Key Takeaways
- A complainant is a party who receives the decision. A reporter usually is not, and is generally not told the outcome.
- In the health professions, HPARB review rights are tied to complaints (Code, s. 29).
- The same committee usually decides both, with the same range of outcomes.
- Registrar’s investigations often start with mandatory reports from employers.
Two Routes Into the Same Committee
Under the Health Professions Procedural Code, a panel of the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee considers both complaints and reports following a registrar’s investigation (Code, s. 25(1)). The Registrar may appoint investigators where there are reasonable and probable grounds to believe a member has committed misconduct or is incompetent, with the committee’s approval, or in an emergency without it (s. 75). Other statutes have similar structures. Social workers’ complaints go to the Complaints Committee, while the Registrar directs investigations and reports results to the committee the Registrar considers appropriate (SWSSW Act, ss. 24, 32, 35).
What Changes Depending on the Route
| Issue | Complaint | Registrar’s investigation or report |
|---|---|---|
| Who started it | A complainant, often a patient or client | The regulator, often after an employer or other mandatory report |
| Is the source a party? | Yes; receives the decision | Generally no; usually not told the result |
| Expected timeline (health) | 150 days, with notice if missed (Code, s. 28) | No equivalent statutory target |
| HPARB review (health) | Available to both sides, with exceptions (Code, s. 29) | Generally not available |
| Your duty to co-operate | Written submissions are optional but advisable (Code, s. 25.2) | Must co-operate fully with investigators (Code, s. 76(3.1)) |
CRPO, for example, tells the public that reports have no set timeline and no opportunity to request an HPARB review, and that the committee’s outcomes are the same for complaints and reports.
Practical Consequences
If your matter is a complaint, expect your response to be shared with the complainant, and expect that either side may seek a review. If it is a registrar’s investigation, expect broader information gathering, interviews with employers and witnesses, and fewer opportunities to challenge the committee’s decision afterward. In both, your written submissions are often the most important document you will produce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a complaint turn into a registrar’s investigation?
Information from a complaint can lead the Registrar to investigate more broadly. Check each notice you receive for the type of matter it describes.
Does the route change the possible penalty?
Generally not. The committee’s range of outcomes, from no action to a referral to discipline, is the same (e.g. Code, s. 26).
Sources
Statutory references are to the provisions listed below, as consolidated on e-Laws when this page was prepared.
- Health Professions Procedural Code, ss. 25–29, 75–76 — Checked November 10, 2026.
- Social Work and Social Service Work Act, 1998, ss. 24, 32, 35 — Checked November 10, 2026.
- CRPO, “Complaints & Reports” — Checked November 10, 2026.