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The Wave | February 2026 Issue
Welcome to The Wave, CASLPO’s monthly e-newsletter for registrants! The Wave brings together all of the College's key updates into one easy-to-read format.
In This Issue:
The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) has opened the 2025 annual statistics submission session for organizations required to report under the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).
The IPC has launched a new online submission portal for annual statistics reporting. All organizations must create a new account to access the system. Institution numbers are no longer required. The IPC has also published a helpful FAQ to guide users through the registration and submission process.
CASLPO registrants who are health information custodians under PHIPA and who experienced one or more privacy breaches in 2025 are required to submit an annual report of health information privacy breaches to the IPC. All breaches must be reported, whether or not the IPC was notified at the time the breach occurred.
Registrants who did not experience any privacy breaches in 2025 do not need to create an account or submit a report.
The deadline to submit PHIPA health information privacy breach statistics is March 1, 2026.
All reports must be submitted online through the IPC portal. Reports submitted by fax, mail, or email will not be accepted.
If there have been staffing changes at your organization, ensure that log-in details are shared with newly authorized staff to avoid delays in accessing the portal. The IPC can also update contact information upon request.
Need help? For assistance, contact the IPC at [email protected] or call (416) 326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073. You can learn more about the IPC’s annual reporting of privacy breach statistics here.
Have you ever smiled and nodded, even when you missed what was said? It’s a familiar coping strategy for many people with hearing loss — but one that can quietly undermine communication and connection.
At CASLPO’s September 2025 Board Education Day, members of the Board of Directors and Committees had the opportunity to hear from Gael Hannan, an advocate, author, and internationally recognized speaker on hearing loss. Gael shared a candid and often humorous exploration of how “getting by” can come at a cost, and how open, honest communication can strengthen relationships for everyone, whether they have hearing loss or not.
Born with progressive hearing loss, Gael now uses both a hearing aid and a cochlear implant. Her advocacy journey deepened after becoming a mother at 40, inspiring more than 30 years of award-winning work that blends comedy and storytelling to help people better understand the lived experience of hearing loss. She is the author of The Way I Hear It and Hear & Beyond, and has served on numerous national and international accessibility organizations.
Gael’s message, rooted in authenticity, humour, and lived experience, strongly resonated with Board and Committee members, reinforcing the importance of empathy, accessibility, and clear communication in professional and personal settings.
Gael shared her story at a recent TEDx event.
Over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids and other emerging hearing technologies continue to raise questions in Ontario. Although Health Canada has approved some OTC devices for sale in Canada, their availability varies by province depending on provincial legislation.
CASLPO regulates the practice of audiologists and speech-language pathologists in Ontario in the public interest. The College does not have regulatory authority over medical devices or in determining which devices are available. Current provincial legislation requires a prescription from an audiologist or physician to purchase hearing aids. It is CASLPO’s understanding that a change in legislation would be required to make access to OTC hearing aids possible, which is also outside of the College’s purview.
In response to growing public interest in the availability of OTC hearing aids, CASLPO shared an Update and FAQ (March, 2025) and in May 2025 established a Task Force to examine the implications of OTC hearing aid access for public protection, registrant practice, and regarding Ontario’s current hearing healthcare system.
CASLPO has developed a new “For Patients” public-facing document titled: What to Consider Before Using Over-the-Counter (OTC) Hearing Aids. This document accompanies the other two “For Patients” documents shared in January. These three documents support informed decision-making and will be shared more broadly later in 2026. We encourage registrants to share the documents, electronically or in print, with patients and their relevant others.
CASLPO will continue to keep registrants informed as this work progresses. For questions, contact Samidha Joglekar, CASLPO Deputy Registrar, at [email protected].
Give Back to Your Profession — Join the CASLPO Board of DirectorsAre you looking for a meaningful way to give back to audiology or speech-language pathology? Consider serving on the CASLPO Board of Directors. We are seeking 1 audiologist and 1 speech-language pathologist in District 1 (Eastern Ontario) and 1 audiologist and 1 speech-language pathologist in District 3 (South-Western Ontario).
Board service is a unique opportunity to help shape regulation in today’s evolving practice environment, collaborate with colleagues across the province, and contribute directly to CASLPO’s public protection mandate. It’s also a chance to grow your professional profile while gaining valuable governance experience. Board members are paid for attending Board and Committee meetings, as well as for meeting preparation, material review, and required training. The College also covers travel expenses for in-person meetings in Toronto.
Nominations open March 12 and close April 13. Voting takes place from April 24 to May 25. Step forward, share your perspective, and help guide the future of your profession in Ontario.
Read CASLPO's document: "Thinking About Running for Election?"
Do you work in AAC? We want to hear from you.
CASLPO is gathering information about funding for AAC devices and software. We’re looking for SLPs who practise in both public and private workplaces across the province.
Your feedback will help us understand current funding processes, what challenges you and your patients face, and what would improve patients’ experience.
If you are interested in sharing your knowledge, please contact Dana Prutschi at [email protected] by March 31, 2026. Please include the geographic location you practice in, your patient population, and whether you work in public or private practice.
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By 2030, one in four Canadians will be over age 65. As older adults make up a growing proportion of clients seen by audiologists and speech-language pathologists, it is important to consider how elder ageism may influence care.
Ageism includes stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination based on age. In speech and hearing care, it can appear in subtle ways, such as assuming reduced capacity to learn, attributing concerns to “normal aging,” using patronizing “elderspeak,” or speaking to caregivers instead of the client.
Research shows that internalized ageism is linked to poorer mental health, reduced help-seeking, slower recovery, and even shorter life expectancy. Age-inclusive practice is therefore not only respectful — it supports better clinical outcomes.
Addressing elder ageism aligns with professional standards and commitments to equity and inclusion.
© 2026 CASLPO
© 2026 CASLPO
This website is intended to provide information to the public and registrants. Should there be difference in documentation previously distributed to CASLPO registrants, it is up to the registrant to source the latest version posted on the CASLPO website. Note: the term "member" and "registrant" are used interchangeably throughout CASLPO's website and documents. Both terms are synonymous with "member" as defined in the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Act, 1991, and the Regulations under those Acts.
