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Moving towards the College of Veterinary Professionals of Ontario

The Veterinary Professionals Act provides a new framework for the regulation of the veterinary profession in Ontario. While the Veterinary Professionals Act has been approved, there is work to be done to propose regulations and draft by-laws to support the new legislation and the College of Veterinary Professionals of Ontario. Your engagement is essential as we move through the next steps. Please contact the College with your questions. 

The Veterinary Professionals Act

The Veterinary Professionals Act modernizes the regulation of the veterinary profession in Ontario. The Transition Council supports the development of the College of Veterinary Professionals of Ontario (CVPO) by proposing regulations and determining by-laws and standards.

Transition Council reviewing regulatory conceptsmodernization graphic

Transition Council highlights

Veterinary Professionals Act, 2024

Veterinary Professionals Act, 2024

Developing Regulatory Concepts

The Veterinary Professionals Act grants the Transition Council the ability to propose regulations to support the new legislation. The Transition Council is currently reviewing regulatory concepts. Once approved, these concepts will be shared for public consultation, revised and then forwarded to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness, who will develop the regulatory language.

Review Regulatory Concepts

Veterinary Technicians: Connect with the College 

The Veterinary Professionals Act provides an exciting, new framework for the regulation of the veterinary profession. We want to help you stay informed. Veterinary technicians and veterinary team members who wish to receive helpful e-mails around the work of the Transition Council, upcoming consultations, timelines, and opportunities, can be added to our e-mail distribution list through the link below. Sign up today and you will be entered in a monthly draw for a $50 gift card!

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Get to know the Veterinary Professionals Act

While the Veterinary Professionals Act is now law, it is not yet in full effect. The College is in the transition stage. The Transition Council is reviewing regulatory concepts and drafting by-laws for the new framework. The earliest the new model could be in place is currently estimated to be January 2026.

The College acknowledges all our partners in this process, in particular the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association and the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians whose support and collaboration were fundamental to achieving the new legislation. 

The Veterinary Professionals Act represents the biggest update to the regulation of veterinary medicine in Ontario in over 30 years. The new legislation:

  • enables the one profession, two professionals approach to veterinary medicine, including veterinary technicians as licensed members
  • moves to an authorized activity model, similar to what is in place in human health care
  • permits veterinarians to perform all authorized activities
  • permits veterinary technician members to perform most authorized activities through initiation, order, or delegation 
  • permits veterinarians to delegate authorized activities to auxiliaries, including those who are not licensed with the College
  • limits use of the titles veterinary technician, veterinary technology and registered veterinary technician to individuals who are licensed with the College
  • recognizes intraprofessional (veterinarian and veterinary technician) and interprofessional (veterinary professionals and other non-veterinary animal care providers) collaboration in providing animal care
  • recognizes non-veterinary animal care providers, including chiropractors, pharmacists, farriers, artificial insemination technicians and other human-based practitioners who have taken additional training in animal care

FAQs on the Veterinary Professionals Act

Please contact the College's Practice Advisory Service is you have any questions. Our team of practice advisors can assist you with clear information. 

To contact a Practice Advisor:

A veterinarian’s ability to delegate to an auxiliary of their choosing will not chnage under the Veterinary Professionals Act. An individual will not need to be licensed with the College to perform an authorized activity under a veterinarian’s supervision and delegation. If this individual is not licensed, however, they will not be able to use the titles of “veterinary technician” or “veterinary technologist”.
The Veterinary Professionals Act established the Transition Council and provides it with the ability to propose regulations, and determine by-laws and standards that will come into effect with the establishment of the College of Veterinary Professionals of Ontario.
The Transition Council includes members of the CVO Council, now referenced as the Legacy Council, and three Registered Veterinary Technicians (RVT), appointed by the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians.
The Transition Council is working on regulatory concepts and by-laws for the new College of Veterinary Professionals of Ontario. Regulations, which will be finalized by the provincial government, offer more specifics on how the Act is applied and implemented. The earliest the new model could be in place is currently estimated to be January 2026.
The Veterinary Professionals Act strengthens public protection and more accurately reflects current veterinary practice. The legislation:
  • Licenses veterinary technicians.
  • Recognizes team-based veterinary care and acknowledges the roles of veterinarians and veterinary technicians.
  • Adds requirements for quality assurance programs similar to other regulated professions.
  • Enables non-veterinarians to provide care to animals using lower-risk forms of treatment.
  • Streamlines the complaints and resolutions process, enabling disputes to be addressed more quickly.
  • Enables a greater amount of information about a licence holder to be collected, and where appropriate, posted on the public register.
  • Ensures more public representation on the College Council.

Following proclamation of the Veterinary Professionals Act, the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO) will be renamed the College of Veterinary Professionals of Ontario. This name reflects its new role in overseeing two categories of veterinary professionals within a single veterinary profession.

The College welcomes the formal quality assurance program which is part of the Veterinary Professionals Act. This aligns with the requirements for other regulated professions in Ontario.

Registered Veterinary Technicians will be licensed through the College of Veterinary Professionals of Ontario, which will be established when the regulations and By-Laws governing the veterinary professionals are in place.

