The British Columbia Dental Association (BCDA) called on the public to demand critical changes to the Health Professions & Occupations Act (HPOA) by signing a petition to prevent this legislation from making sweeping changes that could lead to fewer available professionals, longer wait times, and higher costs for patients.
We continue to urge the government to revisit the legislation through meaningful consultation with all stakeholders.
Changes being made through the HPOA will impact all British Columbians who rely on accessible dental care. No other jurisdiction in Canada has legislation like this.
Under the HPOA, board members of the regulatory college will be government-appointed, with no requirement for dental expertise. Decisions about dental practice standards, complaints, and patient care could be made without input from dental professionals.
Regulatory actions could be taken against you with no ability to appeal in court. We need fair due process for all health professionals.
Colleges will have near-total immunity from legal accountability, except in cases of bad faith. Regulation must include checks and balances, and accountability also needs to exist at the regulatory levels.
More red tape means fewer appointments, longer wait times, and higher costs for patients. We’re pushing for reduced administrative demands to prevent these impacts.
BCDA has always agreed that the existing Health Professions Act needed modernizing, but we believe the legislation now in place goes too far in several respects. We’re asking for the provincial government to once again enter into conversation with the health professions and occupations, and to consider further changes to the HPOA, in the interests of all British Columbians. To review the Act for yourself, click here.
Across February and March 2025, thousands of British Columbians joined us in standing up for accessible, high-quality oral health care in BC by signing a petition that was presented to the BC Legislature on May 5, 2025. BCDA will continue to advocate for fair and effective regulations that protect the interests of all British Columbians.
The petition was intended to support improved oral health care access and affordability for all British Columbians. Participation in signing the petition was voluntary. Patients were free to decide whether to participate without any pressure or obligation. Signatures helped to amplify our message to the provincial government, ensuring policymakers heard the concerns of patients and professionals alike.
“Today I rise to table a petition submitted by the B.C. Dental Association. The petition has been signed by nearly 4,000 dentists and members of the public — a clear reflection of widespread concern regarding the Health Professions and Occupations Act, or HPOA, and the unintended consequences it may have on B.C.’s oral health care system. They are concerned about the diminished role of dental expertise at the regulatory level, specifically the lack of requirement for dentists to serve on the new college and that all board members are to be appointed.”
–Anna Kindy, MLA, May 5, 2025 Hansard Blues
“None of the consultations undertaken during the development of this legislation remotely envisioned the extent and severity of changes proposed. This is very concerning for dentists and likely all health care professionals across British Columbia who are still grappling with the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of care. A chronic dental shortage and the implementation of a Canadian dental care program and other regulatory changes are among the issues that the BCDA and our members are currently addressing. There is limited capacity to study this extensive legislation in detail and fully understand its impact on health care providers and patients.”
–Shirley Bond, MLA, November 2022 Hansard Blues
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The BC Dental Association office is located on the homelands of the Coast Salish peoples, the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. BCDA gratefully acknowledges that BC dentists live and work on the unceded, traditional and ancestral homelands of Indigenous Peoples and Nations across BC.
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