Discipline
Approximately 70% of cases referred to
discipline proceed on an uncontested
basis, where the College and the physician
agree on the facts, or the physician
does not contest the facts, and the
physician admits to one, some or all of the
allegations. The parties also make a join t
penalty proposal. In law, the Committee
must accept a jointly proposed penalty
unless it would bring the administration
of justice into disrepute or it is otherwise
contrary to the public interest. Uncontested
hearings typically complete in one day.
In approximately 30% of cases, discipline
hearings proceed on a contested basis with
the allegations and the penalty in dispute,
and the College and the physician call
witnesses and other evidence. A contested
hearing may take several days or one to
several weeks.
The Discipline Committee continually
considers ways to resolve cases earlier
and maximize resources. When possible,
the Committee schedules two uncontested
cases before the same panel in one day.
Decision Benchmark Discipline Findings and Current Referrals
As of May 2015, the Discipline Committee has two In 2017, the Discipline Committee completed 50 cases.
decision-release benchmarks to acknowledge differences
50
in case complexity: two months for uncontested cases,
and six months for contested cases, absent extenuating
Cases
Completed
circumstances.
1
The timeliness of decisions has improved:
Motion to Vary
(granted)
PRIOR TO MAY 2015: MAY 2015 TO 2017:
49% of all decisions 89% 71%
MET THE 2-MONTH
BENCHMARK MET THEIR RESPECTIVE
BENCHMARKS.
(uncontested)
(contested)
2017 YEAR-END CASELOAD:
108
37
(30%) Not
Proved
Uncontested
8
(70%) Proved
37
(100%) Proved
8 proved contested cases + 37 proved uncontested cases =
45 cases or 92% where some or all allegations were proved.
Fast Fact
(The highest on record)
INCREASE SINCE 2014:
110% 85% 74%
Referrals
4
12
Contested
Completed cases
At end of 2017, 35%
of open investigations
involve a physician
with more than one
active investigation.
Year-end caseload
CPSO ANNUAL REPORT 2017 // page 23