Public Complaints

The British Columbia Association of Kinesiologists (BCAK) is a not-for-profit society and is not a government-authorized regulatory body.

BCAK:

Does not have legal authority to regulate kinesiology or kinesiologists in British Columbia under the Health Professions Act
Does not exist to protect the public through enforcement actions, such as fines or practice restrictions
Does not intervene in business disputes or employer disciplinary actions
Does not investigate complaints against non-members or former members (with limited exceptions)

However, BCAK:

Requires Practicing and Non-Practicing members to comply with its Professional Practice Standards, Scope of Practice, Code of Ethics, and other guiding documents as a condition of membership
Provides a public complaints process to give individuals a voice when they believe a member has failed to provide competent, professional, safe, or ethical care. The process serves to improve client care through the implementation of a complaint investigation process.
Investigates complaints to improve service delivery and inform members about best practices, communication, and competency boundaries
May discipline, suspend, or expel members only in cases where substantial or multiple breaches of its bylaws or standards have occurred, been verified, and the member has not implemented the recommendations put forth by the BCAK to prevent such breaches.

BCAK cannot order compensation, resolve business disputes, or direct employer actions.

All complaints must be submitted using the BCAK Complaint Form (see link at the bottom of this page).

Timeframe for Submission

Complaints must be received within 1 year of the incident. Exceptions may apply if:

The complainant could not reasonably have known about the incident at the time.
The complaint involves a person under legal disability (e.g., under 19 years of age and/or with a physical/mental disability preventing them from knowing of the matter complained of, or acting appropriately in relation to it).

Initial Review Process

BCAK will first determine whether the complaint involves a current or former member
If complaint is outside of the jurisdiction of the BCAK, its policies or the individual is not a member, BCAK will inform you that it has no jurisdiction
If the individual is a current member, they will receive a copy of the complaint and be asked to respond to any allegations made
Complaint forms received will be acknowledged at the time of submission (by auto reply), provided that a valid email address was entered into the Complaint Form
BCAK may contact other parties (e.g., health professionals, employers) for statements or supporting information
Additional interviews or expert input may be requested
A written decision will be provided to both the complainant and the member upon completion of the review

Online Submission

Complete the online complaint form: Click here to access the complaint form
Save a copy for your records before submitting
Send any supporting documents separately to complaint@bcak.bc.ca with the subject line: Complaint Documents – from [Your First and Last Name]

Note: Email is not a secure method of transmission. You may choose to password-protect documents or send them by mail.

Mail or Courier Submission

BC Association of Kinesiologists

Private and Confidential
PO Box 64516
Coquitlam RPO Como Lake
BC V3J 7V7