Ontario · College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
How to respond to a CPO complaint
The clock starts the moment the letter arrives. You have 30 days to respond in writing to the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, and that written response is your single best opportunity to shape the outcome — because the committee that screens your case decides on the paper record, not on live testimony.
Who CPO is, and what a complaint actually means
The College of Physiotherapists of Ontario regulates physiotherapists under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 and the Physiotherapy Act, 1991. You practise on a certificate of registration, not a licence, and the titles physiotherapist and physical therapist are protected.
Anyone can raise a concern — a patient, a caregiver, an employer, an insurer, or another physiotherapist. Being asked to respond does not mean you have done anything wrong; the College wants to understand the concern from your perspective. What matters is how you respond.
The 30-day written response
When a formal complaint is made, you are given a copy of it — and sometimes a summary of any prior complaint history — and 30 days to respond in writing. Enclose the patient chart and any other relevant records with your response.
This document is the heart of your case. The committee that screens the complaint works from the paper record, so a clear, complete, and well-evidenced response does more for you than anything you can say later. If you need more time, ask for an extension in writing before the 30 days run out.
What the ICRC is, and how it screens your case
The Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) is the College’s screening committee. It reviews the complaint, your response, and any investigation report on the documents alone. It does not hear live witnesses, it cannot make credibility assessments, and it does not make findings of professional misconduct.
Its job is to decide, in effect, whether the allegations — if true — are serious enough to refer to a discipline hearing, and whether there is a reasonable prospect they could be proven. Because it does not weigh credibility, a matter can be referred even where you dispute the facts, so your response has to engage with the substance, not just deny it.
How to write the response
Address each allegation separately and factually. Set out what happened, what your records show, and your clinical reasoning, without minimising the concern or attacking the complainant. A defensive or dismissive tone tends to make a matter worse.
This is difficult writing to get right under pressure, which is exactly why your liability insurer’s legal counsel should help you draft it. A persuasive, well-organised response is often what keeps a complaint from escalating.
Records and your duty to cooperate
Keep your records to the standards set under the Physiotherapy Act. The ICRC is entitled to assess the quality of your records regardless of how it disposes of the specific complaint, so poor documentation can become a concern in its own right. Never alter, backdate, or create records after a complaint arrives.
You have a professional obligation to cooperate with the process, which can include being interviewed by a College investigator. Cooperating does not mean going it alone — you are entitled to counsel, and taking advice is not treated as being uncooperative.
What can happen while your case is screened
Where alleged conduct exposes patients to harm, the ICRC can impose an interim order during the process — terms, conditions, or limitations on your certificate of registration, or a suspension. In serious matters the Registrar may appoint an investigator whose powers under section 75 of the Health Professions Procedural Code are broader than in the usual process, including compelling records and documents.
Possible outcomes, and why they can be public
The ICRC can take no action, give advice, require you to attend to be cautioned in person, require you to complete a specified continuing education or remediation program (a SCERP), accept an undertaking, or refer the matter to the Discipline Committee. If you disagree with the ICRC’s disposition of a complaint, you or the complainant can ask the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB) to review whether the investigation was adequate and the decision reasonable.
One point is easy to miss: a decision to caution you or to require a SCERP must be published on the public register. That is why it is worth responding carefully even to a complaint that seems unlikely to reach a hearing — the outcome can still be public.
Key takeaways
- You have 30 days to respond in writing, and the ICRC screens your case on that paper record — so make the response count.
- CPO regulates you under the RHPA and the Physiotherapy Act; a complaint is not a finding of wrongdoing.
- Contact your professional liability insurer immediately — your mandatory insurance provides access to legal counsel. Physiotherapists are not covered by the CMPA.
- Never contact the complainant, and never alter or backdate records.
- The ICRC can take no action, caution you, require a remediation program, or refer the matter to the Discipline Committee.
- Cautions and remediation programs are published on the public register, so respond carefully even to lesser complaints.
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Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to respond to a CPO complaint?
You have 30 days to respond in writing. If you need longer, ask the College for an extension in writing before the 30 days expire.
Does a complaint mean I did something wrong?
No. Being asked to respond means the College wants to understand the concern from your perspective. The ICRC screens the matter; it does not presume you are at fault.
Do I need a lawyer to respond?
It is not mandatory, but it is strongly advisable. Ontario physiotherapists must hold liability insurance, and that insurance gives you access to legal counsel — contact your insurer first. You are not covered by the CMPA, which is for physicians.
Will the complaint be made public?
Dismissals and advice are generally not public, but a caution or a remediation program (SCERP) is published on the public register, and a referral to discipline is posted as a Notice of Hearing.
Can I be stopped from practising during the process?
The ICRC can impose interim terms, conditions, or limitations on your certificate of registration, or suspend it, where patients may be exposed to harm.
What if I disagree with the ICRC’s decision?
You or the complainant can ask the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB) to review whether the investigation was adequate and the decision reasonable.
This guide explains how the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario (CPO) handles complaints about physiotherapists under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 and the Physiotherapy Act, 1991. It is general information, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, contact your professional liability insurer, which provides access to legal counsel, or a lawyer experienced in health-profession regulation in Ontario. Last updated July 15, 2026.