Manitoba · Manitoba Chiropractors Association

What happens during a Manitoba Chiropractors Association (MCA) investigation?

Once a complaint moves past the Complaints Committee, it becomes a formal statutory process led by the investigation chairman and, in serious cases, decided by an Inquiry Committee sitting as a tribunal. The point most Manitoba chiropractors miss is what comes at the end: under The Chiropractic Act there is no statutory right of appeal from an Inquiry Committee decision — the only route is judicial review to the Court of King’s Bench.

From the Complaints Committee to the investigation chairman

Where the Complaints Committee’s resolution is not accepted, or where the Committee decides the concern is serious enough, the matter is referred to the investigation chairman — a member of the Board appointed for that role. This is the point at which the process stops being a review of correspondence and becomes an investigation into whether you are alleged to have committed professional misconduct, conduct unbecoming a member, professional incompetence or criminal conduct, or to have demonstrated incompetence, incapacity or unfitness to practise.

The categories matter because they shape what the investigation looks for and what an Inquiry Committee could later find. A conduct allegation, a competence concern and a health-related fitness question are handled differently, and understanding which is in play helps you and your advisers respond to the right thing.

The preliminary investigation and your records

The investigation chairman gathers the evidence needed to decide whether a formal inquiry is warranted. In practice this means obtaining your patient records, correspondence and any other documents relevant to the concern, and it may involve inspection of your premises, books and records. The standards committee has an express statutory power to inspect a member’s practice on reasonable notice.

Provide what is asked for, on time and in full. Do not edit, back-date or reconstruct records — the integrity of your documentation will be scrutinised, and tampering converts a defensible clinical concern into an indefensible integrity one. If a record is missing or incomplete, say so plainly and explain why.

Interim suspension while the matter is investigated

The Act gives two routes to protect the public during an investigation. The investigation chairman may direct the registrar to suspend your licence pending or following the preliminary investigation, on reasonable and probable grounds that it is necessary to prevent a breach of the Act or that your continued practice is contrary to the public interest — but that suspension expires after seven days unless the Board confirms it.

Separately, where a matter is going to the Inquiry Committee, the Board itself may suspend your licence pending the disposition of the inquiry on the same public-interest test, with the registrar serving notice of the suspension. Interim suspension is uncommon and reserved for the most serious cases, but if it is proposed you should have representation at once, because this is where your ability to keep practising is argued.

Referral to the Inquiry Committee

If the investigation shows the concern is serious and unresolved, the matter is referred to the Inquiry Committee for a hearing. The Act sets its composition: it includes four members of the Association, at least two of whom must have at least five years’ experience as licensed chiropractors, chosen by random selection under the by-laws, together with lay representation, and the Board appoints a chair and vice-chair from among them.

The Inquiry Committee functions as a discipline tribunal. You are entitled to know the charge, to be represented, to hear the evidence against you and to respond to it. This is the stage at which the CCPA or a regulatory lawyer is essential — the hearing decides the facts and, if a finding is made, the penalty.

Findings, penalties and costs

If the Inquiry Committee finds the allegation proven on the balance of probabilities, the range of outcomes runs from the corrective to the severe. Published Canadian chiropractic discipline records show penalties including reprimands, written apologies, practice restrictions, fines, orders for psychological assessment or counselling, suspensions and, in the most serious cases, cancellation of a licence — frequently combined with an order to pay the costs of the proceedings.

Note too that the General Regulation deems certain conduct to be professional misconduct, so a breach of the Act or regulations can found a finding in its own right. Where a member practised through a professional corporation, the corporation can be jointly and severally liable for fines and costs the member is ordered to pay.

Appeals: judicial review, not a statutory appeal

This is the feature that most distinguishes a Manitoba chiropractic case from a College case elsewhere in Canada. The Chiropractic Act provides no statutory right of appeal from an Inquiry Committee decision. The Manitoba Court of Appeal confirmed this in Manitoba Chiropractors Association v. Alevizos: the decision of a properly constituted committee is the decision of the Association, and there is no internal or statutory appeal from it.

The remaining route is judicial review in the Court of King’s Bench for Manitoba, which is narrower than an appeal — it examines the fairness and reasonableness of the process and decision rather than re-hearing the facts. Because there is no appeal to fall back on, getting the hearing itself right is critical, and that means engaging fully and being properly represented from the investigation stage onward.

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.