Public Consultations

The Current Standards of Professional Conduct have been in effect since September 2017. The context in which professionals registered with the College offer services has evolved significantly since then. With the regulation of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) beginning in July 2024 and notable shifts in the practice environments of many existing members, updating the Standards is necessary to ensure their relevance and applicability to both ABA and psychology practices.

A Working Group, appointed by the Executive Committee of the College, undertook the development of the draft Standards. This group comprised Council and College members from diverse cultural backgrounds, including racial and gender diversity, as well as practitioners of ABA and psychology. Additionally, a public member of the College participated in the group.

The Working Group unanimously agreed to create a unified set of Standards applicable to both Psychology and ABA professions. The review process and recommended changes were guided by principles such as right touch regulation, clarity, avoidance of ambiguity, and ease of enforceability.

DOCUMENTS

A copy of the draft Standards of Professional Conduct, 2024 can be accessed below:

• Draft Standards of Professional Conduct, 2024

FEEDBACK

If you have any comments regarding these set of Standards we would like to hear from you. Please submit your feedback by completing this form before March 8, 2024:

The Psychology and Applied Behaviour Analysis Act, 2021 will establish the new College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario and will create the new health profession of applied behaviour analysis with its own distinct scope of practice. To prepare for the proclamation of the Act on July 1, 2024, the College must amend its By-laws to include the profession of applied behaviour analysis and the regulation of Behaviour Analysts. According to the Health Professions Procedural Code of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, amendments to By-laws must be circulated to members 60 days before it is approved by Council. Consultation is important to obtain feedback from current members of the psychology profession, as well as from future members of the profession of applied behaviour analysis, and the public more generally. The public consultation process ensures transparency regarding governance changes.

By-laws are required to establish the governance infrastructure of the College, and include domains such as elections to Council, the selection of the Executive Committee, committee composition, and the procedures for making, amending, or revoking By-laws. Each By-law was updated to ensure Behaviour Analyst representation and compliance with the new Act. The College Council approved the distribution of the By-laws for public consultation at their meeting on December 15, 2023.

DOCUMENTS

In order to assist you in reviewing the changes made, a Three Column Chart with Summary Changes has been prepared. A copy of the full College By-laws with tracked changes is also available:

• Three Column Chart with Summary Changes to By-laws
• Full College By-laws with Tracked

FEEDBACK

The College Council will be discussing these amendments at the March 2024 meeting. If you wish to provide any comments we would appreciate hearing from you by Friday, February 16, 2024.

Please submit your feedback by completing this brief form:

The College of Psychologists of Ontario is seeking your feedback on proposed amendments to the Registration Regulation in order to expand the “Temporary Emergency Class of Certificates of Registration” to include Behaviour Analysts. The creation of this temporary emergency class of registration is in preparation for the proclamation of the Psychology and Applied Behaviour Analysis Act, 2021.

On April 14, 2022, the Ontario government enacted the Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Act, 2022 which resulted in amendments to the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. These amendments required all health regulatory Colleges to develop regulations to create emergency classes of registration for each profession. The government of Ontario has determined that there is a need to expand health human resource capacity in the event of future emergencies, such as a pandemic. Temporary emergency registration regulations will be used to help Ontario respond and recover from pandemics and other emergencies by creating pathways to expedited registration for qualified practitioners in emergency contexts.

In alignment with the Ministry of Health’s requirements, temporary emergency regulations were created for the profession of psychology, and these changes, under the Psychology Act, 1991, were approved on August 31, 2023, by the Ministry of Health. To prepare for the proclamation of the Psychology and Applied Behaviour Analysis Act, 2021, which will create the new profession of Applied Behaviour Analysis, temporary emergency registration regulations must also be created, requiring similar amendments to the Act.

Links to the Details of the Proposed Amendments to Ontario Regulation 193/23 Registration

A three-column chart which shows the proposed revisions to the Registration Regulation, that will expand the “Temporary Emergency Class of Certificate of Registration” to include Behaviour Analysts can be viewed here. This chart indicates the Existing Clause, Proposed Amended Clause and the Explanation/Rationale for the amendment.

The full text of Ontario Regulation 193/23 Registration with the proposed amendments related to the amended Class, can be viewed here.

In order to facilitate the College’s submission of these Registration Regulation amendments, we would appreciate hearing from you by Friday, January 26, 2024.

The Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) requires proposed regulation amendments to be circulated for a minimum of 60 days. Following the consultations, Council will review the changes again alongside any feedback. Feedback will be presented in summary form. Feedback from individuals will be kept anonymous. Feedback on behalf of organizations may include the name of the organization. 

To view the consultation please click here.

The College of Psychologists of Ontario is seeking your feedback on proposed amendments to the Registration Regulation to create a “Temporary Emergency Class of Certificate of Registration ».

On April 14, 2022, the Ontario government enacted the Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Act, 2022 which will result in amendments to the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 which have not yet been brought into force.  These amendments require health regulatory Colleges to develop regulations creating an emergency class of registration.  The government of Ontario has determined the need to increase health human resource capacity to help Ontario respond and recover from the pandemic by enabling the implementation of amendments that include an “Emergency Class” of registration for qualified practitioners. 

