Concept
Publicizing
Notices of
Hearing
Current Provisions Proposal
Under the current provisions
of the Veterinarians Act, the
College is not permitted to
publish members’ names
until there is a discipline
finding 12 . As a result, the
College cannot publicize
a notice of hearing, nor a
member’s name prior to a
hearing. It is proposed that hearings of the Discipline Committee and the Accreditation
Committee, which are already open to the public, will be clearly made known
prior to a hearing.
Information concerning a hearing by a panel of the Discipline Committee or
the Accreditation Committee will be publicly available at least 30 days before
the intended date of the hearing. The information will include the name of
the member against whom allegations have been made, the intended date,
time and place of the hearing and a summary of the allegations against the
member.
Exclusion of public
The panel may make an order that the public be excluded from a hearing or
any part of it if the panel is satisfied that:
• matters involving public security may be disclosed;
• financial or personal or other matters may be disclosed at the hearing
of such a nature that the harm created by disclosure would outweigh
the desirability of adhering to the principle that hearings be open to the
public;
• a person involved in a criminal proceeding or in a civil suit or proceeding
may be prejudiced; or
• the safety of a person may be jeopardized.
Orders preventing public disclosure
In situations in which the panel makes an order excluding the public from
a hearing, the panel may make orders it considers necessary to prevent
the public disclosure of matters disclosed at the hearing, including orders
banning the publication or broadcasting of those matters.
12 Veterinarians Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. V.3, s 29.
Achieving a Modern Approach to the Regulation of Veterinary Medicine in Ontario 55