Alberta · ACO (optometrists) & COA (opticians)
How to respond to an ACO complaint
The first thing to get right is which college the complaint comes from. Optometrists in Alberta are regulated by the Alberta College of Optometrists (ACO); opticians are regulated by the College of Opticians of Alberta (COA). Both work under the same Health Professions Act, so the process below applies to each — but your complaint, and your response, go to your own college.
Which college regulates you
Alberta splits eye care across two colleges. The Alberta College of Optometrists regulates optometrists, who hold the protected titles optometrist and optometric contact lens practitioner. The College of Opticians of Alberta regulates opticians and contact lens practitioners; it replaced the former Alberta College and Association of Opticians on 1 January 2022. Both are governed by the Health Professions Act, and a concern about an ophthalmologist goes to a third body, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.
Whichever applies to you, you practise as a regulated member holding a practice permit, and a complaint is handled by your own college. The steps below are common to both.
How a complaint reaches you
Anyone can raise a concern, and under the Health Professions Act a complaint must be in writing and signed before the college can act on it. It goes to the college’s Complaints Director. Colleges encourage people to try to resolve a concern informally first — by speaking with the practitioner, or through college mediation — but a formal complaint is always written and signed.
One useful point of scope: under the Act, the colleges have limited jurisdiction over purely commercial or monetary matters such as refunds, prices, and warranties. Those belong in small claims court or with the Better Business Bureau, not the college — though the clinical and professional conduct around a sale is squarely within the college’s remit.
What the Complaints Director can do
The Complaints Director first confirms the college has jurisdiction, then chooses how to proceed. The options include encouraging the parties to communicate and resolve the matter between themselves; referring it to an alternative complaint resolution process, with the consent of both sides; conducting a formal investigation; or dismissing the complaint if it is trivial or vexatious, or if there is no or insufficient evidence of unprofessional conduct.
What “unprofessional conduct” means
Unprofessional conduct is the standard the Act uses, and it is broad. It can include contravening the Health Professions Act or its regulations, or breaching your college’s Standards of Practice or Code of Ethics. In eye care it commonly covers record-keeping, informed consent, prescribing and dispensing accuracy, boundaries, and advertising — so a concern that looks minor can still fall within it.
Your written response
Your response is your best opportunity to shape the route your matter takes. Address each concern separately and factually, set out what happened and what your records show, and give your clinical reasoning without minimising the concern or attacking the complainant.
Enclose the relevant records, meet the deadline in the college’s letter, and ask for an extension in writing before it passes if you need one. A well-argued response can discourage a weak matter from going further, so it is worth having your insurer’s legal support or a regulatory lawyer help you draft it.
Records and cooperation
Keep your records to your college’s standards. The college can compel your records during a complaint, and Alberta’s Health Information Act governs how health information is handled and disclosed. Never alter, backdate, or create records after a complaint arrives.
You are expected to cooperate, and cooperating does not mean going it alone. You are entitled to be represented, and taking advice is not treated as being uncooperative.
Outcomes, and why they can be public
A complaint may be dismissed, resolved by agreement, or referred to the Hearing Tribunal. Where there is a risk to patients, the college can impose interim conditions on your practice permit, or suspend it, while the matter is dealt with. Both colleges publish disciplinary decisions: decisions involving sexual abuse or sexual misconduct remain public indefinitely, and others are published according to the college’s bylaws. If the Complaints Director dismisses a complaint, the complainant can ask the Complaint Review Committee to review that decision.
Key takeaways
- Confirm your college first: optometrists answer to the ACO, opticians to the COA — both under the Health Professions Act.
- A complaint must be in writing and signed, and goes to your college’s Complaints Director.
- Contact your professional liability insurer — it usually includes legal support for a college complaint — or a regulatory lawyer, before you respond. Neither profession is covered by the CMPA.
- Answer in writing within the time given, address every concern, and enclose your records.
- Never contact the complainant, and never alter or backdate records.
- The colleges publish disciplinary decisions, so respond carefully even to a matter that may resolve informally.
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Frequently asked questions
Who regulates optometrists and opticians in Alberta?
The Alberta College of Optometrists (ACO) regulates optometrists, and the College of Opticians of Alberta (COA) regulates opticians — the COA replaced the former ACAO on 1 January 2022. A concern about an ophthalmologist goes to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta.
Does a complaint have to be in writing?
Yes. Under the Health Professions Act a complaint must be in writing and signed, and it goes to your college’s Complaints Director.
Can the college deal with a refund or billing dispute?
Generally no. The colleges have limited jurisdiction over purely monetary matters such as refunds, prices, and warranties; those belong in small claims court or with the Better Business Bureau.
Do I need a lawyer to respond?
It is not mandatory, but it is advisable. Your professional liability insurance usually includes legal support for a college complaint, so contact your insurer first. You are not covered by the CMPA, which is for physicians.
Can I be stopped from practising during the process?
The college can impose interim conditions on your practice permit, or suspend it, where there is a risk to the public.
Will the complaint be made public?
The colleges publish disciplinary decisions. Sexual abuse and sexual misconduct decisions remain public indefinitely, and others are published according to bylaw. A complaint dismissed as without merit is not published as a finding against you.
This guide explains how the Alberta College of Optometrists (ACO) and the College of Opticians of Alberta (COA) handle complaints about optometrists and opticians under the Health Professions Act. It is general information, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, contact your professional liability insurer — which for many optometrists and opticians is arranged through a national association program and usually includes support for a college complaint — or a lawyer experienced in health-profession regulation in Alberta. Last updated July 15, 2026.