For Canadian practices outside Quebec

Duty to report child abuse in Canada: reporting, minors’ consent and parents’ access, by province

Duty to report child abuse in Canada falls on any person, not only on clinicians: in every jurisdiction whose rule we could confirm, anyone who meets the statute’s test must report, and the duty generally overrides confidentiality, with statutory exceptions that vary by jurisdiction, including Saskatchewan’s Crown privilege exception. What changes between the nine provinces and three territories outside Quebec is the age line, who receives the report, the penalty, and, separately, who may consent to a child’s therapy and see the child’s record. This page puts each jurisdiction’s reporting duty, official reporting page or hotline, age limit, minors’ consent rule and parents’ access to records in one place, with the official source for each. We read the sources on 8 October 2026.

This page is information, not legal advice. Each rule links to the official source we read on 8 October 2026; confirm it there before acting.

Last checked: 2026-10-08

What the rules share and where they differ

Four things recur. The three tables below hold the detail, and each row links to the official source.

The duty to report is personal. It falls on any person who meets the statute’s test, so front-desk staff and behaviour technicians are covered as well as clinicians. Ontario and the Northwest Territories add that the duty cannot be passed to someone else.
The age line varies. Ontario’s duty covers children under 16; Alberta and Saskatchewan use under 18; British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Yukon use under 19; Nunavut and the Northwest Territories use under 16; New Brunswick names a child under 16 and a youth of 16 to 18, and Newfoundland and Labrador a child under 16 and a youth of 16 to under 18.
Consent to therapy has no single age. Most sources we read use a capacity test, and a few add a presumption at 16. Ontario and Nova Scotia say capacity is not tied to age. The Ontario text for a service provider counselling a child sets 12 as the age at which a child can consent to counselling alone.
A parent’s role is not uniform. Some privacy laws let a parent or guardian exercise a child’s rights when the child does not understand them, some name a legal custodian, and several regulators address separated parents. Ontario is the one place in these sources where two statutes seem to point in different directions for a parent who has only access, and no source we read resolves it.

Duty to report: who, to whom, how old, and the penalty

The table covers the statutes and the official reporting pages. Where a cell says not found, we did not find it on the official pages we read; it does not mean no rule exists. Provincial pages can change, so confirm the number or page before posting it in a clinic policy.

