Manitoba · Manitoba Chiropractors Association

How to respond to a Manitoba Chiropractors Association (MCA) complaint

In Manitoba, chiropractors are regulated by the Manitoba Chiropractors Association (MCA) under The Chiropractic Act — not by a College, and not under the Regulated Health Professions Act that governs most other Manitoba professions. That single fact shapes everything: a complaint runs through the Association’s own statutory committees, and how you engage from the first letter usually matters more to the outcome than the complaint itself.

Who regulates you — and why it is not a College

Manitoba is the only province where chiropractic is still regulated by its professional association rather than a distinct College. The MCA is continued as a body corporate under The Chiropractic Act, C.C.S.M. c. C100, and its Board, the registrar and its statutory committees carry out the regulatory functions. A College of Chiropractors of Manitoba is legislated as part of the eventual move to the Regulated Health Professions Act, but it is not yet operating, so the Association remains your regulator today.

This matters practically. The bodies you will deal with — the Complaints Committee, the investigation chairman, and the Inquiry Committee — are all creatures of the Act. Your obligations, your rights and the possible outcomes all come from that statute and its General Regulation, so it is worth understanding the route a complaint takes before you write a word in reply.

How a complaint reaches you

A complaint about a member is received and reviewed by the Complaints Committee, which the Board appoints. Its membership is set by the Act: a chair who is an elected Board member, one member of the Association who sits on neither the Board nor the Inquiry Committee, and a lay person appointed by the Board. The lay seat is deliberate — a complaint is not decided only by other chiropractors.

Anyone can complain: a patient, a family member, another practitioner, or a member of the public. Complaints commonly concern clinical care, informed consent, boundary or communication issues, billing, record-keeping, or public statements and advertising that stray outside the recognised scope of chiropractic. You will normally be told the substance of the concern and asked to respond in writing.

Informal resolution — and when it stops being informal

Where the Complaints Committee considers it appropriate, it may try to resolve the matter informally. Many complaints — a misunderstanding about a treatment plan, a communication breakdown, a records request handled poorly — can be closed at this stage with an explanation, an apology, or an undertaking to change a practice. Taking an informal resolution seriously is not an admission of guilt; it is often the most proportionate outcome for everyone.

But informal resolution only holds if it is accepted. Under the Act, where the complainant or the member does not accept the Committee’s resolution — or where the Committee itself decides the matter is too serious — it is referred on to the investigation chairman. Once that referral happens you are in the formal investigation stream, which is covered in the companion guide.

Writing your response

Your written response is the most important document you will produce. Answer the specific concern raised, in plain language, without minimising it or attacking the complainant. Set out what happened, what your clinical reasoning was, and what your records show. Where you got something wrong, say so clearly and describe what you have already changed — regulators respond far better to candour and insight than to defensiveness.

Ground your account in your contemporaneous records rather than in later reconstruction. Attach the relevant chart entries, consent documentation and correspondence. Keep the tone professional throughout: the Complaints Committee is reading not only for the facts but for whether you understand your obligations as a member. Have the CCPA or a regulatory lawyer review the letter before it is sent.

Cooperation, candour and the records

Cooperating with the Association is itself a professional obligation. Failing to respond, responding late, or obstructing the process can become a separate ground of concern, entirely independent of the original complaint — and it removes any credit you would otherwise get for engaging constructively.

Never alter, back-date or “tidy” a record after a complaint arrives. If your notes are thin, say so honestly and explain the gap; a candid account of a genuine shortcoming is recoverable, but a doctored record is not. Under the Act the registrar and the Association’s committees have real investigative powers, and the standards committee may inspect a member’s premises, books and records on reasonable notice.

Interim suspension — the seven-day rule

Where there is a serious risk to the public, the Act allows early protective action. The investigation chairman may direct the registrar to suspend a member’s licence pending or following the preliminary investigation if there are reasonable and probable grounds to believe it is necessary to prevent a breach of the Act or that the member’s continued practice is contrary to the public interest.

Such a suspension expires after seven days unless the Board confirms it within that period. It is a rare step, reserved for the most serious matters — but if it happens, take advice immediately, because the confirmation stage is where the substantive arguments about your continued practice are made.

Confidentiality and getting the right support

One feature of The Chiropractic Act sets Manitoba apart from provinces governed by health-professions colleges: the Act treats regulatory proceedings and findings as confidential, and does not provide for routine publication of disciplinary outcomes on a public register. That confidentiality cuts both ways — you should not assume a complaint is public, and you should not discuss it publicly yourself.

The most useful early step, after contacting the CCPA, is to make sure you are supported. The CCPA acts on your behalf and can arrange representation; a regulatory lawyer can help with the response and any hearing. Do not try to manage a formal complaint alone, and do not let a deadline pass while you decide.

This guide explains how the Manitoba Chiropractors Association regulates chiropractors under The Chiropractic Act and is provided for general information only. It is not legal advice and does not create a professional relationship. For advice on your own situation, contact the Canadian Chiropractic Protective Association (CCPA) or a regulatory lawyer before you respond. Last updated July 15, 2026.