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The Health Professions and Occupations Act
About the Health Occupations and Professions Act
The Health Occupations and Professions Act (HPOA) will replace the Health Professions Act (HPA), which currently serves as the legislative framework governing the regulation of health regulatory colleges and the professions they regulate in British Columbia.
The HPOA received Royal Assent in 2022 and will come into force on April 1, 2026. Until the HPOA comes into force, the HPA will continue to serve as the legislative framework for regulated health professions. The Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act (PODSA) will continue to provide the legislative framework governing pharmacies and drug scheduling in British Columbia. The PODSA will be amended to reflect consequential changes to align with the new Act.
CPBC Bylaws FOR HPOA
CPBC has completed the consultation period on the proposed bylaws under the Health Professions and Occupations Act. Questions related to the consultation process can be directed to [email protected].
CPBC Bylaws FOR PODSA
CPBC is proposing to repeal and replace the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act (PODSA) bylaws to make amendments that are consequential to the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA) coming in force on April 1, 2026.
To meet the timelines for the new legislation, we have taken a “lift and shift” approach. This means we’ve only made revisions necessary to align with the HPOA, the proposed HPOA bylaws, and the PODSA as amended by the HPOA. We know there is work to do on modernizing the standards and we will focus on that over time.
The proposed bylaws are open for public comment for a notice period closing February 13, 2026. Click here to view the proposed PODSA bylaws.
What is the Health Professions and Occupations Act?
As stated in the Ministry of Health’s Health Professions and Occupations Act Q&A, the HPOA does the following:
- Commits to cultural safety and humility by taking a proactive approach to discrimination in B.C.’s health care system.
- Improves governance of regulatory colleges, moving to a merit and competency-based appointment process for board members.
- Strengthens oversight of regulatory colleges by creating the Health Professions and Occupations Regulatory Oversight Office to ensure regulatory colleges are focused on patient safety and the public interest.
- Creates a safer complaints system with a new independent disciplinary hearing process.
- Improves information sharing and transparency for enhanced patient safety and public trust.