The Government of BC has announced that Benson Cowan has been appointed Director of Discipline to lead an independent discipline tribunal established under the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA), within the new Office of the Superintendent of the Health Professions and Occupations Oversight.
Benson brings significant experience to the role, having most recently served as Legal Counsel in the BC Ministry of the Attorney General where he conducted hearings before different tribunals including the Medical Services Commission and Health Care Practitioners Special Committee. Benson will start his role on September 23, 2024.
This appointment follows the appointment of Sherri Young to lead the Office of the Superintendent of the Health Professions and Occupations Oversight (also known as the Superintendent’s Office), as announced in the government’s June 7 media release.
Young brings significant experience to the role of Superintendent, having most recently served as the public service commissioner in the Yukon for the past two years, contributing to the establishment of a future health authority, and development of the human health resources strategy for the Yukon. Young began her public service career in 2004 with the Government of Canada and spent 10 years in the Northwest Territories and Yukon with the departments of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, and Environment Canada. In 2014, Young joined the Yukon government as a senior leader and has held assistant deputy minister positions with the departments of Environment, and of Highways and Public Works.
The independent Superintendent’s Office will oversee the health colleges in B.C. that govern more than 120,000 regulated health professionals, ensuring colleges continue to be transparent, accountable, and operating in the public interest.
Learn more about the role of the Director of Discipline (page 10, page 13), as well as the Superintendent’s Office (page 9) in the Ministry of Health’s Health Professions and Occupations Act Q&A document (PDF).
