The Process
How Regulatory Proceedings Work in Ontario
Many Ontario proceedings move through similar stages. The actual path depends on your regulator, the notice you received and the decision being made.
Four Common Stages
What Can Happen in a Regulatory Proceeding?
Some steps may be skipped, combined or handled differently. Use the links to read more about each stage.
-
Notice or Complaint
A matter usually begins with a public complaint, a report from an employer or insurer, a regulator’s own inquiry, or a notice about your application or renewal. Read it closely for deadlines and what is being requested.
-
Investigation and Response
The regulator may gather records, interview witnesses, or ask for your written response. What you submit can shape how the matter is resolved, so it is worth preparing carefully.
-
Decision or Hearing
A committee or registrar may close the file, give advice, impose terms, or refer the matter to a hearing. Some regulators can restrict or suspend a licence on an interim basis while a matter is pending.
-
Review or Appeal
Depending on the regulator and decision, you may be able to seek a review by a board or tribunal, appeal to the Divisional Court, or apply for judicial review. Time limits are strict and vary.
Go Deeper
Explore Each Part of the Process
-
Complaints and Investigations
What happens after your regulator receives a complaint or opens an investigation.
-
Notices of Proposal and Licensing
Proposals to refuse, suspend, revoke or attach conditions to a licence or registration.
-
Interim Orders and Suspensions
Restrictions imposed before the facts are decided, and how to respond to them.
-
Discipline and Tribunal Hearings
How hearings run, who decides, and what you can do to prepare.
-
Penalties and Outcomes
From advice and cautions to fines, suspensions and revocation.
-
Reviews and Appeals
Where to go after a decision, how long you have, and whether the order is paused.
-
Reporting Obligations and Public Records
What you, your employer and your regulator must report, and what becomes public.
-
Parallel Proceedings
Criminal charges, employment disputes, lawsuits and prosecutions alongside your regulatory matter.
Contact
Received a Notice From Your Regulator?
Deadlines in regulatory matters can be short. Before you respond, gather the notice, any earlier correspondence with your regulator, and a note of the date you received each document.