How to File a Complaint

Filing a Complaint

Complaints may be filed in writing or recorded. Letters of complaint must be signed and can be submitted by mail, fax or email attachment to:

Manager, Inquiries, Complaints and Reports

59 Hayden Street, Suite 800
Toronto, ON M4Y 0E7
Phone: 416 922-6355
Toll Free: 1-877-577-4772
Fax: 416 925-9610
Email: tperryman@cco.on.ca

Complaints should include:

  • Your name, contact information (mailing address, email address and phone number)
  • The name of the chiropractor
  • As much detail as possible about your concerns or the incident(s) in question, such as dates, and the names of individuals who may have been involved, or who would be able to provide additional information.

The Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Process

  1. Inquiry, Complaint or Report made
  2. Investigation conducted
  3. ICRC reviews information including member’s response
  4. ICRC decision released – no action, recommendation, oral caution, Specified Continuing Education or Remediation Program (SCERP) or referral to discipline; approximately 3 – 4 months from conclusion of investigation. SCERP or referral to discipline posted on website
  5. ICRC decisions potentially reviewed by HPARB

Appointment of Investigators

CCO may appoint investigators to carry out investigations on behalf of the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee.

An investigator has the power to:

  • Inquire into and examine the practice of the member to be investigated
  • Enter the business premises of the member at any reasonable time and examine anything found there that is relevant to the investigation
  • Access records of personal health information relevant to the investigation

Review by the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee

It is the responsibility of the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC), which consists of chiropractors and appointed public members, to ensure that a fair and thorough investigation is conducted and that an appropriate decision is made based on the results of the investigation. 

The ICRC has developed a number of tools to assist with its decision-making processes:

Dispositions from the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports

 The ICRC issues its decision in writing and may take any of the following actions:

  • Refer specified allegations of professional misconduct or incompetence to the Discipline Committee for a hearing
  • Initiate an inquiry into the member’s capacity
  • Require the member to appear before the ICRC to be cautioned
  • Require the member to undergo a specified continuing education or remediation program
  • Require the member to sign an undertaking
  • Issue a reminder/advice to the member
  • Take any other action it considers appropriate that is consistent with the RHPA, CCO regulations or by-laws.

In accordance with the RHPA, if the ICRC requires the member to appear before a panel of the ICRC to be cautioned, or requires the member to undergo continuing education or remediation or sign an undertaking, this information will be put on the public register.

Review and Appeal Process

The complaints process is subject to external review if there has been no referral to the Discipline Committee or the Fitness to Practise Committee. Both the complainant and the chiropractor have the right to request a review of the ICRC decision This review is conducted by an external body called the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB). HPARB is a body of public appointees who are not health care professionals.

Request for a review must be made within 30 days of receiving the ICRC decision and the review process takes 12 to 18 months. HPARB may: 

  • Confirm all or part of the decision
  • Make appropriate recommendations to the ICRC
  • Require the ICRC to do anything the Committee or a panel may do under the RHPA or the Code, except to request the Registrar to conduct an investigation
Related FAQs

  • There is no time limit, but as time goes on it may become harder to remember what happened and provide accurate details. Recordkeeping Standard S-002 stipulates that a chiropractor is only required to keep a patient’s records for seven years after their final treatment date. If the patient was a child at the time of treatment, the period is seven years after the patient turns 18.

  • No. If you want to file a formal complaint with the College and be informed about the outcome of the investigation, you must provide your name. Your name and concerns will be shared with the chiropractor. 

    During the investigation, CCO may need to share your concerns with witnesses to get additional information. However, when/if the College publishes information about complaints on the Public Register, the names of the person who made the complaint and any witnesses are not included and are never published. 

    If you want to provide a tip to the College, you can do so anonymously. The College may or may not be able to investigate depending on how much information you are able to share.

  • The College only regulates the practice of individual chiropractors and not the places where they practise. Sometimes a chiropractor may be the owner of the clinic. In this case, the investigation may be able to look into the clinic.

  • Write a signed letter of complaint detailing your concerns or the incident(s) in question and send them to the CCO by mail, email attachment or fax.

    1. CCO will provide you with official acknowledgment of your complaint within 14 days. At the same time, CCO will notify the chiropractor who is the subject of the complaint. This means the College member will receive a copy of your complaint, and copies of the supporting documents you provided.
    2. The member will have an opportunity to respond to the complaint. CCO will ask the member to provide a copy of your patient clinical record along with their response.
    3. The College will provide you with a copy of the member’s response to the complaint and request any additional information.
    4. When all the information is received, a panel of the Inquiries Complaints Report Committee (ICRC) will consider the complaint. The ICRC uses its Risk Assessment Framework when considering outcomes for each case.
    5. Both you and the member will receive a copy of the ICRC’s decision. The decision will be sent by email unless you tell us you prefer a different way.
    6. Both the complainant and the member may ask for review of the ICRC’s decision by the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board. Additional information can be found at www.hparb.on.ca

  • If you have already initiated a complaint, you can still withdraw it. The ICRC will review your original complaint, and your request to withdraw. If your concerns are very serious, the Committee may decide to continue with the investigation even if you do not take part.

  • College staff can only provide information about the complaint process. Their role is to impartially gather information from both parties on behalf of the ICRC.

  • All information related to the complaints process is held in confidence by the College and by the people who work at or on behalf of the College. Where information is made available to the public on our website or on the Public Register, the names of the complainants and/or witnesses will not be included.

  • If you are filing a complaint about your own treatment, CCO will ask the chiropractor for a copy of your health record. If the complaint is submitted by a third party, for example a family member of the patient, then  the patient’s consent may be requested if the patient record is entitled.

  • No. The Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) defines the ways in which the ICRC can resolve a complaint. The committee cannot require a chiropractor to apologize and cannot require financial compensation.

  • Yes. College staff are always available to answer questions about the process.

  • The person who made the complaint will receive regular updates about the status of the complaint. At the conclusion of the investigation both parties will receive a copy of the ICRC’s decision.

  • The personal information you share with the College is kept confidential.

    If the ICRC requires the member to appear before it to be cautioned, or requires the member to undergo continuing education or remediation, or to sign an undertaking, then this information will be put on the public register under their name.

  • If there is an immediate risk to the public and the chiropractor should be prevented from practicing or have their practice restricted in some way, the ICRC will decide on a reasonable intervention. They will use the Interim Order Assessment Tool to assist them in making this decision.

  • No. The Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 does not allow you to use the decision of the ICRC in other legal proceedings such as civil suits.