It is recognized that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant increase in the need for mental health services.  The “Emergency Class” provisions required by the Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Act, 2022 relate however, to the emergency need for practitioners to handle the emergency needs of patients during the pandemic.  

The provisions of the amendments require the “Emergency Class” to include the following components:

1. The specific emergency circumstances that will cause the class to be open for application and renewal;
2. The registration criteria an applicant must meet in order to be eligible for this class of registration;
3. A time period of no more than a year duration, but renewable for the same period of time with no limit on the number of times they may be renewed as long as the emergency circumstance persists; and
4. The circumstances in which a member of the emergency class may apply for registration in another registration class and provide for exemptions from at least some registration requirements that would ordinarily apply to that other class of registration.

The College of Psychologists is proposing the creation of a “Temporary Emergency Class of Certificate of Registration” which, once approved by the Ontario government, will come into effect on August 31, 2023.

Links to the Details of the Proposed Amendments to Ontario Regulation 74/15 Registration

A three-column chart which shows the proposed revisions to the Registration Regulation, that will create a “Temporary Emergency Class of Certificate of Registration” can be viewed here. This chart indicates the Existing Clause, Proposed New Clause and the Explanation/Rationale for the amendment.

The full text of Ontario Regulation 74/15 Registration with the proposed amendments related to the new Class highlighted, can be viewed here.

In order to facilitate the College’s submission of these Registration Regulation amendments, we would appreciate hearing from you by Friday April 28, 2023.

Click here to provide your comments by Friday, April 28, 2023.

To view the consultation please click here.

The College of Psychologists is seeking your feedback regarding the draft Supervision Resource Manual, Third Edition, 2022 which may be found on the College website at: https://cpbao.ca/wp-content/uploads/Draft-Supervision-Resource-Manual-3rd-Edition-2022.pdf.

In September 2020, the College Council approved the formation of a Supervision Resource Manual Working Group.  This group was tasked to review the current Supervision Resource Manual (2009) to ensure it aligns with the Standards of Professional Conduct, 2017 and best practices in supervision, and  to support candidates entering the profession and the supervisors who give of their time and dedication to the growth of their supervisees.  The scope of work included:

1. Identification of current Supervision Resource Manual content to be revised/updated;
2. Review of relevant source material such as the Standards of Professional Conduct, 2017 and the Ontario Psychological Association’s Supervision Guidelines;
3. Proposing draft wording/revised structure for a new Supervision Resource Manual; and
4. Making recommendations for revisions to the Supervision Standards within the Standards of Professional Conduct, 2017 should the need for such changes be identified.

After many months of work, the Working Group has prepared a final draft of the Supervision Resource Manual to replace the edition in place since 2009.  Changes made reflect the evolution of the Registration Guidelines, Standards of the Profession, and the academic literature regarding supervision over the past decade.

This revised Manual supplements and augments the information provided by the College’s Registration Guidelines and Standards of Professional Conduct, 2017 and integrates information from several sources based on best practices in supervision, at the time of publication.  While members are already familiar with the Standards, candidates and College members are encouraged to review the Registration Guidelines which outline the requirements for entering the profession and for the period of authorized supervised practice.

This Manual is meant to provide guidance for members and those seeking registration with the College.  It provides practical information to help members of the College who agree to be supervisors for supervised practice members and/or who agree to provide supervision to members seeking to expand their authorized areas of practice.  It also provides information for members who wish to supervise individuals from other regulated health professions as well as unregulated providers.

The Supervision Resource Manual Working Group and the College Registration Committee would appreciate receiving your feedback on the structure and content of the draft revised Supervision Resource Manual by Friday, August 5^th, 2022.  Please provide your feedback by e-mail to: [email no longer active]

Please note:  This consultation relates to the work of the Supervision Resource Manual Working Group and therefore, other topics such as changes to the registration process, forms or protocols are outside the mandate of their work. 

Thank you very much for taking the time to provide us with your views.

At its meeting of December 17, 2021, the Council of the College of Psychologists passed a motion to circulate proposed amendments to By-law 5: Selection of Committee Chairs and Committee Members and By-law 20: Election to Council, Qualifications, Terms of Office, and Conditions for Disqualification.   The Health Professions Procedural Code being Schedule 2 of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA) requires that amendments to these By-laws be circulated to members 60 days before they receive final approval.  If you wish to comment on the proposed amendments, we would appreciate hearing from you by Monday, March 7, 2022, so your feedback can be included in the Council discussions at its next meeting.

BACKGROUND

In December 2020, the Ministry of Health released the College Performance Measurement Framework (CPMF). This document sets out several Standards considered to be “best practices” of regulatory excellence toward which all health regulatory Colleges in Ontario are to strive. Each Standard is accompanied by Measures to guide Colleges in achieving the Standard, and the Required Evidence of decisions, activities, processes, and verifiable results that demonstrate their achievement.

