Saskatchewan · College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan
What happens during a CPSS investigation?
The thing to understand: once a preliminary inquiry committee is appointed, you are no longer answering a letter — you are in a statutory investigation whose transcript can be read out at a hearing. How you conduct yourself with the PIC frequently matters as much as the conduct being investigated.
If a preliminary inquiry committee has been appointed: this is a CMPA matter, immediately. Do not attend a PIC interview unrepresented, do not answer document requests selectively, and do not assume that being cooperative and being candid are alternatives — you must be both.
How an investigation is triggered
Where the Executive Committee concludes, after reviewing the complaint material, that there are reasonable grounds to believe a physician may be guilty of unbecoming, improper, unprofessional or discreditable conduct, it directs that a preliminary inquiry committee (PIC) be appointed to investigate. That is the formal turning point: the matter has moved from correspondence to investigation.
What the preliminary inquiry committee does
The PIC investigates the allegations and reports on whether they are supportable. In practice that means:
- Obtaining documents — the clinical records, billing records, correspondence and any material it considers necessary. The College determines what information it needs; that is not a question you get to decide for it.
- Taking statements from the complainant, staff, colleagues and other witnesses.
- Interviewing the physician, on the record. The interview is transcribed.
- Reporting its findings so that the College can decide whether charges should be laid.
The two traps, and they are the ones that end careers
Saskatchewan discipline decisions are unusually blunt about the two ways physicians make an investigation far worse than the complaint that started it.
1. Failing to cooperate
Refusing or failing to provide the documents a PIC requests, or declining to be interviewed by it, is unprofessional conduct in itself. CPSS Council has imposed a written reprimand and a suspension on a physician on precisely that basis, treating non-cooperation as a standalone charge and drawing on authority that a member can be suspended until they respond completely. Disputing the College’s authority is not a defence to the requirement to engage with it.
2. Misleading the committee
Giving false or misleading information to a preliminary inquiry committee is a separate and serious charge, and has been prosecuted as such. A physician who might have survived the original allegation can convert it into a probity case — the category regulators treat most severely, because it goes to whether you can be trusted at all.
How long does it take, and can you keep practising?
There is no fixed statutory timetable, and PIC investigations commonly run for months; matters involving multiple complaints, expert review or parallel proceedings run longer. In most cases you continue to practise while the investigation proceeds. But where patients may be exposed to risk, the College can act protectively before any final determination, imposing conditions on your licence or suspending it in the interim. Any suggestion of interim action calls for urgent CMPA involvement.
From investigation to charges
If the investigation supports it, Council directs that charges be heard — the mechanism in s.47.5 of the Act — and the matter goes before a discipline hearing committee (the committee described in s.49). The charge will typically allege that you are “guilty of unbecoming, improper, unprofessional, or discreditable conduct” contrary to s.46, often coupled with specified paragraphs of the Code of Ethics in bylaw 7.1 or a regulatory bylaw, with the evidence particularised beneath it.
The hearing and the standard of proof
At the hearing, the burden of proof rests with the College, and the standard is the ordinary civil standard: the balance of probabilities. Saskatchewan discipline committees have expressly adopted the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling in F.H. v. McDougall that there is only one civil standard — there is no heightened “clear and convincing” test simply because the consequences are severe. Evidence must still be sufficiently clear and cogent to satisfy that balance.
Where guilt is found or admitted, penalty is decided by Council at a penalty hearing, under s.54 of the Act. What Council can impose — and how to put yourself in the best position before it — is the subject of our final guide.
Key takeaways
- An investigation begins when the Executive Committee finds reasonable grounds and directs that a preliminary inquiry committee be appointed.
- The PIC obtains documents, takes statements, and interviews you on the record; the transcript can be used later.
- Failing to cooperate with a PIC is unprofessional conduct on its own — it has drawn a reprimand and a suspension in Saskatchewan.
- Misleading a PIC is a separate, graver charge, and turns a clinical complaint into a probity case.
- If the evidence supports it, Council directs charges under s.47.5 and a discipline hearing committee hears them.
- The College bears the burden, on the balance of probabilities (F.H. v. McDougall); penalty is then set by Council under s.54.
Related CPD courses
Structured CPD you can complete and evidence while your matter is live.
Dealing with a Complaint or Investigation Professionally Engaging with a statutory investigation — cooperation, tone, and the errors that escalate matters. Probity and Honesty for Healthcare Professionals Why honesty with the regulator is the line you cannot cross, and how probity findings are treated. Insight for Fitness to Practise Demonstrating genuine insight — what regulators actually look for, and what they discount. Fitness to Practise for Healthcare Professionals How fitness to practise is assessed, and what health, conduct and performance concerns each require.These are independent CPD courses. They are not approved or accredited by the CPSS, they do not satisfy any course the Council may order (Council typically names or must approve the programme), and no course can guarantee an outcome.
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How to respond to a CPSS complaint→ Remediation and reflection for Saskatchewan doctors→Frequently asked questions
What is a preliminary inquiry committee?
The committee the Executive Committee directs be appointed where it finds reasonable grounds to believe a physician may be guilty of unbecoming, improper, unprofessional or discreditable conduct. It investigates: it gathers documents, takes statements and interviews the physician on the record.
Do I have to attend a PIC interview?
Yes — and you should attend represented. Refusing to be interviewed, or failing to provide requested documents, is itself unprofessional conduct in Saskatchewan and has resulted in a reprimand and suspension independently of the original complaint.
What standard of proof does the College have to meet?
The balance of probabilities. The burden rests on the College, and Saskatchewan discipline committees apply F.H. v. McDougall: there is a single civil standard, though the evidence must still be clear and cogent.
How long will the investigation take?
There is no fixed statutory timetable. Investigations commonly take months, and longer where there are multiple complaints, expert review or parallel proceedings.
Can I keep practising during the investigation?
Usually yes. But where patients may be at risk the College can impose conditions on your licence or suspend it before any final decision. If interim action is raised, contact the CMPA immediately.
Who decides the penalty if a charge is proved?
Council. Guilt is determined by a discipline hearing committee (or admitted), and Council then imposes penalty at a penalty hearing under s.54 of The Medical Profession Act, 1981.
This guide concerns the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan (CPSS) and is general information only — it is not legal advice and does not create any relationship of advice or representation. If you have received a complaint, a request from the Registrar’s Office, or notice of a preliminary inquiry committee, contact the CMPA immediately and take advice from a lawyer experienced in Saskatchewan medical regulatory matters before you respond. Healthcare Ethics Courses is an independent CPD provider and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the CPSS. Last updated 14 July 2026.