Upcoming Changes to Licensure in Ontario

Happy New Year all! My best of intentions having a blog weekly didn’t have a long run, so let’s try once monthly with a bonus if I think of something fun to share.

I wanted to address the upcoming changes to licensure in Ontario so that families know what to look for and expect in that regard. I’m going to simplify things to the extent that I’ll make it as digestable as possible for families seeking service.

The province of Ontario has been working at licensing themselves in behaviour analysis(ABA). ONTABA has played a big part in this - it’s been their primary aim since their inception. ONTABA has never said they want to license the field, they’ve wanted to bring about licensure in a way that fits with the laws and applicable policies. ONTABA has (and will continue to) play a role in educating the public, providing resources (discounts and resources) to those licensed, and holding a yearly conference.

Royal assent (necessary for anything major in Canada) was provided in 2021(?) I believe for the College of Psychologists to turn into the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts. (I’m not going into the whys - leave me a comment or ask me in person). Which I think is a GREAT home for us considering we aren’t viewed on par with psychology and certainly not as important as SLP or OT. This will hopefully help us out in the long run.

With this change though, there have been sacrifices. The biggest of which is that the current structure (used by the BACB - will continue to be used by BACB) of BCBA-D, BCBA, BCaBA, and RBT will no longer be recognized in Ontario. (I won’t be getting into this background either). The only designation moving forward will be Behaviour Analyst. The details haven’t all been released yet - this level is a Masters-level/ Supervisory level only.

So: what this means for you - the consumer. I will still be licensed, and therefore an ‘approved provider’ but those working under me cannot be licensed in the province of Ontario. Services I provide will not change in any way, as I have always been above and beyond the minimum requirements. The girls will remove the designation after their names; either when their licenses expire later this year, or in July when the college is officially changed/ the licensure is no longer recognized in the province of Ontario.

Please do connect me with via email or in person if you have any questions or concerns.