College of Veterinarians of Ontario - College of Veterinarians of Ontario

The Accreditation Committee is a statutory committee of the College with the primary responsibility for deciding upon and directing the issuance of Certificates of Accreditation for those facilities that are referred to it by the Registrar. The Accreditation Committee may not pass a regulation, by-law or standard.

The Accreditation Committee:

May exempt an applicant or veterinary facility from compliance with any qualification, requirement or standard for a Certificate of Accreditation
Determines the eligibility of applicants and facilities for Certificates of Accreditation that have been referred to the committee and after considering application for issuance or renewal of the Certificate of Accreditation, may direct Registrar:
To issue or to renew the Certificate of Accreditation
To refuse to issue or to renew the Certificate of Accreditation
To issue or to renew the Certificate of Accreditation subject to the conditions and limitations the Accreditation Committee specifies
Reviews existing policy and considers new policy items, as directed by Council, and makes recommendations for changes or additions to/updates of the Minimum Standards for Veterinary Facilities in Ontario
Has the authority over facility name approvals
Shall appoint a time for, give notice of and hold a hearing to determine the allegations in respect of a Certificate of Accreditation
Make referral to the Registrar over concerns about potential professional misconduct

Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB):

The HPARB is an independent tribunal established by the provincial government whose function is to review decisions of statutory committees of all the regulated health professions in Ontario.

If the facility director of the veterinary facility is not satisfied with a decision of the Accreditation Committee, they have 30 days from receipt of the decision to file an appeal with HPARB.

The powers of HPARB regarding certificates of accreditation are as follows:

Confirm the proposed decision of the Accreditation Committee;
Require the Accreditation Committee to direct the Registrar to issue or renew a certificate of accreditation for the appropriate class of veterinary facility; or
Refer the matter back to the Accreditation Committee for further consideration and the Board may make recommendations.