Mailing Address
Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council
56 Wellesley St W.,
12th Floor
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5S 2S3

Telephone and Facsimile
Toll-Free: 1-888-377-7746
Telephone: 416-326-1550.
Fax: 416-326-1549

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Regulation of Paramedics/Emergency Medical Attendants under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 

The Minister's Question

The Hon. Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, has reconfirmed a referral to HPRAC which was made by a previous minister. HPRAC has been asked to provide advice on the regulation of paramedics and EMAs under the RHPA; and, if regulated, the appropriate scope of practice, controlled acts and titles authorized to the profession. The advice is due for completion by December 31, 2013.

HPRAC's Approach

When a referral is received from the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, HPRAC determines relevant public interest concerns and questions. HPRAC attempts to understand all perspectives on an issue including those of key health care practitioners, other affected health care professionals, clients and patients, advocates and regulators.  Each issue proceeds through a multi-stage process where information and responses are requested from and shared with stakeholders. HPRAC will conduct literature, jurisdictional and jurisprudence reviews, and engage in key informant interviews.  Its analysis of the issues will lead to a determination of additional information required, and the appropriate process to be used. 

HPRAC also wishes to remind interested parties that the purpose of regulation under the RHPA is to protect the public. The onus is on the applicant to provide sufficient evidence to HPRAC so the Advisory Council can effectively assess the application against the criteria for regulation of a new profession under the RHPA. For further details about the HPRAC criteria and the process for regulating a new health profession under the RHPA, please click here.

Timelines

The following table includes the currently anticipated timeline for this referral:

Please note that these are tentative timelines and may be changed without prior notice.

Application to Regulate Paramedics and EMAs under the RHPA
HPRAC invited the Ontario Paramedic Association (OPA) to submit a proposal to regulate paramedics and EMAs under the RHPA. HPRAC provided OPA with an application package consisting of:

• Letter
• HPRAC’s Criteria and Process Guide
• Application Guide
• Timeline document
• Literature review part I & part II
• Jurisdictional review
• Jurisprudence review
• Backgrounder

Invitation to Comment on the Issue
A proposal has been submitted by OPA seeking the regulation of paramedics and EMAs under the RHPA. Many organisations and individuals have extensive (or related) experience and interest in the practice of paramedics & EMAs. HPRAC is keen to ensure that this experience and interest are fully reflected in our recommendation-making process. Therefore, we invite comments on the proposal submitted by OPA to regulate paramedics and EMAs under the RHPA.

The consultation period is from April 8, 2013 to July 8, 2013.

You may find it helpful to read the completed application, which is available here:
 OPA application

How to Submit Your Feedback

There are two (2) ways to provide your feedback to HPRAC:

Option 1: Online Survey 

You can provide your feedback online via the HPRAC web consultation portalwhere a link is provided to an online survey. We strongly encourage you to respond online. To do so, please click on link below:
 
 https://questionpro.com/t/AG3RVZPBcO

**If you experience difficulty submitting your survey online, please contact HPRAC at 1-888-377-7746**

OR

Option 2: Manual Feedback Form

You can provide your feedback via the Feedback Form. The Feedback Form asks the same questions as the online survey. To access this form, click on the link below:

 Fillable PDF feedback form

This form is in fillable Portable Document Format (PDF). This means you can fill out the questionnaire on-line by typing your answers directly into the online form. To do so your computer must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you must first download the Adobe Acrobat software. You can do so by visiting http://get.adobe.com/reader/. Once completed, please make sure to save your input by clicking on File and then selecting Save As.

Alternately you may wish to print out the form and complete it manually.

The final date for responses is July 8, 2013, but earlier expressions of views would be greatly appreciated.

Once completed, you can send your feedback form by:

Email: HPRACSubmissions@ontario.ca
Subject: Feedback on Regulation of Paramedics and EMAs

OR

Mail:
Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council
56 Wellesley St. W, 12th Floor
Toronto, ON. M5S 2S3
Attention: Feedback on Proposal to Regulate Paramedics and EMAs

OR

Fax: 416-326-1549
Subject: Feedback on Regulation of Paramedics and EMAs

Stakeholder Feedback

To ensure transparency, the stakeholder comments HPRAC receives are posted according to access to information guidelines (for guidelines, visit http://www.hprac.org/en/privacy.asp). Consultation closes on July 8, 2013 and a summary of submissions will be posted shortly after this date.

If you wish to comment on any of the stakeholder comments, you will have two weeks to do so. Wednesday, July 24, 2013 is the tentative deadline for submission. Please send any comments to HPRACSubmissions@ontario.ca. 

Next Steps

Upon conclusion of stakeholder consultations, HPRAC will carefully consider all evidence gathered to develop recommendations. Your feedback helps HPRAC assess the proposal and determine the issues the Advisory Council should consider throughout the review process, and informs recommendation development.

HPRAC will submit its recommendations on whether the practice of paramedics and EMAs should be regulated under the RHPA in a report to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. All HPRAC reports to the Minister remain confidential until released by the Minister. Please note that, as per the RHPA, HPRAC recommendations are advisory only. The minister is not bound to accept HPRAC’s advice. The release of an HPRAC report and any follow-up action are at the discretion of the Minister. Should the Minister choose to accept HPRAC’s advice, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is responsible for implementation of HPRAC recommendations.

HPRAC expects to submit its recommendation to the Minister by December 31, 2013.

Watch this site for updates and announcements. You may also get latest updates and consultation announcements by following HPRAC on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/HPRACOntario.