Health Professions and Occupations Act
The Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) is set to replace the Health Professions Act (HPA). An in-force date for the HPOA has not been announced, but it is anticipated it will occur in 2025.
Prior to and beyond the in-force date, updates and information about HPOA implementation can be found on this page.
What is the HPOA?
The HPOA received Royal Assent in November 2022; however, the Act is not yet in force. At this time, the Health Professions Act continues to be the legislation that governs health professionals and regulatory colleges.
As a regulatory framework, the HPOA supports:
- addressing racism and discrimination in health care, in particular anti-Indigenous racism and discrimination
- greater transparency by health professional regulators
- improved effectiveness, efficiency, and consistency of regulatory bodies by having fewer and better-resourced regulators (i.e., amalgamation) and the sharing of resources and support across regulators
CCHPBC will be working to design and implement its work and processes in accordance with the above goals, as outlined by the Ministry of Health. Once implemented, the HPOA will guide the processes that support the functions and mandates of health regulators in B.C.