Regulated Professions
Lawyers for Dietitians in Ontario
CDO Defence & Regulatory Representation
Registered Dietitians (RDs) in Ontario work in a regulated profession where the “RD” designation, the scope of dietetic practice, and the public’s trust in evidence-based nutrition advice are protected by law. A single complaint to the College of Dietitians of Ontario, from a client, an employer making a mandatory report, another regulated health professional, or a member of the public who has encountered your work on social media, can trigger an Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) investigation that puts your certificate of registration, your employment, and your professional reputation on the line. Even outcomes well short of revocation, such as a Specified Continuing Education or Remediation Program (SCERP) or an oral caution, are posted to the public Register of Dietitians and can affect employment, insurance billing, and your standing with employers.
At Greenwood Law, our Ontario regulatory defence lawyers represent registered dietitians facing CDO complaints, ICRC investigations, and proceedings before the Ontario Dietitians Discipline Tribunal (ODDT). When your professional standing or your ability to practise dietetics is at stake, we bring strategic, experienced representation to defend your registration and your reputation.
The Greenwood Law Team
Greenwood Law provides regulatory defence and employment law counsel to registered dietitians across Ontario. When CDO complaints escalate, employer investigations begin in parallel, or your professional standing is on the line, we bring strategic, experienced representation.
CDO Complaint Defence
Our regulatory defence lawyers represent registered dietitians throughout the CDO complaints and discipline process, including:
- Complaint Response & ICRC Submissions: Preparing comprehensive, strategic written responses to complaints filed with the College of Dietitians of Ontario. The CDO must notify the registrant within 14 days of receiving a complaint, and a written response is generally required within 30 days. Because the complaints process is documentary and the ICRC reviews matters on the paper record without making credibility findings, the written response is, in nearly every case, your only opportunity to put evidence and context before the committee.
- ICRC Investigations: Representation during College-led investigations conducted under the Health Professions Procedural Code, including responding to investigator requests for client records, attending investigative interviews, and advocating for favourable dispositions such as no further action, written reminder or advice, or remediation rather than referral to the ODDT. CDO investigators have broad authority under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 and the Public Inquiries Act, 2009, including the authority to attend at a dietitian’s practice, examine evidence, and require third parties to provide information.
- Ontario Dietitians Discipline Tribunal (ODDT) Hearings: Defence before the ODDT, CDO’s branded Discipline Committee, for matters referred for hearing, including motions, cross-examination of complainants and College witnesses, evidence presentation, agreed statements of fact, joint submissions on penalty, and contested penalty hearings where suspension or revocation of your certificate of registration is in issue.
- HPARB Reviews & Divisional Court Appeals: Bringing applications for review of ICRC decisions before the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB), and appeals or judicial reviews of ODDT decisions to the Divisional Court.
- Fitness to Practise & Interim Orders: Representation before the CDO Fitness to Practise Committee where physical or mental health issues are alleged to affect a dietitian’s ability to practise safely, responding to interim suspension or interim terms applications, and negotiating undertakings that limit but preserve your practice.
Employment & Workplace Defence for Dietitians
We also represent registered dietitians facing workplace disputes and employment-related allegations that frequently intersect with CDO proceedings:
- Employer Mandatory Reports & Termination for Cause: Ontario employers are required by law to report to the CDO when a dietitian is terminated for incompetence or misconduct, which means that an employment dispute can immediately trigger a parallel College investigation. We defend dietitians facing both the underlying termination and the resulting mandatory report, coordinating the employment and regulatory strategies from day one.
- Workplace Misconduct Allegations: Defence against workplace harassment, bullying, or boundary complaints raised through a hospital, family health team, community health centre, public health unit, or private consulting setting, particularly where the same allegations have been or may be reported to the College.
- Sexual Abuse & Boundary Allegations: Strategic defence against sexual harassment or sexual abuse allegations, which carry mandatory revocation consequences under the zero-tolerance sexual abuse provisions of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 if proven at discipline.
- Wrongful and Constructive Dismissal: Wrongful dismissal and severance representation for dietitians terminated in the wake of allegations, performance disputes, or restructuring at hospitals, agencies, or group practices.
- Employment Contracts, Restrictive Covenants & Practice Transitions: Reviewing and negotiating employment agreements, independent contractor arrangements, non-solicitation clauses, and conflict-of-interest disclosures for dietitians in private practice, consulting, the food and supplement industry, and clinical settings.
