Hearing Committee

After review by the Investigation Committee, your complaint may be referred to a Hearing Committee.

At this point, the College becomes the formal complainant and charges are filed against the physician.

A hearing committee is made up of physicians and members of the public

The hearing process is similar to a trial, with sworn evidence and legal submissions by a prosecutor acting for the College and a lawyer representing the physician.

The hearing committee can:

request that you attend the hearing and testify;
ask the physician to testify;
call others to testify including experts and/or witnesses;
accept submissions of evidence; and/or
impose a publication ban.

Resolutions and outcomes

Settlement Agreement:

In some cases, the matter may be resolved with a settlement agreement before the hearing process beings.

The Hearing Committee can authorize one or more of the following:

Reprimand: a finding of professional misconduct is entered on a physician’s formal disciplinary record. This can come with sanctions, including:

suspension
ongoing restrictions or conditions
mandatory training
health assessment if there are concerns that their health is affecting their ability to practise
fines
payment of some of the costs associated with the hearing

Revocation:

revoke the physician’s registration or licence and remove them from practice

A summary of the decision of the Hearing Committee is published on the College website unless there is a publication ban in place. Summaries do not disclose a patient’s identity.

Investigation Committee