Lawyers for Opticians

As trusted optician lawyers, we represent opticians in Ontario in regulatory, litigation, clinical and risk issues, including those with the College of Opticians of Ontario (the “COO”), the Human Rights Tribunal and the Information and Privacy Commissioner. We help opticians navigate the legal landscape governing the practice of opticianry in Ontario, including under the Opticianry Act, 1991.

If you have a complaint, investigation or disciplinary matter before the COO, it is important to get legal advice from a optician complaint lawyer or optician discipline lawyer to evaluate your risk and help you manage your response. This is especially important because many forms of remediation ordered by the COO remain on a optician’s public register indefinitely. We are optician defence lawyers who assist on all types of COO matters, including clinical issues, billing issues, communication issues, recordkeeping issues and boundary violations/sexual assault allegations.

We work with insurance companies covering Ontario opticians and also represent opticians directly who do not have coverage for regulatory matters. We typically offer our clients the choice of an hourly rate or flat fee for these regulatory matters, especially for optician complaints. We represent opticians across the province of Ontario, including in Toronto and the GTA, Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Brampton, Barrie, Kingston and Thunder Bay.

Legal Services for Opticians

  • Responding on behalf of opticians to COO patient complaints before the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (“ICRC”) of the COO;

  • Facilitating proactive courses or Specific Continuing Education or Remediation Programs (“SCERP”) for opticians ordered by the COO;

  • Responding for opticians to COO section 75 investigations before the ICRC;

  • Responding to disciplinary matters and allegations of professional misconduct for opticians before the Discipline Committee of the COO;

  • Responding to registration issues for opticians before the Registration Committee of the COO or guiding opticians on their application for licensure in other provinces/countries;

  • Defending optician malpractice lawsuits;

  • Defending allegations for optician students on testing irregularity and cheating by the National Alliance Canadian Optician Regulators (the “NACOR”);

  • Responding to appeals and judicial reviews for opticians before the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (“HPARB”), the Divisional Court of Ontario or the Court of Appeal for Ontario;

  • Responding to complaints made against opticians and opticianry clinics to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario regarding discrimination and human rights violations;

  • Responding to complaints against opticians and opticianry clinics before the Information and Privacy Commissioner;

  • Responding on behalf of opticians to COO Fitness to Practice matters;

  • Assisting opticians in managing a challenging patient, including harassment and assault, and terminating the optician-patient relationship;

  • Navigating clinical issues for opticians, including privacy breaches, optometrist malpractice allegations, recordkeeping issues and patient demands;

  • Navigating billing issues for opticians, including insurance company inquiries and audits;

  • Navigating compliance for opticians with COO By-Laws, Standards and Guidelines;

  • Assisting opticians in responding to the annual COO report regarding past criminal and regulatory issues; and

  • Representing opticians in workplace investigations.

Need help with any of the above? We are optician attorneys, so don’t hesitate to contact John McIntyre for a free consultation at john@mcintyre-szabo.com or through the website here.