The Veterinary Professionals Act recognizes team-based veterinary care and acknowledges the role of veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Veterinary technicians will have a broad scope of practice that reflects their skills and training. Once licensed, veterinary technicians would be subject to the same quality assurance and complaints and resolutions processes as veterinarians.

One of the key objectives of the Veterinary Professionals Act is to bring added efficiency to the complaints and resolutions process, enabling disputes to be addressed more quickly. The proposed legislation includes new and updated procedures for investigations, addressing professional misconduct and a member’s fitness to practice. The current Veterinarians Act has been a barrier to the College’s efforts to resolve complaints in a timely manner.
During the period of transition, the CVO Legacy Council will continue to deal with matters concerning licensed members and the operations of the College under the existing Act. At the same time, a Transition Council will be proposing regulations, and drafting By-Laws, policies and procedures for the new College of Veterinary Professionals of Ontario.
The College’s current regulatory concept related to licensure recognizes that there will be individuals with varied backgrounds who will be interested in licensure and includes several pathways for both veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Pathways will vary but will most likely contain both education and examination requirements.
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness has oversight of the legislation governing the veterinary profession. As a regulatory college, the College of Veterinarians of Ontario has legal authority through its governing legislation, the Veterinarians Act. While the College can identify the need for legislative changes, it is ultimately the responsibility of the provincial government to revise legislation and establish regulations. 

The College Council adopted key principles to guide the work of the legislative reform working groups, College staff, and Council through the legislative review process. 

Right Touch Regulation: Right touch regulation means utilizing the minimum regulatory approach required to achieve the desired result. The intent is to focus on identified and verified risks and simplicity in solutions. 

Agility: Agility in regulation means looking forward and anticipating change. The Act intended to provide for broad authority which permits a flexible approach to actual implementation and the opportunity to refine regulatory responses over time. 

Just Culture: A just culture ties discipline to an individual's intent or behavioural choices rather than the outcome of their actions. In promoting a just culture, we accept that mistakes occur. We consider both the individual and the system which gives rise to errors and seek to learn from incidents and errors. 

Collaborative self-regulation: Collaboration in self-regulation is demonstrated by an approach that views the public, veterinarians, government, and others involved in the safe delivery of veterinary medicine as partners in achieving quality practice outcomes. 

Risk Mitigation: Our regulatory solutions seek to mitigate risks in practice. Our processes support the measurement and evaluation of risk(s), and solutions which manage them effectively and responsibly. 

Transparency: The public needs access to information to trust that profession-based regulation works effectively. Transparency includes the provision of information to the public that enhances its ability to make decisions or hold the regulator accountable. Transparency, however, must balance public protection with fairness and privacy. 

For more information on legislative reform activities, please review the following reference materials.

Legislative Primer - Understanding the difference between Act, Regulation and Policy:
Legislative-Primer-Act-Regulation-Policy

Infographic Towards Modernization: A graphic outlines the College's progress towards modernization beginning with the early work in 2013 towards final proclamation when the College becomes the College of Veterinary Professionals of Ontario.
Infographic Towards Modernization

Achieving a Modern Approach to the Regulation of Veterinary Medicine in Ontario: 
Achieving a Modern Approach to the Regulation of Veterinary Medicine 2018.pdf 

Timeline towards Modernized Legislation

1877
1989
2014-2018
2018
2020
2022
2023
March 2024
April 2024
May 2024
June 2024
September 2024
1877

Agriculture and Arts Act

Veterinary medicine regulated with the first Agriculture and Arts Act
1989

Veterinarians Act update

The most recent update to the Veterinarians Act was in 1989.
2014-2018

Legislative reform

Council approves recommendations for legislative reform through analysis and consultations
2018

A modern approach

College Council, in collaboration with the Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians, sends 19 recommendations, compiled in Achieving a Modern Approach to the Regulation of Veterinary Medicine in Ontario to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
2020

Further recommendations

College Council continues research and consultation on further recommendations for legislative reform looking at Council composition, title protection, and defining incompetence.
2022

Regulatory changes

Province announces changes to Regulation 1093 relating to advertising and accreditation.
2023

Consultation

Province held an extensive consultation on a discussion paper.
March 2024

Enhancing Professional Care for Animals Act introduced

The proposed legislation aims to improve transparency and align oversight of the veterinary profession with other regulated professions. It recognizes veterinary technicians as part of the broader animal care team. In combination with regulations, this legislative framework also recognizes non-veterinary animal care providers.
April 2024

College supports new legislation at Queens Park hearing

“Our College supports the new Bill (Enhancing Professionals Care for Animals Act) and we shared suggestions to further enhance the legislation. We are committed to a framework that supports team-based care, licensure of veterinary technicians, quality veterinary care, and recognition of competent, non-veterinary animal care providers,” Dr. Wade Wright, President
May 2024

Legislation passes third reading

The Enhancing Professional Care for Animals Act received unanimous support in the Ontario legislature on May 27, 2024.
June 2024

Veterinary Professionals Act finalized

A new legislative framework, the Veterinary Professionals Act, to govern the veterinary profession in Ontario received Royal Assent on June 6, 2024.
September 2024

Transition Council begins work

The Transition Council is developing regulations, by-laws and standards for the College of Veterinary Professionals of Ontario. The Transition Council includes members of the Legacy Council and three Registered Veterinary Technicians.