Information for Media

In most cases, hearings are open to the public as per the Health Professions Act. Anyone interested in observing a hearing should visit our website or contact CPSA’s Hearings Director’s Office for more information. Please note, there are circumstances outlined in the Health Professions Act which permit the Tribunal to close a hearing to the public.

Under legislation, CPSA is unable to disclose information related to matters that may be under investigation, and cannot speak publicly about a complaint unless it has been referred to a hearing.

If a hearing is scheduled, a notice with the charges listed will be published to CPSA’s website on the physician’s public-facing profile, which can be found via our Physician Directory. Each profile has a Disciplinary Actions tab, under which any hearing notices and hearing decisions are published. This information is also accessible via the Hearings and Discipline Decisions pages on our website.

Hearing notices are unpublished from a physician’s profile once the hearing process is concluded. Hearing decisions are available for 10 years from the date of publication. If a Tribunal’s sanction decision includes revocation of a physician’s registration and cancellation of their practice permit, or the hearing was related to sexual abuse or misconduct (after April 1, 2019), hearing decisions will remain on CPSA’s website indefinitely.

It depends on the complexity of the complaint and the evidence presented at the hearing.

Under the Health Professions Act, a Hearing Tribunal must deliver their written decision “within a reasonable time after the conclusion of a hearing”. A specific timeframe is not required.

Members of the media can submit questions or inquiries to CPSA’s Communications team.

Please note, CPSA is unable to reach out to community physicians to facilitate media requests. If you would like to interview a physician for a story, please use the Physician Directory on CPSA’s website to find one in your area who may be willing to help.

Under legislation (Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act), CPSA is unable to disclose information related to matters that may be under investigation, and cannot speak publicly about a complaint unless it has gone through a formal hearing.

If a physician or physician assistant is currently involved in the hearings process, a notice with the allegations and date of the hearing will be published on CPSA’s website.

CPSA cannot comment on specifics of the complaint that led to the hearing (beyond what’s published in the hearing notice) until the hearing has taken place and the Tribunal has delivered their decision in writing.

Once a written hearing decision is received, a media release is distributed and the decision is published on our website.