Duty to report a child in need of protection, by jurisdiction
Jurisdiction	Who must report and when	Report to	Age limit	Penalty	Official page or line
Ontario	Everyone with reasonable grounds to suspect a child is in need of protection, including professionals; a 2024 amendment added a service provider and its employees to the list (Child, Youth and Family Services Act s.125(1), (6)).www.ontario.ca	Immediately and directly to a children’s aid society; a person may not rely on someone else to report for them (s.125(3)).	Under 16. For 16- and 17-year-olds the duty does not apply, but a report may be made (s.125(4)).	Fine up to $5,000 for a professional or official who fails to report a suspicion learned through their duties (s.125(5), (9)).	The ministry page sends reporters to the children’s aid society where the child lives, or the police if a child is in immediate danger. It lists no single province-wide number.www.ontario.ca
British Columbia	A person who has reason to believe a child needs protection; applies despite privilege, except solicitor-client, and despite confidentiality (Child, Family and Community Service Act s.14(1), (2)).www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca	Promptly to a director or a person a director designates. A report about an Indigenous child may go to an Indigenous authority that confirms it will assess it (s.14(1.1)).	Under 19; the definition of child includes a youth.	Fine up to $10,000, up to 6 months, or both (s.14(6)).	Provincial Centralized Screening 1-800-663-9122, any time; Helpline for Children 1-877-631-8282; call 9-1-1 first if a child is in immediate danger.www2.gov.bc.ca
Alberta	Any person with reasonable and probable grounds to believe a child is in need of intervention; applies despite confidentiality, except solicitor-client privilege (Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act s.4).kings-printer.alberta.ca	Forthwith to a director or a police officer.	Under 18; the definition of child includes a youth.	Fine up to $10,000, up to 6 months, or both (s.4(6)). A director who believes a registrant of a profession prescribed in the regulations failed to report advises that profession’s governing body (s.4(5)).	Official reporting page and number: not found on the official pages we read.
Saskatchewan	Every person with reasonable grounds to believe a child is in need of protection; applies despite confidentiality and professional privilege except solicitor-client and Crown privilege (Child and Family Services Act s.12).publications.saskatchewan.ca	An officer or peace officer. The reporter need not give a name.	Under 18.	Fine up to $25,000, up to 24 months, or both (s.81).	Government page: Prince Albert 1-866-719-6164, Saskatoon 1-800-274-8297, Regina 1-844-787-3760; after-hours crisis centres are listed.www.saskatchewan.ca
Manitoba	A person whose information leads them reasonably to believe a child is or might be in need of protection; applies despite professional duties and confidentiality except solicitor-client privilege (Child and Family Services Act s.18).web2.gov.mb.ca	Forthwith to an agency or a parent or guardian of the child; agency-only in the cases s.18(1.1) lists.	Under the age of majority.	Fine up to $50,000, up to 24 months, or both (s.18.3).	Province-wide intake and after-hours 1-866-345-9241; Winnipeg (204) 944-4200; 911 for an emergency.www.gov.mb.ca
Nova Scotia	Every person with information that a child is in need of protective services (Children and Family Services Act s.23). Professionals who perform duties with respect to a child, including health care professionals and operators or employees of child-care services, must also report suspected abuse (s.24). Both apply despite confidentiality (s.25A).nslegislature.ca	Forthwith to an agency.	Under 19 (s.3(1)(e)).	General duty: fine up to $2,000, up to 6 months, or both (s.23(3)). Professional duty: fine up to $5,000, up to one year, or both (s.24(6)).	Reporting phone or portal: not found on the official pages we read. The Nova Scotia Regulator of Psychology memo says the duty continues even if the Department may already know.www.ns-rp.ca
New Brunswick	Any person who has reason to believe a child’s or youth’s well-being is in danger. People required to report include health professionals, psychologists, early learning and child care workers and anyone whose employment or profession gives a duty of care (Child and Youth Well-Being Act ss.33, 35).laws.gnb.ca	Without delay to the Minister. A person required to report who learns of it through their duties informs the Minister directly (s.35(2)).	A child is under 16; a youth is 16 to 18 inclusive.	Failing to comply with s.35(2) is an offence (s.35(3)), category F in Schedule A. The fine amount is not stated in the Act text we read.	Official reporting page: not found on the official pages we read.
Prince Edward Island	Not found on the official pages we read. The Child, Youth and Family Services Act PDF is the place to check.www.princeedwardisland.ca	Not found on the official pages we read.	Not found on the official pages we read.	Not found on the official pages we read.	Not found on the official pages we read.
Newfoundland and Labrador	Anyone with information that a child or youth is or may be in need of protective intervention; health care professionals are listed expressly; applies although the information is confidential or privileged (Children, Youth and Families Act s.11).www.assembly.nl.ca	Immediately to a manager, social worker or peace officer.	A child is under 16; a youth is 16 to under 18.	Fine up to $10,000, up to 6 months, or both (s.11(9)).	Reporting number or portal: not found on the official pages we read.
Yukon	The government page says anyone who believes a child or youth under 19 is or is likely to be harmed has a legal responsibility to report it. The Child and Family Services Act text was not readable from our tools on 8 October 2026.	Family and Children’s Services intake line; call 9-1-1 first if a child is in immediate danger.	Under 19.	Not confirmed from the Act on 8 October 2026.	Intake line (867) 667-3002, also the after-hours emergency line; toll free 1-800-661-0408 extension 6. Page modified 2026-02-25.yukon.ca
Northwest Territories	A person who has information of the need of protection of a child; the duty cannot be delegated and applies despite confidentiality or privilege (Child and Family Services Act s.8).www.justice.gov.nt.ca	Without delay to a Child Protection Worker or, if none is available, a peace officer or authorized person.	Under 16, or who appears to be under 16.	Fine up to $5,000, up to six months, or both (s.8(6)).	Reporting numbers: not found on the official pages we read.
Nunavut	A person who has information of the need of protection of a child; applies even if the information is confidential or privileged. The Family Services sheet says a profession’s own protocol does not override the Act.www.gov.nu.ca	Without delay to a Child Protection Worker or, if none is available, a peace officer or authorized person.	Children 0 to 16 years of age, as the Family Services sheet describes it.	Fine up to $5,000, up to six months, or both (s.8(5), per the sheet).	The sheet tells reporters who are unsure to call Family Services intake and follow the advice; it lists no number.