The College Council is proposing amendments to By-law 5 and By-law 20 in service of working toward achieving:

Standard 1: Council and statutory committee members have the knowledge, skills, and commitment needed to effectively execute their fiduciary role and responsibilities pertaining to the mandate of the College; and

Standard 2:  Council decisions are made in the public interest.

Some components of the Required Evidence are already in place.  The amendments are proposed to achieve the highlighted components not yet in place.

Standard 1

To achieve Standard 1 the College is required to demonstrate that members running for a seat on the Council or wishing to participate as a member of a College Committee, have received an orientation to the role and mandate of the College and its Committees prior to seeking the position, as highlighted in the Measure and Required Evidence shown below.

The College currently provides an orientation to professional and public members joining Council.  This is done however, after their election but prior to their first Council meeting.  Similarly, members appointed to College Committees receive an orientation to the work of that Committee usually at the first meeting; but after they have already been appointed.

The Standard suggests that it is important that members seeking election to Council or wishing to serve on a College Committee understand the mandate of the College, the responsibilities of Council and Committee membership, and the expectations on them as Council or Committee members.  Such information should be provided before one seeks nomination for election or expresses interest in working on a Committee so that members understand the nature of the position, to make a fully informed decision.  A key component of this orientation is an appreciation of the public interest/public protection mandate of the College in contrast to involvements one may have had through involvement on other psychology related Associations or Committees.

Amendments to By-laws 5 and 20 are needed to permit the College to require a member to participate in an orientation as part of the nomination process for a Council seat or as a requirement to serve on a College Committee. These amendments are shown in the attached By-laws with a brief description of the reason for the change.

Standard 1: Council and statutory committee members have the knowledge, skills, and commitment needed to effectively execute their fiduciary role and responsibilities pertaining to the mandate of the College

Measure:

1.1 Where possible, Council and Statutory Committee members demonstrate that they have the knowledge, skills, and commitment prior to becoming a member of Council or a Statutory Committee.

Required Evidence:

a. Professional members are eligible to stand for election to Council only after:
i. meeting pre-defined competency/suitability criteria, and
ii. attending an orientation training about the College’s mandate and expectations pertaining to the member’s role and responsibilities.

b. Statutory Committee candidates have:
i. met pre-defined competency/suitability criteria, and
ii. attended an orientation training about the mandate of the Committee and expectations pertaining to a member’s role and responsibilities.

c. Prior to attending their first meeting, public appointments to Council undertake an orientation training course about the College’s mandate and expectations pertaining to the appointee’s role and responsibilities. [Already in Place]

Standard 2

In striving to achieve Standard 2, the College must have a Council Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest policy. These are already in place. In addition however, the Standard suggests the need for a cooling off period in order to be eligible to run for Council.  The CPMF defines a cooling off period as:

Cooling off period refers to the time required before an individual can be elected to Council where an individual holds a position that could create an actual or perceived conflict of interest with respect to his or her role and responsibility at the college.

Currently, the College does not have a cooling off period, but rather requires that a member resign from any associations that could pose a potential conflict before taking the Council seat to which they are elected. As such an individual could, for example, be President of a psychology advocacy association up to one day before taking their seat on Council. The purpose of the cooling off period proposed in the Standard is to allow a member to ‘put some distance’ between their previous involvements and their council work to eliminate or reduce an actual or perceived conflict of interest.  As noted in the discussion regarding the orientation above, the mandate of the College is public protection and the public interest; in contrast to the professional advocacy role of other psychology associations. Decision to be made at Council must be through a consideration of the public interest.  While professional members are elected by members of the College in their geographic district; once at the Council table, their constituency is the public, not the members who elected them. 

A review of the policies of other health regulatory Colleges found that a one-year cooling off period is common and therefore this is the period suggested in the draft changes to the By-law 20: Election to Council, Qualifications, Terms of Office, and Conditions for Disqualification. That is, to be eligible to run for a seat on Council, a member must not have held a position in a psychology advocacy organization, for one year prior to the date of the election.

Standard 2: Council decisions are made in the public interest.

Measure

2.1 All decisions related to a Council’s strategic objectives, regulatory processes, and activities are impartial, evidence-informed, and advance the public interest.

Required Evidence

a. The College Council has a Code of Conduct and ‘Conflict of Interest’ policy that is accessible to the public. [Already in Place]

b. The College enforces cooling off periods.

c. The College has a conflict of interest questionnaire that all Council members must complete annually. [Already in Place]

In addition to the amendments noted above, some minor housekeeping changes are recommended.

By-laws with Tracked Changes

Copies of both By-law 5 and By-law 20, showing the amendments, with an accompanying explanation of the proposals are available for download below. Additions are shown as underlined in blue with deletions marked as strikeouts in red.

• By-law 5: Selection of Committee Chairs and Committee Members
• By-law 20: Election to Council, Qualifications, Terms of Office, and Conditions for Disqualification

Feedback

The College Council will be discussing these amendments at the March 2022 meeting. If you wish to provide any comments we would appreciate hearing from you by Monday, March 7, 2022.

Please submit your feedback by completing this brief form:

[This survey is now closed.]