Hear From Our Clients
Protecting Your Dietetics Career and Professional Reputation
We defend registered dietitians across Ontario, providing strategic regulatory representation to respond to CDO complaints, navigate ICRC investigations and Ontario Dietitians Discipline Tribunal hearings, and defend against allegations that could affect your certificate of registration, your employment, or your professional standing.
Table of Contents
Hear From Our Clients
Protecting Your Dietetics Career and Professional Reputation
We defend registered dietitians across Ontario, providing strategic regulatory representation to respond to CDO complaints, navigate ICRC investigations and Ontario Dietitians Discipline Tribunal hearings, and defend against allegations that could affect your certificate of registration, your employment, or your professional standing.
Why Dietitians Choose Greenwood Law
Deep Understanding of Dietetics Regulation
We understand how the College of Dietitians of Ontario, the ICRC, and the Ontario Dietitians Discipline Tribunal operate, and we tailor our defence strategies to the procedural requirements of dietetics regulation under the Dietetics Act, 1991 and the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991.
Experience Defending Serious Allegations
Our team has extensive experience defending regulated professionals facing serious allegations, including appearances at all court levels across Canada and service as a Legal Member on the Ontario Review Board.
Strategic Coordination Across Proceedings
For dietitians, a CDO complaint frequently begins with an employer’s mandatory report and runs in parallel with an employment dispute, a civil claim, or, in serious cases, a criminal investigation. We coordinate the defence across all of these so that what is said in one process does not undermine the others.
Confidentiality & Discretion
We understand the reputational sensitivity of regulatory proceedings in a small professional community and handle every matter with the discretion dietitians expect.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if I receive a complaint from the CDO?
Do not ignore the complaint or miss the response deadline, failing to cooperate with the College can itself constitute professional misconduct. Do not contact the complainant. Preserve all client records, assessment notes, and related correspondence in their original form, and contact experienced regulatory defence counsel before drafting your written response. The CDO typically requires a written response within 30 days, and your initial submission is, in most matters, the only chance you will get to put your version of events before the ICRC.
How long does the CDO complaints process take?
Timelines vary depending on complexity. The CDO aims to render an ICRC decision within roughly 150 days from receipt of a complaint, but complex matters involving expert reports, multiple allegations, or referral to the ODDT can take significantly longer, often two years or more from complaint to final discipline decision. Interim orders restricting your practice may be imposed at any point in the process where client safety is alleged to be at risk.
What is the difference between the ICRC and the ODDT?
The Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) is the screening body. It reviews the complaint, your written response, and the investigator’s report on paper and can take no further action, issue a written reminder or advice, require you to attend for an oral caution, direct a Specified Continuing Education or Remediation Program (SCERP), or refer the matter to discipline. The Ontario Dietitians Discipline Tribunal (ODDT), CDO’s branded Discipline Committee, is the formal hearing body that conducts contested hearings where allegations are proven through live evidence, and it has the power to suspend or revoke your certificate of registration, impose terms, conditions, and limitations, and order costs.
My employer is threatening to report me to the CDO if I'm terminated. What should I do?
Ontario employers are required to make a mandatory report to the CDO when a dietitian is terminated for incompetence or misconduct, so this is not an idle threat, and the report will be made regardless of whether you accept any severance offer. The way the termination is framed, the wording of any settlement documentation, and the timing of legal advice all matter, because the contents of the mandatory report will become the foundation of any subsequent ICRC investigation. Contact counsel before signing any termination documents or having further discussions with your employer.
Will my CDO complaint be made public?
Not all ICRC outcomes are published. A decision to take no further action or issue a written reminder or advice generally is not posted on the Register of Dietitians. However, oral cautions, SCERPs, and referrals to the ODDT are posted on the Register, and the referral notation appears immediately when the ICRC makes that decision, including a summary of the allegations, the notice of hearing, and the hearing dates. ODDT hearings are presumptively open to the public, and findings and penalties are published permanently.
Contact Greenwood Law
If you are a registered dietitian facing a CDO complaint, an ICRC investigation, or an Ontario Dietitians Discipline Tribunal hearing, early intervention by experienced regulatory defence counsel is essential. Contact Greenwood Law for a confidential consultation.
Areas We Serve
At Greenwood Law, we proudly serve clients across Ontario & throughout Canada, including:
