CASLPO News

CASLPO Provides Feedback on British Columbia Consultation on Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

The British Columbia Ministry of Health recently asked for public feedback on a proposed change that could allow the retail sale of non-prescribed hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.

Currently in B.C., a patient must obtain a prescription for hearing aids from a regulated health professional (similar to Ontario). The proposed change would allow adults to purchase Health Canada-approved devices directly from retailers, without a prescription. The consultation gathered input from individuals and organizations and may lead to updates to B.C.’s Health Professions and Occupations Act. The deadline for submissions was March 6, 2026.

CASLPO submitted a letter to the consultation to share its perspective as Ontario’s regulator of audiologists and speech-language pathologists, with a mandate to protect the public.

In the letter, we noted that CASLPO had received numerous questions from registrants and the public about access to over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids and that CASLPO had established a Task Force to delve into the issue. The Task Force developed a report with recommendations that was recently submitted to the Ontario Ministry of Health. CASLPO shared a link to the OTC Task Force report to support decision-making in British Columbia. In our letter, we also highlighted the importance of collaboration across provinces and with Health Canada. We believe that a consistent, pan-Canadian approach to OTC hearing aids would help protect the public and improve access to care.

Read CASLPO's letter.