Health Professions and Occupations Act

Health regulatory colleges in BC are currently governed by the Health Professions Act (HPA). The government has passed new legislation in order to modernize the way health professions are regulated. The Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) is set to replace the current act (the HPA) as the legislative framework governing health professions in British Columbia.

The HPOA was passed in BC Legislative Assembly in November 2022, and is anticipated to come into force in 2025. Until then, the HPA remains the legislation governing oral health professionals and health regulatory colleges in BC.

The HPOA is a government initiative. According to the Ministry of Health, the new legislation enables:

Further amalgamations to reduce the number of health regulatory colleges
Creation of an oversight body that will promote accountability, transparency and consistency across regulatory colleges
Improved transparency and accountability around complaints, with information about agreements between colleges and registrants made public.
Commitment to cultural safety and humility, with discrimination as a form of professional misconduct or actionable conduct
Information sharing between colleges and other agencies to enhance public safety and protection
Improved governance, with regulatory college board members appointed via a competency-based process

Transition to the new Act

Planning for BCCOHP’s transition from the HPA to the HPOA is underway. We are working closely with the BC Ministry of Health and BC’s other health profession regulators to prepare for the transition.

We are committed to keeping our audiences informed as we progress. BCCOHP will share updates, including the HPOA’s in-force date, as more information becomes available.

Background

The Health Professions and Occupations Act follows from:

Recommendations to modernize the provincial health profession regulatory framework (August 2020)
- These recommendations flowed from Part 2 of the Cayton Report (published April 2019)
In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in BC Health Care (November 2020)

For more information, read our past news posts >>