To ensure transparency and to encourage engagement from College members, the public and other stakeholders, the feedback received will be posted on the website as part of the Council Materials for the March meeting. The College will make reasonable efforts to remove personal identifiers and information that may identify a third party prior to posting but will not review submissions for grammar, spelling or accuracy.

Rick Morris, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Registrar & Executive Director

At the June 2019 meeting of the Council of the College of Psychologists, amendments to By-Law 18: Fees were approved for consultation with the membership. According to the Health Professions Procedural Code being Schedule 2 under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, amendments to this By-law must be circulated to members 60 days before final Council approval [94(1)(s), 94(2)]. If you wish to comment on the proposal please do so by  Tuesday, September 10, 2019 to [email removed no longer active].  Please note that this By-law amendment does not contain a proposal for a change in regular member renewal fees.

Proposal

To amend By-law 18: Fees to authorize the College to establish a reduced membership fee of $240 to issue a Certificate of Registration Authorizing Interim Autonomous Practice for temporary practice to eligible out-of-province practitioners.    

Background

Each year the College receives a number of inquiries from out-of-province practitioners asking for authorization to continue to provide services to one of their clients who will be residing temporarily in Ontario for school or work. The Psychology Act, 1991 and the Registration Regulation do not permit the practice of psychology in Ontario unless a person is a member of the College. The College does not have a courtesy or temporary register as do many other jurisdictions which would permit a provider, registered in another jurisdiction, to temporarily practice here. The public interest would be served by permitting Ontario residents, including those residing in the province temporarily, be afforded the opportunity to receive appropriate, regulated psychological services.     

Currently, a practitioner wishing to provide services within Ontario, even temporarily, must apply for a Certificate of Registration Authorizing Interim Autonomous Practice. This Certificate is intended for individuals who wish to practice while taking steps to obtain a regular Certificate of Registration Authorizing Autonomous Practice. To qualify for this Certificate, they are required to pay full membership fees. This cost to an out-of-province practitioner to obtain registration solely to continue to provide service to one of their existing clients is often regarded as onerous and prohibitive and it discourages most licensed providers from registering with the College for this limited purpose. As a result, clients temporarily residing in Ontario are unable to continue with the practitioner with whom they have an established therapeutic relationship.    

To support clients who are moving to Ontario temporarily and who require continued psychological services while residing here, the College is developing a process for membership which would permit practitioners to continue to serve their clients, on a short-term basis, through telepsychology.    

The process would permit the College to issue a limited Certificate of Registration Authorizing Interim Autonomous Practice to practitioners registered in another Canadian jurisdiction or those holding a Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ) from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB):

a) for the purpose of providing direct and continuous psychological service in Ontario for up to one year, to an existing client who has moved to Ontario temporarily; and, 

b) at a reduced fee given the temporary and limited nature of the service to be provided.    

This Certificate would be subject to any Terms, Limitations, Conditions or other restrictions in effect within the practitioner’s home jurisdiction or imposed by our College’s Registration Committee. In addition, the practitioner would be required to enter into an Undertaking and Agreement with the College to:

a) Provide services only to existing clients from their home jurisdiction who are temporarily residing in Ontario and for whom it would be clinically ill advised or impractical to transfer service;

b) Remain in good standing and retain full, active status membership in the home jurisdiction;

c) Provide a reason for the request, including an anticipated estimated length of service needed;

d) Be familiar, and agree to comply, with the College’s Standards of Professional Conduct and Professional Misconduct Regulation and all other jurisprudence applicable to Ontario members; and,

e) Be subject to the complaints and discipline authority of the College.    

Fees

Currently, Interim Autonomous Practice Members are required to pay the regular membership fee of $795 per year in addition to a $100 application fee. This permits them to practice full time in Ontario, without restrictions, while working toward full autonomous practice in Ontario.     

Given the limited scope of the the Certificate to be issued for temporary practice in Ontario, the College Council is recommending a reduced membership fee of $240 in addition to the standard $100 application fee. As with other Certificates, this would be prorated monthly for the period it was in force. An amendment to By-Law 18: Fees is required to establish this fee by including the addition of 18.4 f. shown in blue.     

18.4  The annual fee for membership is,

a. $795 for members who hold

1. a Certificate of Registration Authorizing Autonomous Practice,

2. a Certificate of Registration Authorizing Interim Autonomous Practice,

b. $550 for members who hold a Certificate of Registration Authorizing Supervised Practice;

c. $238.50 for members who hold an Inactive Certificate of Registration;

d. $50 for members who hold a Retired Certificate of Registration;

e. $397.50 for members who hold an Academic Certificate of Registration; and,

f.  $240 for members who hold a Certificate of Registration Authorizing Interim Autonomous Practice for temporary, limited practice and who have entered into an Undertaking and Agreement with the College. 

Briefing Notes were prepared for Council regarding the development of this mechanism for Practice in Ontario by Practitioners from Other Canadian Jurisdictions or those Holding a Certificate of Professional Qualification (CPQ) from the Association of States and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) as well as the proposed amendment to By-Law 18: Fees. These are available on pages 45-49 of the June 2019 College Meeting Materials Package.

