direct a discipline hearing before the College’s Discipline Committee. A discipline hearing is a public process in which witnesses give testimony and evidence is submitted. Outcomes from a discipline hearing can range from a dismissal of the allegations to suspension or cancellation of registration.

If the Inquiry Committee disposes of your complaint but does not direct a discipline hearing, it will provide you with notice of its decision and a written explanation. If you are not satisfied with the Committee’s decision, you have the right to apply for a review by the

Health Professions Review Board (HPRB). If you wish to apply for a review, you must make an application to the HRPB within 30 days of receiving the Inquiry Committee’s decision letter. If the Inquiry Committee directs a discipline hearing, you will be notified, but may not apply for a review with the HPRB.

If the Inquiry Committee decides on a discipline hearing, it will direct the College’s registrar to issue a citation. The matter is then transferred to the Discipline Committee. This option is typically reserved for serious matters where the Inquiry Committee has been unable to obtain a consensual resolution.

Discipline hearings are formal adjudicative processes before Discipline Committee panels, which consist of members of the public and health professionals who are registrants of CHCPBC. If a hearing is set, as the complainant you may have to testify about the matters in the complaint.

CHCPBC may be awarded costs by the Discipline Committee. However, the committee does not have the authority to order a registrant to pay damages or financial compensation or to compel an apology.

Discipline hearings are open to the public. If there are discipline hearings scheduled, they are listed in the Discipline Hearings section below.

The Inquiry Committee must resolve complaints within timelines set under s.50.55 of the Health Professions Act (HPA), which permits the Committee a maximum of 255 days (approximately nine months) to resolve a complaint.

CHCPBC takes the unauthorized practice of the professions we regulate seriously. Unauthorized practice and unauthorized use of reserved titles are subject to legal action.

Anyone providing services within the regulated scope of practice of registered audiologists, dietitians, hearing instrument practitioners, occupational therapists, opticians, optometrists, physical therapists, psychologists, and speech-language pathologists in BC, and who does not hold the required registration status with CHCPBC or is not being supervised by a registrant, is breaking the law. Performing aspects of practice reserved for these regulated health professionals is unauthorized practice.

BC has a shared scope of practice and restricted activities model for regulated health professions under the Health Professions Act. This regulatory model was designed to enable inter-professional practice and team-based care, and to balance public safety and consumer choice. For more information on this regulatory model, please visit the Shared Scope of Practice and Restricted Activities page on the BC Ministry of Health website.

Restricted activities are a narrowly defined list of invasive, higher risk activities that must not be performed by any person in the course of providing health services, except the regulated health professionals who have been granted specific authority to do so by regulations enacted under the Health Professions Act.

A person engages in unauthorized practice when they perform a restricted activity without being registered as the type of health professional who has been granted authority to provide that restricted activity as part of their services.

Use of a title reserved for audiologists, dietitians, hearing instrument practitioners, occupational therapists, opticians, optometrists, physical therapists, psychologists, and speech-language pathologists in BC without current CHCPBC registration is unlawful.

CHCPBC also takes the unauthorized use of a title reserved by law for health professionals we regulate seriously. Reserved titles are a central and critical public protection element of BC’s health professions regulatory framework. For more information about reserved titles in BC, and to see which titles are reserved for CHCPBC registrants, please visit the Title Protection page on the B.C. Ministry of Health website.

In addition, health professionals who fail to renew their registration become non-registrants, and if they continue to practise after their registration has lapsed or been cancelled, then they are conducting unauthorized practice and unlawfully using a reserved title, and therefore are subject to legal action.

Unregistered individuals are legally prohibited from using these titles or their abbreviations. (Some individuals who are registrants of a health profession regulated by another regulatory health professional college are also granted legal authority to use some of these titles, such as “doctor”.)

If you are concerned that an individual may be engaging in unauthorized practice and/or unauthorized use of a reserved title, check to confirm if they are a registrant of the College by using our Licence Verification tool.

Individuals who engage in unauthorized practice and/or unauthorized use of a reserved title may be subject to legal action.

Because this type of report concerns individuals who are not registrants of the College, CHCPBC can accept anonymous reports of unauthorized practice and/or reserved title use.

To report unauthorized practice and/or unauthorized use of a reserved title, or for more information, please use the Contact Us form. Please note that the Contact Us form is not anonymous. Anonymous reports can be received by phone or email.

