Regulatory Exemptions for Non-Members
Status: The Transition Council has approved several of the proposed regulatory concepts in the area of Regulatory Exemptions for Non-Members. These regulatory concepts focus on pharmacy professionals, animal rehabilitation, farriers and hoof trimmers, mass culls of livestock and poultry, and embryo implantation in cattle. The proposed regulatory concept concerning chiropractors will be dealt with at a future Transition Council meeting.
Replay from Transition Council: A replay of the Transition Council's discussions and decisions from the May 14, 2025 meeting is available below. The proposed regulatory concepts under "Regulatory Exemptions for Non-Members" include: Chiropractors, Pharmacy Professionals, Animal Rehabilitation, Farriers and Hoof Trimmers, Mass Culls of Livestock and Poultry, and Embryo Implantation in Cattle.
Chiropractors
The Veterinarians Act outlines an exclusive scope of practice model for veterinary medicine, which means veterinary medicine may only be performed by a veterinarian or an auxiliary working under their supervision and delegation. There are no current specific exceptions or exemptions for chiropractors within the current legislative framework. In recent years, the College has been researching and promoting the importance of interprofessional collaboration between veterinary and non-veterinary animal care providers. This includes the Legacy Council’s policy work on forms of energy, non-conventional therapies, and shared care in animal rehabilitation. This work has also included research on the training and qualifications possessed by other individuals, such as chiropractors, delivering services to animals.
The Veterinary Professionals Act permits the development of regulatory exemptions for persons who meet the guidelines, processes, terms, conditions, limitations, and/or prohibitions outlined in regulation to perform certain authorized activities related to animals. A regulatory concept related to a regulatory exemption for chiropractors was developed and circulated for consultation
The proposed regulatory concept related to regulatory exemptions for chiropractors was discussed at the May Transition Council meeting. The Transition Council will consider the topic again at a future meeting.
Pharmacy Professionals
Through a combination of the legislative and regulatory frameworks established by the Food and Drug Act (federal), the Drug and Pharmacy Regulation Act (provincial) and the Veterinarians Act (provincial), licensed pharmacists are permitted to dispense, compound, and sell drugs for animals in accordance with a veterinary prescription. The Ontario College of Pharmacists recognizes this allowance and assumes professional responsibility over their members when they are providing these services. The Veterinary Professionals Act indicates licensed pharmacy professionals may carry out certain authorized activities.
The proposed regulatory concept relating to regulatory exemptions for pharmacy professionals, approved by the Transition Council at its May meeting, includes the following:
- regulatory exemptions for members of the Ontario College of Pharmacists
- specifies the authorized activity of compounding, dispensing or selling a drug in the practice of pharmacy on animals
Learn more about the regulatory concept on Pharmacy Professionals
Animal Rehabilitation
There are no specific exceptions or exemptions related to animal rehabilitation within the Veterinarians Act. In recent years, the College has been researching and promoting the importance of interprofessional collaboration between veterinary and non-veterinary animal care providers. This includes the Legacy Council’s policy work on forms of energy, non-conventional therapies, and shared care in animal rehabilitation. This work has also included research on the training and qualifications possessed by other individuals delivering services to animals.
The proposed regulatory concept relating to regulatory exemptions for animal rehabilitation, approved by the Transition Council at its May meeting, includes the following:
- regulatory exemptions for providers of animal rehabilitation
- additional recommendations for education, training, knowledge, skills, and judgement among those working in animal rehabilitation, including coordination and consultation with a veterinarian member
Learn more about the regulatory concept on Animal Rehabilitation
Farriers and Hoof Trimmers
Through conversations with the veterinary and agricultural communities, the College recognized the need for certain non-veterinary animal care providers to provide farrier and/or hoof trimming services for animals.
The proposed regulatory concept relating to regulatory exemptions for farriers and hoof trimmers, approved by the Transition Council at its May meeting, includes the following:
- regulatory exemptions for farriers and hoof trimmers
- recommends training, knowledge, skill, and judgement among those providing farrier and hoof trimming services
Learn more about the regulatory concept on Farriers and Hoof Trimmers
Performance of Mass Culls of Livestock and Poultry
Through conversations with the veterinary and agricultural communities, the College recognized the need for certain non-animal veterinary care providers to perform mass culls of either livestock or poultry through the administration of substances (such as nitrogen) by inhalation. Mass culls are used for population control and disease management and are essential to agricultural practices in Ontario.
The proposed regulatory concept relating to regulatory exemptions for the performance of mass culls of livestock and poultry, approved by the Transition Council at its May meeting, includes the following:
- regulatory exemptions to allow for mass culls of livestock and poultry
- recommends training to administer substances by inhalation for the purposes of mass culls in livestock and/or poultry
- recommends knowledge, skill, and judgement among those performing mass culls in livestock and/or poultry, and that the activities align with the Codes of Practice for the care and handling of farm animals
Learn more about the regulatory concept on the Performance Mass Culls of Livestock and Poultry
Embryo Implantation in Cattle
The Veterinary Professionals Act contains a statutory exception excluding from the prohibition on non-members performing authorized activities the implantation of embryos as part of a business that engages in the artificial insemination of livestock. Through conversations with veterinary and agricultural communities, the College recognized the need to further consider this exception. The level of risk in performing embryo implantation in all types of livestock, especially equine, necessitated further limits to the performance of this procedure. Anatomic differences between livestock species led to the proposal to limit the performance of embryo implantation by trained non-veterinary animal care providers to cattle.
The proposed regulatory concept relating to regulatory exemptions for embryo implantation in cattle, approved by the Transition Council at its May meeting, includes the following:
- regulatory exemptions to limit the statutory exception for embryo implantation
- recommends training, knowledge, skill, and judgement among those performing the authorized activity of embryo implantation in bovine