If you have any comments regarding this fee proposal we would like to hear from you. Please email your feedback to [email removed no longer active] by Tuesday, September 10, 2019.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Rick Morris, Ph.D., C.Psych.

Registrar & Executive Director

The College is undertaking a broad consultation regarding the recent decision of the College Council to permit all members, regardless of their qualifying academic degree, to use the title Psychologist. To facilitate this consultation, please complete the survey on the Use of the Title Psychologist by all Providers of Psychological Services in Ontario. [Link for survey is no longer available as this consultation is now closed.]

 To ensure transparency and to encourage engagement of College members, the public and other stakeholders, a summary of the feedback received will be posted on the website as part of the Council Materials for the June 2019 meeting. The College will make reasonable efforts to remove personal identifiers and information that may identify a third party prior to posting but will not review submissions for grammar, spelling or accuracy.

Your response to the survey by Friday, April 12, 2019 would be appreciated.

Rick Morris, Ph.D., C.Psych.Registrar & Executive Director 

Amendments: By-law 5: Selection of Committee Chairs and Committee

Members and By-law 21: Committee Composition
At the meeting of the Council of the College of Psychologists held on June 22, 2018, a motion was passed to circulate proposed amendments to By-law 5: Selection of Committee Chairs and Committee Members and to By-law 21: Committee Composition. According to the Health Professions Procedural Code being Schedule 2 of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA), amendments to some By-laws must be circulated to members 60 days before they are approved by Council. If you wish to comment on the proposals, we would appreciate hearing from you by Friday, August 31, 2018 so your feedback can be included in the Council discussions at its next meeting.

There are a number of changes to By-law 5: Selection of Committee Chairs and Committee Members, many of which are ‘housekeeping’. The most substantive change relates to delineating the role of the Chair of the Committee and the introduction of a Vice-Chair position. Close communication between the Committees and the Council is very important. As not all Committee Chairs are necessarily members of Council, the role of Vice-Chair was introduced with the requirement that at least one of the Chair or Vice-Chair must be a member of Council. In this way, Council will have a direct line of communication to each Committee.
 
The change to By-law 21: Committee Composition is relatively minor. In describing the composition of the Registration Committee, the Council wished to emphasize the need for the Committee to have members who are familiar with the psychology training programs. While not a strict requirement, the change to the By-law would suggest that Registration Committee membership should include members with « academic involvement ».

Click here for a copy of By-law 5: Selection of Committee Chairs and Committee Members showing the amendments with an accompanying explanation of the proposals. Additions are shown as underlined in blue with deletions marked as strikeouts in red.  By-law 21: Committee Composition, with the proposed changes is available by clicking here.  

The College Council will be discussing these amendments at the September 2018 meeting. If you wish to provide any comments we would appreciate hearing from you by Tuesday, September 4, 2018.
 
Please submit your feedback to: [email no longer in use, please send any questions to cpo@cpo.on.ca]

To ensure transparency and to encourage engagement from College members, the public and other stakeholders, the feedback received will be posted on the website as part of the Council Materials for the September meeting. The College will make reasonable efforts to remove personal identifiers and information that may identify a third party prior to posting but will not review submissions for grammar, spelling or accuracy.

Rick Morris, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Registrar & Executive Director

At the meeting of the Council of the College of Psychologists held on March 9, 2018, a motion was passed to circulate proposed amendments to By-law 25: The Register and Related Matters. According to the Health Professions Procedural Code being schedule 2 of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA), amendments to this By-law must be circulated to members 60 days before it is approved by Council. If you wish to comment on the proposals, we would appreciate hearing from you by Monday, June 18, 2018 so your feedback can be included in the Council discussions at its next meeting.

Amendments to the RHPA made in May 2017 necessitate changes to our College’s Register By-law. A review of the By-law suggested that several sections are no longer necessary as the matters are now captured in the legislative amendments. In addition, the Council is proposing some changes and edits related to transparency initiatives, other items that have been brought to the College’s attention, as well as some housekeeping changes to be addressed while the By-law is being amended.

The most substantive amendment relates to the posting of full reprimands issued by the Discipline Committee. It is currently the practice of many other health regulatory Colleges to post the entire reprimand rather than just a synopsis, as expressly required by legislation. The College Discipline Committee is of the opinion that the full reprimand, not only a summary, should consistently be posted on the public register as this is the most transparent approach. The Committee noted that only posting a summary could give rise to concerns regarding the decisions made as to which parts of the reprimand were posted and which were withheld.

Click here for a copy of By-law 25: The Register and Related Matters showing the amendments with an accompanying explanation of the proposals. Additions are shown as underlined in blue with deletions marked as strikeouts in red.

The College Council will be discussing these amendments at the June 2018 meeting. If you wish to provide any comments we would appreciate hearing from you by Monday, June 18, 2018. Please submit your feedback to [email removed, no longer active].

To ensure transparency and encourage engagement from College members, members of the public and other stakeholders, the feedback received will be posted on the website as part of the Council Materials for the June 2018 meeting. The College will make reasonable efforts to remove personal identifiers and information that may identify a third party prior to posting but will not review submissions for grammar, spelling or accuracy.

