Modernizing
the Practice
of Veterinary
Medicine
INVESTIGATIONS
& RESOLUTIONS
•Investigator
Appointments•
Existing Provisions
The Veterinarians Act provides that, where the Registrar believes on reasonable
ground that a member or former member of the College has committed an
act of professional misconduct or serious neglect or that there is cause to
refuse to issue or renew or to suspend or revoke a certificate of accreditation,
the Registrar may, with the approval of the Executive Committee, appoint one
or more persons to investigate the matter.
What Change is Proposed?
With respect to investigator appointments, it is proposed that the Registrar
may appoint one or more investigators to determine whether a member has
committed an act of professional misconduct or is incompetent if:
a. the Registrar believes on reasonable and probable grounds that
the member has committed an act of professional misconduct or
is incompetent and the Investigations and Resolutions Committee
approves of the appointment;
b. the Investigations and Resolutions Committee has received
information about a member from the Quality Assurance
Committee under the relevant section and has requested the
Registrar to conduct an investigation; or
c. the Investigations and Resolutions Committee has received a written
complaint about the member and has requested the Registrar to
conduct an investigation.
Further, it is proposed that the Registrar may appoint an investigator in an
emergency if the Registrar believes on reasonable and probable grounds that
the conduct of the member exposes or is likely to expose his or her patients
or clients to harm or injury, and that the investigator should be appointed
immediately and there is not time to seek approval from the Investigations and
Resolutions Committee.
Why is the College Considering Changes to this Concept?
While the approval process for the Registrar to proceed with an investigation
fundamentally remains the same, an additional authority to appoint an
investigator has been added for circumstances when the Quality Assurance
Committee becomes aware of serious at-risk behaviour by a veterinarian. This
latter authority is used rarely, as the Quality Assurance Committee’s focus is
remediation and support. But when necessary, it is in the public interest to
investigate a matter where significant harm may occur.
The reasons for appointment related to concerns raised by a Quality Assurance
Committee are actually the same as for emergency circumstances. It is
anticipated that the need for an emergency investigation will be rare; however,
when it is necessary, this authority provides a tool for swift public protection
action.
30 Achieving a Modern Approach to the Regulation of Veterinary Medicine in Ontario