SAC-Ontario, in collaboration with Ontario members and communication health partners, will continue to advocate for expanding the scope of practice for our professions to meet evolving health care needs, optimize professional competencies, and improve patient outcomes.
On November 21, 2025, SAC submitted its official response to the Ontario Ministry of Health’s consultation on proposed amendments to the Pharmacy Act, 1991, which would expand pharmacists’ authority to assess and prescribe for otitis externa (swimmer’s ear).
In preparation for this submission, SAC invited Ontario audiology members to share their input through a scope of practice questionnaire distributed in October. Member feedback directly informed SAC’s response and ensured that key considerations related to patient safety, appropriate assessment, and referral pathways were clearly reflected.
Thank you to everyone who shared their insights through the questionnaire. SAC will continue to keep members updated as the consultation progresses and next steps are announced.
On November 3, 2025, SAC submitted its official response to the Ontario Ministry of Health’s consultation on proposed scope of practice changes for S-LPs.
In preparation for this submission, SAC invited Ontario members to share their input through a questionnaire distributed in October. S-LP member feedback overwhelmingly supported these proposed changes, emphasizing that they would improve access to timely, evidence-based care.
Thank you to everyone who shared their insights through the questionnaire. SAC will continue to keep all members updated as the consultation progresses and next steps are announced.
For more on emerging clinical research supporting ultrasound use in speech-language pathology, see:
Namasivayam, A. K., et al. (2025). Reevaluating the Classification of Pediatric Speech Sound Disorders: A Ground Truthing Perspective. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2025.1700505/abstract
On September 17, 2025, the Ontario government announced proposals to expand the scope of practice for several health care professions to improve patient access to care and opened a public consultation.
SAC is preparing a submission in response to these proposed changes and is seeking input from Ontario Members by October 27 to finalize our response ahead of the November 3 government deadline.
For speech-language pathologists (S-LPs), the proposal includes authorizing S-LPs to:
While the proposal focuses on diagnostic imaging and does not include audiology, continued advocacy to expand each profession’s scope of practice remains a key SAC advocacy priority.