Rick Morris, Ph.D., C.Psych.

Registrar and Executive Director

To download the consultation with the proposed changes to By-law 18: Fees please click here.

Introduction
At the meeting of the Council of the College of Psychologists held on September 15, 2017, a motion was passed to circulate proposed amendments to By-Law 18: Fees. According to the Health Professions Procedural Code under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, amendments to this By-law must be circulated to members 60 days before it is approved by Council [94(1)(s), 94(2)]. If you wish to comment on the following proposal, we would appreciate hearing from you by Monday, November 27, 2017.

Please note that the By-law amendment does not contain a proposal for a change in annual member renewal fees.

Rationale
Over the past year, a number of matters have arisen suggesting the need for amendments to By-law 18: Fees. The By-law was previously reviewed in 2016-2017 with changes made to the fees charged for new member examinations and for professional corporation applications and renewals. No changes to College membership fees are being considered at this time. The amendments being proposed relate to: 

1. Housekeeping deletion of section related to anticipated proclamation of the Registration Regulation which has subsequently been proclaimed;
2. Administration Fee charged to members who do not submit their Quality Assurance documentation on time and as required;
3. Professional Corporation fees for non-renewal of the Certificate of Authorization on time; and,
4. Fees Related to Orders and Directions of the College.

 Background
 
1. Housekeeping Amendment
When By-law 18: Fees was amended in December 2014, section 18.4 was inserted in anticipation of the proclamation of the amended Registration Regulation. This did not affect member fees but was inserted to ensure the language of the By-law was consistent with that of the anticipated Regulation. The amended Registration Regulation was proclaimed in April 2015 and therefore, this transitional section is no longer required.

2. Quality Assurance Administration Fee
Currently, By-law 18: Fees states that:

18.7 A fee of $25.00 shall be paid by a member who is sent a second reminder letter notifying the member of failure to complete the mandatory Declaration of Completion related to the Self-Assessment Guide and Professional Development Plan.

Since this section of the By-law was introduced, there have been changes to the Quality Assurance Program which expand the mandatory requirements to include those associated with continuing professional development. In addition, the Quality Assurance Committee has determined that $25.00 is insufficient both in terms of the considerable administration time spent following up with some members who do not submit the required forms or as an incentive to members to complete the requirements on time.

In consideration of the above, the proposed amendment would capture both the expanded mandatory requirements and increase the administration fee charged. The amended wording, to be included in a new section entitled Fees Related to Orders and Directions of the College would read:

 18.19(b) For the College’s Quality Assurance Program, a fee of $100 for failure to complete any of the mandatory requirements of the College’s Quality Assurance Program within the timelines established by the Quality Assurance Committee.

3. Professional Corporation Fee
Currently, By-law 18: Fees states that:
18.17 A professional corporation or a member listed in the College’s records as a shareholder of a professional corporation shall pay an administrative of $50.00 for each notice sent by the Registrar to the corporation or member for failure of the corporation to renew its certificate of authorization on time. The fee is due within 30 days of the notice being sent.

The amendment to By-law 18: Fees would delete this section. Since this section of the By-law was introduced, there have been changes in the process used to notify members regarding outstanding renewal of the certificate of authorization for their corporation. The College no longer sends reminders of overdue renewals but rather issues the required 60-day Notice of Revocation on past due renewals. This Notice serves as the reminder and is then enforced at the end of the 60-day period. There is no administration fee charged for the issuance of the Notice.

4. Fees Related to Orders and Directions of the College
Currently, By-law 18: Fees does not speak to the College’s authority to require a member to pay for costs associated with any order or direction that a Committee of the College is authorized, by statute, to make with respect to a member. This includes the authority of the Discipline and/or Fitness to Practice Committee to impose orders requiring a remedial, educational, mentorship and/or monitoring components which have associated costs. Included also are fees for monitoring, supervision, or assessment pursuant to a decision of the Registration Committee or for Specified Continuing Education or Remedial Programs (SCERP) or other orders imposed under the authority of the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee. The amendment to By-law-18 is proposed to make clear and transparent that costs associated with such orders or directions of the College are the responsibility of the member.

In keeping with this, a new section is added to By-law 18: Fees to read:

Committee and Program Fees
18.20 The Registrar may charge members a fee for anything that a committee of the College is required or authorized to do under statute or regulations.

18.21 Committee and program fees include, but are not limited to, the following:
(a) Cost of hearings or other items ordered by the Discipline Committee;
(b) For the College’s Quality Assurance Program, a fee of $100 for failure to complete any of the mandatory requirements of the College’s Quality Assurance Program within the timelines established by the Quality Assurance Committee;
(c) For individual education or remediation programs, the fee charged by and payable to the supervisor, monitor, mentor or program;
(d) For monitoring, supervision, or assessment pursuant to a decision of the Registration Committee, the fee charged by and payable to the monitor, supervisor, mentor or assessor;
(e) Fees and/or costs related to activities, including but not limited to programs and assessments, referred to in acknowledgements and undertakings entered into by a member with the College; and,
(f) Fees and/or costs related to orders and directions of the College Committees.

18.22 Any outstanding balance owed to the College in respect of any decisions made by a Committee, and any fees payable under this By-law will be added to and included in the member’s annual fees.

Discussion and approval of these amendments will be on the agenda for the December 2017 meeting of the College Council. If you wish to comment on the proposal we would appreciate hearing from you by Monday, November 27, 2017. You may do so by emailing: [email no longer in use]

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Rick Morris, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Registrar and Executive Director

To download the consultation with the proposed amendments to By-law 20: Election to Council, Qualifications, Terms of Office and Conditions for Disqualification please click here.

At the meeting of the Council of the College of Psychologists held on September 15, 2017, a motion was passed to circulate proposed amendments to By-law 20: Election to Council, Qualifications, Terms of Office and Conditions for Disqualification. According to the Health Professions Procedural Code under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, amendments to this By-law must be circulated to members 60 days before it is approved by Council [94(1)(s), 94(2)]. If you wish to comment on the following proposal, we would appreciate hearing from you by Monday, November 27, 2017.

Beginning in June 2016, the College Council began to consider several amendments to By-law 20: Election to Council. . . These included revised criteria for the appointment of academic members, changes to the process for opting into Electoral District 7 (Psychological Associates), and housekeeping amendments related to the use of the online nominations and balloting process.

Click here for a copy of By-law 20: Election to Council, Qualifications, Terms of Office and Conditions for Disqualification showing the amendments with an accompanying explanation for the proposals.

The College Council will be discussing these amendments at the December 2017 meeting. If you wish to comment on the proposal we would appreciate hearing from you by Monday, November 27, 2017.

You can submit your feedback to [email no longer in use]  Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Rick Morris, Ph.D., C.Psych.
Registrar and Executive Director

At the meeting of the Council of the College of Psychologists held on June 23, 2017, a motion was passed to circulate to the membership proposed amendments to By-Law 21: Committee Composition. According to the Health Professions Procedural Code under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, amendments to this By-law must be circulated to members 60 days before it is approved by Council [94(1)(h.2), 94(2)]. If you wish to comment on the following proposal, we would appreciate hearing from you by Thursday, August 31, 2017.

The proposed amendments specifically relate to the membership of the Fitness to Practice Committee, the Quality Assurance Committee, and the Client Relations Committee and, if approved, would provide for the option to permit additional appointments to these Committees.

Currently, the By-law prescribes the Committee membership as follows:

Fitness to Practice Committee:
i.   two members of the Council who are members of the College;
ii.  one member of the Council appointed to the Council by the Lieutenant  Governor in Council;
iii. two members of the College who are not members of the Council

Quality Assurance Committee:
i.   two members of the Council who are members of the College;
ii.  one member of the Council appointed to the Council by the Lieutenant  Governor in Council;
iii. two members of the College who are not members of the Council
 
Client Relations Committee:
i.   two members of the Council who are members of the College;
ii.  two members of the Council appointed to the Council by the Lieutenant  Governor in Council;
iii. two members of the College who are not members of the Council

The proposal, if approved, would make the current membership composition the minimum while allowing for additional appointments, if necessary. This would be accomplished by inserting the words « at least » before each statement, e.g., « at least two members of the Council who are members of the College ».

In considering the Committee appointments for 2017-2018, the Nominations and Leadership Development Committee and the Executive Committee noted that a specific number of members is prescribed in the By-law for the Fitness to Practice, Quality Assurance and Client Relations Committees. This is in contrasts with the other Committees in which the number of appointments is a prescribed minimum. It was seen to be appropriate to amend the composition for these three Committees making them consistent with the composition requirements of the other College Committees. Such an amendment would permit the appointment of additional members of the profession who have expressed interest in College Committee work and, as well, allow for increased membership to be dependent upon the Committee workload.

If approved, By-Law 21: Committee Composition, would read as follows (insertions noted in blue).
21.5  The Fitness to Practice Committee shall be composed of:
(a) at least two members of the Council who are members of the College;
(b) at least one member of the Council appointed to the Council by the Lieutenant  Governor in Council;
(c) at least two members of the College who are not members of the Council

21.6  The Quality Assurance Committee shall be composed of:
(a) at least two members of the Council who are members of the College;
(b) at least one member of the Council appointed to the Council by the Lieutenant  Governor in Council;
(c) at least two members of the College who are not members of the Council
 
21.7 The Client Relations Committee shall be composed of:
(a) at least two members of the Council who are members of the College;
(b) at least two members of the Council appointed to the Council by the Lieutenant  Governor in Council;
(c) at least two members of the College who are not members of the Council

Discussion and approval of these amendments will be on the agenda for the September 2017 meeting of the College Council. If you wish to comment on the proposal we would appreciate hearing from you by Thursday, August 31, 2017. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the College.  Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

The Standards of Professional Conduct (Standards) set out the expectations of the College of Psychologists of Ontario for the ethical practice of psychology by its members. All members are required to adhere to the Standards when providing psychological services and failure to do so may constitute professional misconduct. 

