https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/ Recent content in Changelog on MH in Brief Hugo -- gohugo.io en-ca MH in Brief Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-18-ca-federal-privacy-pipeda-record-added/ Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-18-ca-federal-privacy-pipeda-record-added/ PIPEDA applies to every organization in respect of personal information it collects, uses or discloses IN THE COURSE OF COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY (s. 4(1)(a)) — ‘commercial activity’ meaning any transaction, act or conduct, or regular course of conduct, of a commercial character (s. 2). A fee-charging private practice is such an organization. It does not apply to government institutions covered by the Privacy Act, to purely personal or domestic collection, or to journalistic, artistic or literary purposes (s. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-insurance-counselling-therapy-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-insurance-counselling-therapy-record-added/ All licensed registrants, INCLUDING those on leave, must maintain professional liability insurance covering all counselling-therapy services within their individual scope of practice. Coverage must be not less than $2,000,000 per claim and not less than $5,000,000 aggregate, WITH NO DEDUCTIBLE. Proof must be submitted at initial application and again at annual registration and licence renewal, as a copy of the current policy or a letter from the insurer verifying amounts and extent of coverage. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-insurance-psychology-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-insurance-psychology-record-added/ Hold professional liability insurance (or other malpractice coverage or liability protection) in the form and amount set by the Board. The minimum amount set by the Board is $1,000,000 per occurrence. Applies to holders of a Practising Licence AND a Candidate Psychologist Conditional Licence. Proof of coverage must be provided within 30 days of the licence being granted, and maintaining coverage is a condition of annual renewal. Employer-provided coverage does not automatically satisfy this — NSRP’s position is that institutional coverage may not cover all acts of an employee and that psychologists employed by health institutions, school boards and universities still require personal coverage. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-insurance-psychology-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-insurance-psychology-record-added/ Psychologists, and holders of a psychotherapist permit who are not admissible to another professional order, must adhere to the collective professional liability insurance contract concluded by the Ordre. The minimum guarantee is $1,000,000 per claim (par sinistre) and $3,000,000 per guarantee period (par période de garantie); coverage may be increased optionally to $2,000,000 per claim and $4,000,000 per period. The obligation does NOT apply where the psychologist or psychotherapist-permit holder holds insurance through their employer and furnishes proof of it. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-insurance-social-work-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-insurance-social-work-record-added/ Social workers IN PRIVATE PRACTICE must secure adequate malpractice, defamation, and liability insurance, and maintain registration with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers. No minimum dollar amount is specified. Those providing clinical social work services in a private setting must also hold Clinical Specialist registration and provide evidence of that status (s. 5.5.2). “5.5.1 securing adequate malpractice, defamation, and liability insurance and maintaining registration with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers” — NSCSW Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, s. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-insurance-social-work-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-insurance-social-work-record-added/ Every social worker practising full-time, part-time OR OCCASIONALLY must adhere to the collective professional liability insurance contract concluded by the Ordre (a. 1). The collective contract must provide a minimum guarantee of at least $500,000 per claim and $1,000,000 for all claims arising in the guarantee period for which a claim is presented (a. 4(1°)); the contract must also cover claims presented against the insured’s heirs after the guarantee period in which they die, pay third-party damages up to the guarantee amount, and take up the insured’s defence and pay legal costs and interest in addition to the insured amount (a. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-licensure-counselling-therapy-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-licensure-counselling-therapy-record-added/ Hold a licence from the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists (NSCCT) to use the protected titles ‘Counselling Therapist’, ‘Registered Counselling Therapist’ / ‘RCT’, or ‘Registered Counselling Therapist - Candidate’ / ‘RCT-C’, or to describe services as ‘counselling therapy’. Licence categories under s. 5: active-practising; active-practising with conditions or restrictions; active-practising candidate; temporary; temporary with conditions or restrictions. Registration criteria (s. 6(2)) include a recognised counselling-therapy education programme, any registration examinations approved by the Board, no outstanding complaints in previous jurisdictions, English-language proficiency, an ethics course, workshop or exam, and a supervised practicum or internship with a minimum of 120 direct-contact practice hours. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-licensure-psychology-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-licensure-psychology-record-added/ Hold a licence from the Nova Scotia Regulator of Psychology (NSRP) to practise psychology. Practising licence categories are set by s. 8 (psychologist practising licence, plus any further category established in the bylaws); conditional licences by s. 9 (candidate psychologist conditional licence, psychologist conditional licence, plus bylaw categories). Registration criteria under s. 10(2)(a) require graduation from an approved master’s, PhD or PsyD programme, passing the required examinations, English-language proficiency, Canadian citizenship or legal entitlement to work in Canada, and the capacity, competence and character to practise safely and ethically. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-on-licensure-psychology-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-on-licensure-psychology-record-added/ Hold a certificate of registration from the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO). The regulation prescribes TWELVE classes (s. 1), built from three registrant types — psychologist, psychological associate, behaviour analyst — each crossed with a practice authorization (autonomous, interim autonomous, supervised; behaviour analysts have autonomous and supervised only), plus Academic, Inactive, Retired and a temporary emergency class. PSYCHOLOGIST, AUTONOMOUS PRACTICE (s. 5(1)) — non-exemptible requirements: a DOCTORAL degree from a psychology programme accredited by the Canadian Psychological Association (or one a Registration Committee panel considers equivalent, or a substantially similar programme outside Canada/the USA); a minimum of 1,500 hours of postdoctoral supervised practice performed while holding a supervised-practice certificate; the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) administered by ASPPB or an approved alternative; an oral examination; the Jurisprudence and Ethics Examination; and any further training a panel considers necessary for competence in the intended area of practice. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-licensure-psychology-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-licensure-psychology-record-added/ Hold a permit from the Ordre des psychologues du Québec (OPQ) and be entered on its roll (tableau) to use the reserved title of psychologist. The permit opens on a DOCTORATE in psychology — Ph.D. (recherche et intervention) or D.Psy. — from a designated Quebec university, listed exhaustively at s. 1.24 of the diploma regulation. Quebec has required a doctorate for the psychologist permit since 2006; a master’s degree no longer opens the permit. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-on-licensure-psychotherapy-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-on-licensure-psychotherapy-record-added/ Hold a certificate of registration from the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). Five classes are prescribed (s. 2): Registered Psychotherapist, Qualifying, Temporary, Inactive, and Emergency. Only a member holding the Registered Psychotherapist certificate may use the title ‘Registered Psychotherapist’ or the abbreviation ‘RP’; a Qualifying member may use only ‘Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)’ / ‘RP (Qualifying)’ (or the French ‘Psychothérapeute autorisé (stagiaire)’ / ‘PA (stagiaire)’) — abbreviating ‘(Qualifying)’ to ‘(Q)’ is not acceptable. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-licensure-social-work-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-licensure-social-work-record-added/ Register with the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers (NSCSW). Registered Social Worker (RSW) requires a CASWE-accredited BSW or MSW plus 2,500 hours of post-graduation practice experience within the scope of practice. Applicants without those hours are placed on the Social Worker Candidate registry and must complete all or part of the Candidacy Mentorship Programme based on prior experience. Providing CLINICAL social work services in a private setting requires an additional level of registration — Registered Social Worker-Clinical Specialist — applied for through the Board of Examiners, and members in private practice must provide evidence of that status. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-on-licensure-social-work-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-on-licensure-social-work-record-added/ Hold a certificate of registration from the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW). Three classes are prescribed for social work — General, Inactive, Retired — and three separately for SOCIAL SERVICE WORK, which is a distinct regulated profession under the same college (s. 1). GENERAL CERTIFICATE, SOCIAL WORK (s. 7(1)) — the applicant must produce documentation satisfactory to the Registrar showing either: a degree in social work from a programme accredited by the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (CASWE), or a Canadian programme Council has approved as equivalent; or a degree from a social work or equivalent programme offered OUTSIDE Canada that Council has approved as equivalent to a CASWE-accredited programme; or a COMBINATION of academic qualifications and experience performing the role of a social worker that the Registrar determines is substantially equivalent to the qualifications required for a CASWE-accredited degree. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-licensure-social-work-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-licensure-social-work-record-added/ Hold a permit from the Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et des thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec (OTSTCFQ) and be entered on its roll to use the reserved title of travailleur social / social worker. The social worker permit opens on a Baccalauréat en service social or Baccalauréat en travail social from a designated Quebec university, or in some cases a Maîtrise en travail social, listed exhaustively at s. 1.15 of the diploma regulation. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-privacy-law25-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-privacy-law25-record-added/ A clinician carrying on an enterprise (private practice) is responsible for the personal information they hold (a. 3.1). The person with the highest authority in the enterprise exercises the function of PERSON IN CHARGE of the protection of personal information — in a solo practice, the clinician themselves — and may delegate it in writing; the title and contact details of that person must be PUBLISHED ON THE ENTERPRISE’S WEBSITE, or made accessible by other appropriate means if there is no website (a. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-privacy-breach-notification-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-privacy-breach-notification-record-added/ A custodian must notify the affected individual at the first reasonable opportunity where it believes on a reasonable basis BOTH that the information was stolen, lost, or subject to unauthorized access, use, disclosure, copying or modification, AND that as a result there is potential for harm or embarrassment to the individual (s. 69). Where the custodian instead determines that a breach is unlikely to have occurred, or that there is no potential for harm or embarrassment, it may decide not to notify the individual — but it MUST then notify the Review Officer (the Information and Privacy Commissioner) as soon as possible (s. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-privacy-custodian-status-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-privacy-custodian-status-record-added/ A ‘custodian’ includes a regulated health professional, or a person who operates a group practice of regulated health professionals, who has custody or control of personal health information in connection with their powers or duties (s. 3(1)(f)(i)). ‘Regulated health professional’ means a health professional licensed or registered to provide health care under a provincial Act specific to their profession, who provides health care (s. 3(1)(w)). TWO CARVE-OUTS DECIDE MOST REAL CASES. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-privacy-data-residency-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-privacy-data-residency-record-added/ Nova Scotia imposes NO data-residency requirement on personal health information by statute or regulation. Neither PHIA nor the Personal Health Information Regulations require that personal health information be stored, hosted, or processed within Nova Scotia or within Canada. What the law does require instead is: (a) security safeguards — a custodian maintaining an electronic information system must implement the prescribed safeguards (PHIA s. 65), which the regulations set out as protection of network infrastructure including physical and wireless networks to ensure secure access, protection of hardware and supporting operating systems, and protection of the system’s software including user authentication (Regulations s. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-retention-counselling-therapy-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-retention-counselling-therapy-record-added/ Ensure the security and preservation of client records for which the counsellor/therapist has maintenance responsibility, and the records of those they supervise, for the period stipulated by law in the jurisdiction and by employer protocol, whichever is LONGEST. CCPA’s own standard is 7 years after the last date of service provided, and 7 years after the age of majority for children, where the legal and employment stipulations are shorter. Arrange for secure preservation and disposition of records on retirement, death, or other departure; in private practice records may be transferred to another counsellor/therapist with clients notified, or clients may take possession. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-retention-psychology-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-retention-psychology-record-added/ Retain both individual and corporate client records for at least 10 years following the last client contact. Where the client was under 18 at the time of last contact, retain the individual client record for 10 years following the client’s 18th birthday. Billing records are retained on the same basis (s. 7.5). In private practice, a registrant who plans to or ceases to provide services must take responsibility for maintenance and security of records or arrange for another registrant to do so, and must inform NSRP of those arrangements at the earliest reasonable opportunity; advance arrangements should also be made for incapacity or death (s. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-retention-psychology-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-retention-psychology-record-added/ Keep a file for each client at the place of practice, and keep each file for AT LEAST 5 YEARS from the date of the last professional service provided (a. 8). Files may be kept electronically provided confidentiality is assured (a. 2). Files must be stored in furniture not freely accessible to the public and kept locked (a. 7). After the retention period a file may be destroyed provided confidentiality of its contents is assured (a. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-retention-social-work-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-retention-social-work-record-added/ Ensure each service user record is stored and preserved in a secure location for at least 7 years from the date of the LAST ENTRY. Where the service user was under 18 at the date of the last entry, retain for at least 7 years from the day they became or would have become 18. Longer periods may be required by law or by employer or self-employed-member policy, and such policies should be developed with a view to the potential future need for the record. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-retention-social-work-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-retention-social-work-record-added/ Keep a file for each client and keep each file for AT LEAST 5 YEARS from the date of the last professional service rendered. On expiry of that period the file may be eliminated, provided the confidentiality of the information it contains is assured. “6. Le travailleur social doit conserver chaque dossier au moins 5 ans à compter de la date du dernier service professionnel rendu. À l’expiration de ce délai, il peut procéder à l’élimination d’un dossier en s’assurant de la confidentialité des renseignements qui y sont contenus. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-scope-psychotherapy-permit-loi-21-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-scope-psychotherapy-permit-loi-21-record-added/ PSYCHOTHERAPY IN QUEBEC IS A RESERVED ACTIVITY, NOT A PROFESSION. Apart from physicians and psychologists — who hold it by virtue of their own permits — no one may practise psychotherapy, use the title psychothérapeute, or any title or abbreviation suggesting they are one, unless they are a member of one of seven named ordres AND hold the psychotherapist permit: conseillers et conseillères d’orientation, criminologues, ergothérapeutes, infirmières et infirmiers, psychoéducateurs et psychoéducatrices, sexologues, and travailleurs sociaux et thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux (a. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-telepractice-counselling-therapy-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-telepractice-counselling-therapy-record-added/ NSCCT registrants may provide telecounselling to clients resident anywhere in Canada. NSCCT treats ‘practice’ as occurring in the jurisdiction where the THERAPIST is registered, not where the client sits, and retains oversight regardless of physical location or delivery mode. An NSCCT registrant serving out-of-province clients must: tell clients they are located in Nova Scotia and regulated by NSCCT, and give the College’s website, email and phone; obtain confirmation from the regulator in the client’s province that its rules permit the service, and abide by any limits it sets unless they conflict with NSCCT’s standards; practise telecounselling as an RCT-Candidate only with the candidacy supervisor’s clear agreement; ensure liability insurance covers out-of-province telecounselling; and ensure the platform is PIPEDA-compliant AND hosted on servers holding data exclusively within Canada. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-telepractice-psychology-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-telepractice-psychology-record-added/ There is NO binding, telepractice-specific standard for Nova Scotia psychologists. NSRP adopted ACPRO’s Model Standards for Telepsychology Service as an ADVISORY only, expressly not incorporated into its Standards of Practice. As advice, registrants are directed to be licensed and in good standing in their home jurisdiction; to ensure they are legally entitled to deliver services outside it; to tell clients which regulator to complain to; to be familiar with the jurisprudence and standards where the service is received and follow the HIGHER standard where they conflict; to carry liability insurance covering out-of-jurisdiction service; to be competent in the technology; to use coded client identification where live visual verification is not possible; and to plan with clients for technology failure. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-telepractice-psychology-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-telepractice-psychology-record-added/ Quebec sets no telepractice-specific REGULATION for psychologists. The OPQ publishes guidance — lignes directrices, points de repère, and a scenario FAQ — and is explicit that it does not impose particular tools or forms. The binding obligations are the ordinary ones: the Code de déontologie, the record-keeping regulation, and competence, which apply whatever the medium. ON INTERJURISDICTIONAL PRACTICE the OPQ’s guidance takes the form of ANSWERS TO SPECIFIC POSED SCENARIOS, and must be read as such rather than as a general jurisdictional doctrine. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-telepractice-psychology-clinician-facing-obligations-corrected/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-telepractice-psychology-clinician-facing-obligations-corrected/ Q: « Je suis psychologue ou psychothérapeute en Ontario et je serai à Montréal pour quelques mois. Je voudrais continuer à voir mes clients de l’Ontario. » R: « Afin d’offrir des services à des clients du Québec ou à distance à des clients à l’extérieur du Québec, une personne qui est physiquement au Québec doit s’inscrire auprès de l’Ordre des psychologues du Québec ou obtenir une autorisation spéciale d’exercer. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-telepractice-social-work-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-ns-telepractice-social-work-record-added/ When delivering electronic social work services, social workers must: confirm service users can access and use the technology, understand its purpose and operation, have their needs met and their identity protected (6.5.1); use safeguards such as password protection, encryption and secure firewalls when sharing confidential information digitally or on storage devices (6.5.2); follow applicable legislation in the province where they are regulated, where they practise, AND where the service user resides (6. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-telepractice-social-work-record-added/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-telepractice-social-work-record-added/ Members providing electronic services must: inform clients of the risks of disclosing confidential information over the internet, social media, texting and videoconferencing sites, and of the possible consequences (3.01); use adequate protective measures INCLUDING ENCRYPTION when communicating confidential information by digital or electronic technology, and protect archived client information with adequate measures including secure firewalls, encryption software and passwords (3.02); comply with the laws and regulations on secure use of digital and electronic technologies BOTH in their own administrative jurisdiction AND in the one where the client is located (3. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-telepractice-social-work-notes-corrected/ Mon, 17 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-17-ca-qc-telepractice-social-work-notes-corrected/ “Ces normes décrivent les obligations auxquelles sont tenus de se conformer les membres de l’Ordre […] Ces normes ne sont pas des dispositions légales en tant que telles, mais elles ont néanmoins un caractère exécutoire, car elles définissent les responsabilités professionnelles et servent de cadre de référence à la formation continue, à l’inspection professionnelle et aux fins disciplinaires” … “3.02. Avoir recours à des mesures de protection adéquates, dont le cryptage, lors de la communication de renseignements confidentiels au moyen des technologies numériques et électroniques. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-insurance-psychology-record-added/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-insurance-psychology-record-added/ MANDATORY. Registrants holding a certificate authorising autonomous, interim autonomous or supervised practice must hold or be covered by professional liability insurance IN ALL SETTINGS IN WHICH THEY PRACTISE. Minimum coverage $2,000,000. No deductible is permitted. The only exemption is for a registrant who resides outside Ontario AND provides no services within Ontario at any time during the registration year, nor supervises anyone providing services in Ontario. “22.1 Subject to Section 6, each member of the College registered with a certificate of registration authorizing autonomous practice, interim autonomous practice or supervised practice shall hold, or otherwise be covered by professional liability insurance in all settings in which the member practices. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-insurance-psychotherapy-record-added/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-insurance-psychotherapy-record-added/ MANDATORY for all registrants except inactive registrants who have purchased run-off coverage. The policy must carry: at least $1,000,000 per occurrence; at least $5,000,000 annual aggregate; NO deductible; run-off coverage for a minimum of two years; an insurer licensed with FSRA Ontario or OSFI Canada; and a sexual abuse therapy and counselling fund endorsement covering persons eligible under s. 85.7(4) of the Code. “(1) A Registrant, other than an Inactive Registrant who has purchased any run-off coverage contemplated by these by-laws, must carry professional liability insurance with the following characteristics: (i) a minimum of no less than $1,000,000 per occurrence; (ii) annual aggregate coverage of no less than $5,000,000; (iii) no deductible; (iv) run-off coverage for a minimum of two (2) years; (v) provided by an insurer licensed with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario or the office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada…” — CRPO By-laws, s. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-insurance-social-work-record-added/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-insurance-social-work-record-added/ NOT MANDATORY. Professional liability insurance is not a registration requirement for OCSWSSW registrants. The College strongly encourages it but does not require it, and there is no by-law or regulation imposing it. A social worker in Ontario private practice may register and practise without professional liability insurance. “Although not required by the College, registrants are strongly encouraged to obtain professional liability insurance, which can be purchased through a professional association or another insurance carrier. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-privacy-breach-notification-record-added/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-privacy-breach-notification-record-added/ Two different duties with two different triggers, and the asymmetry is the point. NOTICE TO THE INDIVIDUAL has NO threshold: on any theft, loss, or unauthorised use or disclosure of personal health information, notify the individual at the first reasonable opportunity and state in the notice that they may complain to the Commissioner (s. 12(2)). NOTICE TO THE IPC does have a threshold, set by O. Reg. 329/04 s. 6.3(1): theft is an automatic trigger, while other incidents run through a significance test weighing whether the information is sensitive, the volume involved, how many individuals are affected, and whether more than one custodian or agent was responsible. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-privacy-custodian-status-record-added/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-privacy-custodian-status-record-added/ An Ontario private-practice behavioural-health clinician is a health information custodian (HIC) under PHIPA, and therefore carries the Act’s full duties — not PIPEDA, which is displaced for activity within Ontario. But the ROUTE into custodian status differs by profession, and the difference matters: psychologists and Registered Psychotherapists qualify under the ‘health care practitioner’ definition at s. 2(a), by virtue of being members of a college under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-privacy-data-residency-record-added/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-privacy-data-residency-record-added/ Using a US-hosted EHR, teletherapy platform, or cloud backup engages TWO regimes at once, and most practitioners know about neither. First, PHIPA s. 50(1) permits disclosure of PHI collected in Ontario to a person outside Ontario only on listed grounds — consent, statutory permission, reasonable necessity for the provision of health care, or payment/contractual administration. Ordinary EHR hosting is likely covered by the health-care-provision ground, but that is a ground the practitioner must be able to point to, not an automatic pass. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-retention-psychology-record-added/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-retention-psychology-record-added/ Retain individual client service records for at least 10 years after the service recipient turns 18, or after the last professional contact — whichever comes later. Organizational service records: at least 10 years after the organizational client’s last contact. Registrants who are health information custodians must also arrange for the security and maintenance of records in case of expected or unexpected incapacity or death, and inform the College of those arrangements before ceasing to provide services. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-retention-psychotherapy-record-added/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-retention-psychotherapy-record-added/ Where the registrant is custodian of the clinical record, retain it for at least 10 years from the date of the last interaction with the client, or 10 years from the client’s 18th birthday — whichever is later. Registrants who are health information custodians must give the College up-to-date information about who would take custody of records on their death or long-term inability to act, and must maintain records securely for the Standard 5. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-retention-social-work-record-added/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-retention-social-work-record-added/ Store and preserve each client record securely for at least 10 years from the date of the LAST ENTRY or, if the client was under 18 at that date, at least 10 years from the day they turned (or would have turned) 18. Retain longer where required by law or an employer’s policy, and retain longer on reasonable judgment where future access may be needed — the Standard names minors, sexual abuse, and current or future litigation. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-telepractice-psychology-record-added/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-telepractice-psychology-record-added/ Anyone providing psychological services to a person PHYSICALLY IN ONTARIO must be CPBAO-registered — telepsychology included, regardless of where the practitioner sits. Practising outside Ontario: the registrant must be legally authorised in that jurisdiction, must comply with Ontario’s requirements while practising elsewhere, must tell recipients the College can address complaints and give College contact information on request, and must carry liability insurance covering that service. Where two jurisdictions conflict, comply with whichever obligation gives the client greater protection. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-telepractice-psychotherapy-record-added/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-telepractice-psychotherapy-record-added/ All professional standards apply equally to electronic, telephonic, in-person or hybrid practice. Obtain informed consent for the use of electronic media; take reasonable steps to ensure the technology is secure, confidential and appropriate to the client; confirm liability insurance covers electronic services BEFORE treating; comply with professional licensing requirements in the jurisdictions where clients are located; keep written/text/email correspondence in the clinical record; and do not rely on computer-generated assessments without exercising professional judgment. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-telepractice-social-work-record-added/ Sat, 01 Aug 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-08-01-ca-on-telepractice-social-work-record-added/ Explain the limits of confidentiality — including limits specific to online platforms — before or during the first online meeting, and document that conversation. Ensure collection, use and storage of client information complies with applicable privacy legislation. Ensure client information is stored in a jurisdiction whose privacy laws are consistent with Ontario’s or, where applicable, Canada’s. Verify client identity where impersonation is possible, establish a discreet signal so a client can convey they are not alone or not safe, and develop a safety plan including emergency contact permission. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-07-31-ca-federal-tax-gst-hst-nursing-record-added/ Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-07-31-ca-federal-tax-gst-hst-nursing-record-added/ Nursing services rendered to an individual within a nurse-patient relationship are exempt from GST/HST. This matters to behavioural-health practice because where provincial law permits a nurse to provide psychotherapy within their scope of nursing practice, CRA treats the nursing exemption at s. 6 as the applicable provision rather than the psychotherapy exemption added in 2024 — so the test is the nurse-patient relationship, not the s. 7 practitioner definition. “6 A supply of a nursing service rendered to an individual by a registered nurse, a registered nursing assistant, a licensed or registered practical nurse or a registered psychiatric nurse, if the service is rendered within a nurse-patient relationship. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-07-31-ca-federal-tax-gst-hst-psychology-record-added/ Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-07-31-ca-federal-tax-gst-hst-psychology-record-added/ Psychological services rendered to an individual by a practitioner of the service are exempt supplies — GST/HST is not charged on them. This exemption is long-standing and was NOT created or altered by the 2024 Bill C-59 amendment that added psychotherapy and counselling therapy; psychologists were already exempt before it and are unaffected by it. “7 A supply of any of the following services if the service is rendered to an individual by a practitioner of the service: (a) optometric services; … (i) occupational therapy services; (j) psychological services; (j. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-07-31-ca-federal-tax-gst-hst-psychotherapy-counselling-record-added/ Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-07-31-ca-federal-tax-gst-hst-psychotherapy-counselling-record-added/ Psychotherapy and counselling therapy services rendered to an individual by a “practitioner” of the service are exempt supplies — GST/HST is not charged on them. On becoming exempt, three consequences follow that practitioners routinely miss: input tax credits are no longer claimable on inputs acquired to make these supplies; a change in use of capital property may trigger a deemed sale and repurchase; and a registrant whose supplies are all exempt is not required to be registered and may close the GST/HST account. https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-07-31-ca-federal-tax-gst-hst-social-work-record-added/ Fri, 31 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 https://mhinbrief.com/changelog/2026-07-31-ca-federal-tax-gst-hst-social-work-record-added/ Social work services are exempt from GST/HST, but under a materially narrower test than the psychotherapy and counselling therapy exemptions. Two conditions must both hold: the service is rendered within a professional-client relationship AND is provided for the prevention, assessment or remediation of — or to assist the individual in coping with — a physical, emotional, behavioural or mental disorder or disability. The disorder may be the client’s own or that of a related person the client cares for or supervises otherwise than professionally.