Gregory Mistal – Consent Agreement – May 4, 2021

Ms. Kameldeep Hundal – Consent Agreement – December 13, 2017

Ms. Yuh-Huey (Angela) Liou – Consent Agreement – February 20, 2017

Matthew Lam – Consent Agreement – June 28, 2022

Gregory Mistal – Consent Agreement – May 4, 2021

C. Marke Hambley – Consent Agreement – January 24, 2019

Christopher Thiessen – Discipline Order – November 2, 2020

Gurpeet Buttar – Discipline Order – July 26, 2018

Sohrab Mohammadi – Discipline Panel Decision – August 13, 2024

Mahmood Savji – Revised Consent Agreement – January 29, 2024

Shena Storness-Bliss – Undertaking – May 8, 2023

Mahmood Savji – Consent Agreement – May 6, 2021

Tom Hoedeman – Consent Agreement – October 15, 2020

Charles Cheung – Undertaking – September 11, 2020

William Lougheed – Press Release – August 3, 2017

Stacey Wiens – Undertaking – October 8, 2015

Steve Wiens – Undertaking – October 1, 2015

Dr. Wai-Sing Vincent Wu – Discipline Notice – July 1, 2016

Dr. Jerry Mackenzie – Discipline Notice – August 27, 2015

Amrutkar, Sanjay (PDF) – Consent Agreement, Updated – September 5, 2024

Amrutkar, Sanjay (PDF) – Consent Agreement – August 1, 2024

Kulasekaran, Madhavan (PDF) – Consent Agreement – August 1, 2024

Emberley, Ryan (PDF) – Consent Agreement – June 19, 2023

Mah, George (PDF) – Consent Agreement, Updated – April 24, 2023

Zuber, Riyad (PDF) – Extraordinary Action, Updated – March 8, 2023

Kalkman, Jacob Arie Cornelis (PDF) – Consent Agreement – January 19, 2023

McCordic, John (PDF) – Consent Agreement – August 27, 2021

Middleton, Edward (PDF) – Consent Agreement – July 22, 2021

Iorio, Stefan (PDF) – Extraordinary Action, Updated – July 7, 2021

Rezvani, Ahmad (PDF) – Extraordinary Action, Updated – June 17, 2021

Rezania, Shahab (PDF) – Extraordinary Action, Updated – June 15, 2021

Simpson, Angela (PDF) – Consent Agreement – May 18, 2021

Robertson, Guy (PDF) – Consent Agreement – February 2, 2021

Ramadass, Muralidharan (PDF) – Extraordinary Action, Updated December 10, 2020

Bains, Jagroop (PDF) – Extraordinary Action, Updated September 22, 2020

Mitchell, Rodney (PDF) – Consent Agreement – March 31, 2020

Witvoet, Stephen (PDF) – Consent Agreement – March 26, 2020

Witvoet, Stephen (PDF) – Extraordinary Action, Updated July 2, 2019

Phachu, Chetan (PDF) – Extraordinary Action, Updated June 18, 2019

McFadyen, Ross (PDF) – Extraordinary Action, Updated May 13, 2019

Wong Amanda (PDF) – Extraordinary Action, Updated – March 5, 2019

Wong, Waymen (PDF) – Consent Agreement – November 20, 2018

Stein, Dr. Barry – Undertakings – August 5, 2024

MCKEE, Scott – Limits and Conditions under section 20(2.1)(a) of the HPA Public Notification – May 1, 2024

SARUK, Dr. Karla – Undertakings – April 5, 2023

HANDLEY, William – Undertakings – February 9, 2023

STEIN, Dr. Barry – Undertakings – July 15, 2022

KEMLO, Ms. Emilie – Undertakings – May 26, 2022

MILLER, Dr. Kevin – Undertakings – May 25, 2022

LADD, Dr. Lori – Undertakings – May 5, 2022

A REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGIST – Undertakings – April 13, 2022

FREEMAN, Dr. Richard – Undertakings – March 28, 2022

TARASENCO, Ms. Irina – Undertakings – October 8, 2021

SHEWCHUK, Dr. Lloyd – Undertakings – May 20, 2021

HARDY, Dr. Cindy – Undertakings – January 21, 2021

KOT, Dr. Katherine – Notice of Resignation While Undertaking in Effect – October 19, 2020

JAMES, Dr. Owen – Undertakings – July 30, 2020

MILLER, Dr. Kevin – Undertakings – July 30, 2020

HARDY, Dr. Cindy – Undertakings – December 6, 2019

A REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGIST – Undertakings – December 5, 2019

A REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGIST – Undertakings – December 5, 2019

KOT, Dr. Katherine – Undertakings – August 20, 2019

MACPHERSON, Dr. E. Carol – Undertakings – February 14, 2019

POSTHUMA, Dr. Allan – Undertakings – January 1, 2019

DAYNE, Ms. Melina – Extraordinary Action – November 30, 2018

A Registered Psychologist – Undertakings – August 13, 2018

SKERL, Dr. Eva – Undertakings – June 21, 2018

PORTER, Dr. Stephen – Undertakings – December 29, 2017

SUTKER, Ms. Charlotte – Undertakings – October 5, 2017

CHAN, Dr. Anthony – Undertakings – October 5, 2017

SKERL, Dr. Eva – Undertakings – June 13, 2017

PATTERSON, Dr. Serena – Undertakings – May 24, 2017

DENNISTON, Dr. Carol – Undertakings – July 21, 2016

PATTERSON, Dr. Serena – Undertakings – March 31, 2016

WONG, Mr. David – Undertakings – October 9, 2015

WONG, Dr. Yuk Shuen – Undertakings – September 10, 2015

SUTKER, Ms. Charlotte – Undertakings – September 10, 2015

A REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGIST – Undertakings – August 15, 2015

