New Health Profession Legislation Comes Into Force on April 1, 2026
The Ministry of Health has announced that the Health Professions Act (HPA) will be repealed on April 1, 2026 and replaced by the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA). On that date, the HPOA will be in force as the governing legislation for regulation of health professions in BC.
The BC government has posted updates to the regulations for health professions to align them with the HPOA. The regulations outline the name of the college that regulates each health profession, reserved titles, scope of practice statements, activities restricted to the health profession, and limits or conditions on practice.
- Health and Care Professionals Regulation (specific to professions regulated by CHCPBC)
- Regulated Health Practitioners Regulation (includes restricted activities)
- Health Professions and Occupations Regulation
While the updated regulations are now publicly available, they will not be in effect until April 1, 2026, when the HPOA comes into force.
CHCPBC is currently reviewing the updated regulations and will provide further information about them, including implications they may have on the College and professional practice.
The new regulations will also add new health professions to BC’s health regulatory framework. On November 29, 2027, psychotherapists will be regulated by CHCPBC. This is in line with the Ministry’s recommendations published in August 2020 to modernize the BC health regulatory framework. The College will work collaboratively to integrate psychotherapists into our regulatory framework and advance public safety in more areas of BC’s healthcare system.
For more information about the updated regulations and regulation of psychotherapists, see the BC Government’s Health Professions and Occupations Act webpage.
Purpose of the HPOA
The HPOA aims to improve public protection and safety in the health system, by doing the following:
Establishing the Health Professions and Occupations Regulatory Oversight Office (HPOROO) to ensure regulatory colleges are focused on patient safety and the public interest.
Enhancing a commitment to cultural safety and humility, through requiring colleges to offer Indigenous support workers for Indigenous peoples going through the discipline process.
Creating an independent disciplinary hearing process that provides support services and support workers for people going through the process.
Including all instances of disciplinary actions and summary protection orders against a health professional on the public registry following the disciplinary hearing process.
Moving to fully appointed college boards, whose board members are selected based on merit and competency.