Hearings

Registration to observe a hearing opens 30 days prior to the hearing date.

For virtual hearings, observer registration must be completed 1 business day prior to the hearing date.  Registrations completed after that deadline can be accepted, however the timing of the distribution of the hearing link may be delayed due to the Hearings Director’s administrative priorities during the hearing.

For in-person hearings, observer registration must be completed 1 business day prior to the hearing date.  Registrations completed after that deadline can be accepted, however seating for members of the public may be limited and will be reserved on a “first come” basis.

To register to observe a hearing, please email our Hearings Director at hearingsdirector@theccoa.ca with a request to register including the name of the chiropractor and the date(s) of the hearing that you would like to attend.

1. Once a hearing has started, observers are not allowed entry until a recess is called.
2. Observers must register with the Hearings Director a minimum of 1 business day before the hearing and must check-in with the Hearings Director upon arrival.
3. Observers are not permitted to, or cause others to, record, photograph, rebroadcast or otherwise recapture, in any manner, any portion of the proceedings and must undertake (by the registration process) to not do so.
4. All observer communication devices including cell phones and portable computers must be turned off and remain off while inside the hearing room.
5. No external food or drink is allowed in the hearing room.
6. Observers are not permitted to address the parties, witnesses, or members of the hearing tribunal (in or out of session) and must remain quiet during the proceedings.
7. Observers must leave the hearing room for the duration of every recess, for any portion of the hearing held in private, and when the tribunal deliberates. During these times, observers are restricted to public areas of the building.
8. If an observer needs to leave the hearing room for any reason while the hearing is in session, they will not be permitted to return to the hearing room until the next recess.
9. Lunch is provided to the hearing tribunal and the parties involved. Observers must leave the hearing location during the lunch break and during extended recesses.
10. During brief recesses, observers may sit quietly in a designated area, space permitting, but may not discuss the hearing or disrupt the daily work of the location’s staff.
11. The Chair of the tribunal is responsible for maintaining order during the proceedings and, as such, has the authority to ask an observer to leave.
12. For some hearings, space inside the hearing room may be limited, and therefore observers may be required to attend virtually.  The CCOA does not provide devices for virtual attendance.

1. Once a hearing has started, observers are not allowed entry into the hearing room until a recess is called.
2. Observers must register with the Hearings Director a minimum of 1 business day before the hearing.
3. On the day(s) of the hearing, observers must login prior to the deadline time provided with the video conference link. If an observer logs in after that time, they will remain in the waiting room and will be admitted during the next recess.  The observer’s display name must identify their observer status (E.g. “Observer – initials”).
4. Observers are not permitted to, or cause others to, record, photograph, rebroadcast or otherwise recapture, in any manner, any portion of the proceedings and must undertake (by the registration process) to not do so.
5. Observers are not permitted to address the parties, witnesses, or members of the hearing tribunal and must remain muted during the proceedings.
6. Use of the chat feature on the video conference platform will be disabled for the entire hearing.
7. Observers’ microphones will be muted for the entire hearing.
8. Observers’ camera will be turned off for the entire hearing.
9. Observers will be placed in the waiting room for the duration of every recess, for any portion of the hearing held in private, and when the tribunal deliberates.
10. If an observer needs to leave the hearing room for any reason while the hearing is in session, they will not be permitted to return to the hearing room until the next recess.
11. Only the registered observer is allowed to use the provided video conference link. Any additional members of the public that would like to attend the hearing must register with the Hearings Director in advance of the hearing to obtain their own video conference link.
12. The Chair of the tribunal is responsible for maintaining order during the proceedings and, as such, has the authority to remove an observer from the hearing room.

When a decision has been reached by the hearing tribunal, the CCOA Complaints Director and the chiropractor have 30 days to request an appeal to Council.