WONG, Mr. David – Undertakings – July 9, 2015

STEWART, Ms. Elisabeth – Notice of Resignation during Investigation – March 27, 2015

VAN DAM, Dr. Carla – Notice of Resignation during Investigation – January 30, 2015

BROOK, Dr. William – Notice of Resignation during Investigation – January 1, 2015

GIGUERE, Ms. Emilie (Emily) – Undertakings – October 29, 2014

COCHRANE, Mr. Robert – Undertakings – October 24, 2014

ATKINSON, Dr. Randall (Randy) – Decisions – July 16, 2014

ATKINSON, Dr. Randall – Citations – May 14, 2014

MOSKAL, Dr. Rosemary – Undertakings – April 3, 2014

BRADSHAW, Dr. Richard – Undertakings – April 3, 2014

PROCHNAU, Dr. Holly – Undertakings – February 20, 2014

WONG, Dr. Yuk Shuen – Undertakings – January 28, 2014

CLARK, Dr. Timothy – Undertakings – October 18, 2013

BOGYO, Dr. Grant – Undertakings – July 31, 2013

HEARN, Dr. Richard Simon Fairfax – Undertakings – March 25, 2013

FREEMAN, Dr. Richard Jay – Undertakings – November 5, 2012

BINGEN, Dr. Robert Russell – Undertakings – November 5, 2012

BLOMME, Mr. Gerald Cyril – Undertakings – October 18, 2012

SLOAT, Dr. Sharolyn G. – Undertakings – October 18, 2012

MCEACHERN, Dr. Heather Mary – Undertakings – February 16, 2012

HEARN, Dr. Richard Simon Fairfax – Undertakings – July 22, 2010

A Registered Psychologist – Undertakings – July 22, 2010

SCHALLOW, Dr. John – Citations – March 31, 2010

DIETRICH, Dr. Anne Marie – Undertakings – March 4, 2010

BOUZRARA, Dr. Abdelaziz – Failure to Authorize CRC – January 21, 2010

NADEAU, Dr. Jeanne – Undertakings – November 19, 2009

CROCKETT, Dr. David – Undertakings – July 15, 2009

DAVID, Dr. Sara Joy – Undertakings – April 3, 2009

NADEAU, Dr. Jeanne – Undertakings – December 11, 2008

BINGEN, Dr. Robert – Undertakings – December 10, 2008

BURNSIDE, Dr. Barbara Janice – Undertakings – December 7, 2008

YOUNG, Dr. Jack – Undertakings – November 14, 2008

Roujan Khaledan – Consent Agreement – July 10, 2024

Michelle Nightingale – Consent Agreement – April 10, 2024

Sabitha Anirudhan Bhavaniveli – Extraordinary Action – January 29, 2024

Tarndeep Samra – Extraordinary Action – November 20, 2023

Sherri Millham – Consent Agreement – Updated – October 3, 2023

Caroline Chow – Extraordinary Action – August 11, 2023

Agnes Gradowski – Consent Agreement – May 2, 2023

Agnes Gradowski – Extraordinary Action – December 23, 2022

Nicolette Waite – Consent Agreement – December 8, 2022

Penelope Bacsfalvi – Consent Agreement – December 5, 2022

Michelle Nightingale – Extraordinary Action – November 3, 2022

Caroline Chow – Extraordinary Action – July 28, 2022

Agnes Gradowski – Consent Agreement – October 5, 2021

Karen Ursel – Consent Agreement – July 21, 2021

Carla Willock – Consent Agreement – July 13, 2021

Wendy Young – Order – April 28, 2021

David Kurbis – Consent Agreement – April 23, 2020

Kathleen Oddoux – Order – September 28, 2020

Kathleen Oddoux – Order – July 23, 2020

Wendy Young – Order – June 18, 2020

Kathleen Oddoux – Consent Agreement – August 7, 2019

Rados, Lana – Board Motion Regarding Public Safety – September 26, 2023

Anonymous – Unlawful Use of a Reserved Title – June 23, 2023

Gregory Mistal – Unlawful Use of a Reserved Title – May 26, 2023

Nagwa Yacoub – Unlawful Use of a Reserved Title – March 1, 2023

PHOENIX, Mr. Xander Patrice (UPDATED) – Board Motion Regarding Public Safety – May 27, 2022

LEISERSON, Mr. Victor – Board Motion Regarding Public Safety – July 16, 2021

OHM, Dr. Phyllis – Board Motion Regarding Public Safety – November 29, 2019

SMITH, Dr. Holly – Board Motion Regarding Public Safety – August 19, 2019

Anthony Wang – Unlawful Use of a Reserved Title – May 8, 2019

RYAN, Dr. Dorothy Mae – Board Motion Regarding Public Safety – January 18, 2019

LARRE, Dr. Lucien – Board Motion Regarding Public Safety – June 4, 2018

PROCHNAU (aka Fourchalk), Dr. Holly – Board Motion Regarding Public Safety – March 21, 2017

Anthony Wang – Unlawful Use of a Reserved Title – December 2, 2016

CONSIGLIO, Ms. Nell – Board Motion Regarding Public Safety – December 21, 2015