Hearings

The College’s hearings are arranged by the Hearings Office within the Office of the Registrar.

Hearings are held in accordance with the Rules of Procedure, which can be found here.

Discipline Hearings

Discipline hearings occur when a Member of the College is alleged to have engaged in professional misconduct or is alleged to be incompetent as defined in the Early Childhood Educators Act, 2007 and the Professional Misconduct regulation under the Act (O. Reg 233/08).

Discipline hearings are heard by a three-member panel of the Discipline Committee. Each panel is comprised of both elected and appointed Council members. Most commonly, the matters that come before the Discipline Committee are referred by the Complaints Committee. The Early Childhood Educators Act, 2007 requires that hearings conducted by the Discipline Committee generally be open to the public. This is an important part of ensuring that the College carries out its mandate in a transparent manner.

If a Member is found guilty of professional misconduct and/or is found to be incompetent, the Discipline Committee will determine the appropriate penalty. It can order that the Member’s Certificate of Registration be revoked, suspended or made subject to terms, conditions or limitations. The Discipline Committee may also reprimand, impose a fine, and require the Member to reimburse the College for investigation and hearing costs.

All Discipline hearing decisions are published below, and further information about matters referred to the Discipline Committee is available on the public register.

Upcoming Hearings

Schedules for the College’s public disciplinary hearings are usually posted 10 business days prior to a hearing. Discipline hearings are conducted electronically unless it is not in the public interest to do so.  To obtain information about how to attend a scheduled hearing, please contact the Hearings Office at hearings@college-ece.ca one to two days before a hearing, as hearings may be rescheduled on short notice.

Disciplinary Decisions

Disciplinary decisions are listed in alphabetical order according to the Member’s surname. The decisions can be found here.

Fitness to Practise

Fitness to Practise hearings occur when a Member of the College is alleged to be incapacitated as defined in the Early Childhood Educators Act, 2007.

Fitness to Practise hearings are heard by a three-member panel of the Fitness to Practise Committee. Each panel is comprised of both elected and appointed Council members. After a hearing, the Committee determines whether a Member is incapacitated because they are, in the Committee’s opinion, suffering from a physical or mental condition or disorder such that the Member is unfit to continue to carry out their professional responsibilities and safely practise, or that the Member’s Certificate of Registration should be made subject to terms, conditions or limitations. To determine whether the Member is incapacitated, the Fitness to Practise committee will review the Member’s personal health information. Because confidential personal health information is presented at these hearings, they are closed and the decisions of the Fitness to Practise committee are not publicized.

If a Member is found to be incapacitated, the Fitness to Practise Committee can revoke, suspend or impose terms, conditions or limitations on the Member’s Certificate of Registration. This is done to protect the public, in accordance with the mandate of the College. Information about the status of  a Member’s Certificate of Registration is available on the public register.

Other Resources

• Professional Misconduct Regulation
• Rules of Procedure of the Discipline Committee and of the Fitness to Practise Committee
• Filing Documents with the Hearings Office
• Public Register