If you have been notified that your regulatory college is considering suspending your licence — whether as an interim measure before a hearing or as a proposed discipline penalty — contact a lawyer immediately, before responding to the college and before making any public statement to your employer, clients, or patients. Suspension proceedings often move on compressed timelines, and early legal advice materially affects the outcome.
- Interim suspensions can be imposed before a full hearing where a college believes there is a risk to public safety — this is different from suspension as a final penalty.
- You are generally entitled to notice and an opportunity to respond, even on an urgent interim basis.
- Acting within hours, not days, gives you the most options — many colleges hold expedited hearings for interim measures.
- A lawyer may be able to negotiate less restrictive interim conditions in place of a full suspension in appropriate cases.
- Reinstatement after a suspension is possible in many cases — the path there starts with how the suspension itself is handled.
- Employers and colleagues may have separate reporting obligations that intersect with your suspension — understanding this helps you plan.
The Short Answer
If you have been told — formally or informally — that your regulatory college is considering suspending your licence, treat it as urgent from the first moment. These matters often move on compressed timelines, and the choices you make in the first day or two, including whether and how you respond, and who you tell, can materially shape the outcome.
Interim Suspension vs. a Final Penalty
It is important to understand which kind of suspension you are facing. An interim suspension is imposed before a full hearing has taken place, where a college believes there is a genuine, immediate risk to the public if you continue practising unrestricted while the underlying matter is investigated. A suspension imposed as a final penalty, by contrast, follows a full discipline hearing where allegations have already been proven. See our companion guides on interim suspension before a hearing and the full range of discipline penalties for more on each.
What to Do in the First 48 Hours
- Call a lawyer immediately — before responding to your college in writing or in person.
- Gather all relevant documentation you have received from your college, exactly as it was provided.
- Do not make any public statement to your employer, clients, patients, or students until you have legal advice.
- Ask about timelines — your lawyer can confirm exactly when any response or hearing is due.
- Consider your practical obligations — active files, patients, or students that may need to be transitioned if a suspension proceeds.
What Not to Do
Practising while actually suspended is treated as a serious, independent violation. If there is any ambiguity about whether a suspension has taken effect, confirm your exact status before continuing to work.
A rushed, emotional response can create problems that are difficult to undo, particularly where interim measures are being decided on a compressed timeline.
The Interim Suspension Hearing
Where a college seeks an interim suspension, you are generally entitled to a hearing on that specific question — often held on an expedited basis given the urgency involved. A lawyer can present evidence and argument as to why an interim suspension is unnecessary, or why lesser interim conditions would adequately address the college's concerns — see interim conditions short of suspension for what those alternatives can look like.
Telling Your Employer or Practice
How and when to disclose a suspension to your employer, colleagues, or clients is a significant decision. In many cases, some disclosure is unavoidable — practising while suspended is not an option, and some colleges publish suspension notices publicly. A lawyer can help you plan disclosure in a way that protects your position as much as possible. Note that colleagues and employers can also have independent reporting obligations — see when employers must report to your regulator.
What Happens After
A suspension, whether interim or final, is not necessarily the end of your career. Many professionals return to practice after a suspension ends or its conditions are met. What matters most in the meantime is handling the process properly — responding thoughtfully, meeting every deadline, and preparing carefully for reinstatement where that becomes relevant.
Facing a possible suspension? Call 416-274-2222 now for a free, confidential consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, in specific circumstances. Ontario regulatory colleges can impose an interim suspension or interim conditions where they believe there is a genuine risk to the public if you continue practising unrestricted while the underlying complaint is investigated.
It can be very fast — sometimes within days of a college deciding to pursue it. This is exactly why immediate legal advice matters; there is often little time to prepare a response.
Yes. You are generally entitled to a hearing, often expedited, where you can respond to the college's basis for seeking the suspension. In some cases, a lawyer can negotiate lesser interim conditions instead of a full suspension.
In most cases, yes — practising while suspended is a serious violation, and many colleges publish suspension notices, which employers or institutions may become aware of independently. Planning how and when to disclose is something a lawyer can help you manage.
No. A suspension is temporary by definition — whether imposed on an interim basis or as a fixed-term penalty after a hearing. Revocation, which is permanent, is a separate and more serious outcome.
In most cases, yes, once the suspension period ends or its conditions are satisfied. See our guide on reinstatement after suspension for what that process typically involves.
This is a significant decision with lasting consequences and should not be made without legal advice — see our dedicated guide on whether to resign during an investigation before considering this option.