The current Standards have been in use since September 2005, with some minor revisions made in March 2009.

The review of the Standards began in the fall of 2014. Consultation with members of the profession and other stakeholders suggested that, for the most part, the content remains relevant and appropriate to contemporary psychological practice. The Standards review did suggest however, the need for some revisions being sensitive to the heightened awareness of the need to prevent sexual abuse of patients; members’ and clients’ increasing use of emerging technology, including telepsychology; and, challenges in the practice of supervision provided by members. 

 

 At the recent meeting of the College Council, the draft proposed Standards of Professional Conduct (2016) were approved for circulation and comment to members of the College as well as from other stakeholders whose activities are influenced and affected by our members’ professional conduct. A full copy of the updated Standards is available here: No longer available


 

In order to assist you in reviewing the changes made, a Summary of Proposed Revisions to the Standards has been developed which presents the current Standard, the proposed revision, and the reason for the suggested change can be accessed here: 
No longer available

 

In order to efficiently gather your comments, we have created a survey which you can access here: SURVEY CLOSED . 

Feedback may also be provided by e-mail (standards@cpo.on.ca), or mail to:

The College of Psychologists of Ontario
Standards Consultation
110 Eglinton Avenue West
Suite 500
Toronto, ON M4R 1A3

We would appreciate receiving your survey comments by Monday, December 12, 2016.

Thank you very much for taking the time to provide us with your views.

At the September meeting of the College Council, consideration is given to the College fee structure for the upcoming year beginning June 1, 2017. As has been the case for the past 15 years, since June 2002, the College is pleased to announce that there will be no increase in the annual membership fee for the 2017-2018 year. In considering fees for the upcoming year, the Council is recommending fee reductions in two areas. 

The Council is recommending reduction in examination fees in order to assist the newest members of the profession. There is recognition that the fees associated with becoming a member of the College can prove to be a hardship for many individuals seeking registration. Therefore, the College is suggesting a reduction in the fees charged for the Jurisprudence and Ethics Examination (JEE) and the Oral Examination. It was felt that this assistance would be both beneficial to our newest members and acceptable to the larger membership. While it is recognized that the fees for the Examination of Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP)do increase the overall cost of the registration process, these are set by the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB) and therefore not available for College consideration.

The following fee changes are being recommended:

	Current Fee	Recommended Fee
JEE	$270	$200
Oral Examination Fee	$740	$550

The Council also reviewed the fees currently charged for both the initial application and annual renewal of professional corporations. It was noted that these fees were set about a decade ago when forming a professional corporation first became possible for members. At that time, the fees were established based on discussions with other similar sized Colleges who were also developing corporation registration and renewal processes. Given the experience of the College in handling the applications and renewals and efficiencies introduced into the processes, Council has determined that a fee reduction would be appropriate.

The following fee changes are being recommended:

	Current Fee	Recommended Fee
Initial Professional Corporation Application	$500	$350
Annual Renewal of Professional Corporation	$350	$250

A change to any College fee requires an amendment to By-Law 18: Fees with proposed changes circulated to the membership for comment. Council will consider all feedback and approve final changes to the by-law to be effective June 1, 2017.

Members are invited to provide their comments on the proposed amendments to By-Law 18: Fees. Comments should be received by December 15, 2016 and may be sent by e-mail, facsimile or regular mail:

Email: cpo@cpo.on.ca

Fax: 416-961-2635

Regular mail:

Fees By-law, CPO

110 Eglinton Ave West, Suite 500

Toronto, ON M4R 1A3

You may view the By-law with the proposed amendments tracked at the link below.

Attachment:

By-law 18 – Fees – with proposed changes tracked.

After much time and effort over many years on the part of the Quality Assurance Committee, amendments to the College’s Quality Assurance Regulation came into force in April 2015. Among the new features of the Regulations is a provision for mandatory participation in Continuing Professional Development (CPD). 

The Quality Assurance Committee has developed a CPD program which will afford members the opportunity to fulfill the mandatory requirements through a combination of professional activities along with participation in both formal and informal continuing education workshops and seminars. 

At this time, the Committee wishes to provide opportunities for member feedback before full implementation of the program. 

The College has prepared test versions of an optional electronic tracking sheet that will allow members to enter information about their CPD activities on an ongoing basis. The version for use with a PC will tabulate the number of credits earned towards satisfaction of the program requirements. Unfortunately, tabulations are not supported on the Mac version. 

We hope that you will take the time to review and test this program and the tracking sheets and provide us with feedback via the Member Feedback Survey before December 15, 2016. A Member Feedback Survey is attached and can be accessed multiple times. 

Attached, please find links to :

1. College of Psychologists of Ontario Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Program
2. Questions and Answers about the Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Program
3. Electronic Tracking sheet PC Version
4. Electronic Tracking sheet Mac Version
5. Sample Continuing Professional Development Tracking Sheet  
6. Member Feedback Survey (CLOSED)

PLEASE NOTE: The requirements set out in the CPD program are not yet in effect. We are presenting this opportunity for member feedback before full implementation of the requirements.