Penalty ceilings in the table come from the statutes as consolidated on the dates in the sources list. The Alberta Health Information Regulation, which holds the clause that keeps the reporting duty ahead of Alberta’s health privacy law, is scheduled to expire on 30 April 2027 unless it is renewed.

What the duty overrides, and who is protected

The sources agree on two practical points: a privacy law does not stop a report, and a good-faith reporter is protected. Details differ.

Health privacy law: the Ontario statute says the reporting section prevails despite the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (s.125(12)), and the ministry page repeats it. Alberta’s Health Information Regulation says section 4 of the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act prevails despite the Health Information Act (s.4).
Confidentiality and privilege: Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Northwest Territories each say in their statutes that the duty applies despite confidentiality; the Nunavut Family Services sheet says the same of its Act. Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories state a solicitor-client exception, and Saskatchewan adds Crown privilege.
Protection for the reporter: Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut protect a person who reports unless the report was malicious and, in Ontario, Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador, made without reasonable grounds. British Columbia protects a reporter unless they knowingly reported false information. Saskatchewan and New Brunswick require a court’s leave before an action can start against a reporter.
Personal duty: Ontario says a person must report directly to the society and shall not rely on anyone else to report for them. The Northwest Territories Act says a person may not delegate the duty. A clinic policy that routes reports through a manager does not change what the statute asks of the individual who has the suspicion.
Regulators: in Alberta a director who believes a registrant of a profession prescribed in the regulations failed to report advises that profession’s governing body (s.4(5)). In New Brunswick the Minister may require the professional society to investigate (s.35(5)).

Minors’ consent to therapy, by jurisdiction

No jurisdiction we read fixes a single age at which a child may consent to therapy. The rows below quote or paraphrase what each source says and link it. Regulators’ guidance is guidance, not statute, and it can differ by profession, so a multidisciplinary clinic should check each clinician’s regulator.

Minors’ consent to treatment and counselling, by jurisdiction
Jurisdiction	What we read
Federal privacy guidance	The Privacy Commissioner of Canada takes the position that, in all but exceptional circumstances, a child under 13 cannot give meaningful consent to the collection of personal information, so consent must come from a parent or guardian. For youth who can consent, the consent process should reasonably consider their maturity. This concerns personal information, not consent to treatment.www.priv.gc.ca
Ontario	Under the Health Care Consent Act a person is presumed capable, and capacity means understanding the relevant information and appreciating the reasonably foreseeable consequences; the Act sets no age threshold (s.4). If a person is incapable, ranked substitutes include a child or parent or a children’s aid society (s.20(1), paragraph 5); a parent who has only a right of access is excluded from that paragraph and listed at a lower rank (paragraph 6), and a substitute cannot act if a court order or separation agreement bars them (s.20(2)(c)). A service provider may counsel a child 12 or older on the child’s consent alone but, under 16, must discuss with the child involving a parent (Child, Youth and Family Services Act s.23(1)); where the Health Care Consent Act applies to the treatment, its consent provisions apply instead (s.23(2)). The speech-language pathology and audiology regulator’s consent standard says there is no age criterion for capacity.www.ontario.ca
British Columbia	Under the Infants Act a minor may consent to health care if the provider has explained it, is satisfied the minor understands the nature, consequences, benefits and risks, and has made reasonable efforts to conclude that the care is in the minor’s best interests (s.17). Under the Family Law Act each parent is a guardian unless an agreement or order says otherwise, or the parent never resided with the child, and consenting to health treatment is a parental responsibility, subject to the Infants Act (ss.39, 41(f)). The CHCPBC consent practice standard, effective 1 April 2026, treats a minor as capable if they can appreciate the nature and consequences of the decision, and asks for a parent’s or guardian’s consent when they cannot (ss.6.1 to 6.3).www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca
Alberta	We found no statutory minimum age on the official pages we read. The speech-language pathology regulator’s guideline says anyone under 18 is a minor, that consent is typically from the parent or guardian and, when possible and appropriate, from the minor, that mature minors may give or refuse consent, and that Alberta has no set age for a mature minor. It asks registrants to decide maturity before services and document it.www.acslpa.ca
Saskatchewan	We found no Saskatchewan treatment-consent statute for minors and no custody-order guidance for therapy providers on the official pages we read. The physical therapy standards require consent from the appropriate individual according to applicable legislation where a client cannot consent (Standard 14).scpt.in1touch.org
Manitoba	The speech-language pathology regulator’s FAQ states that the Health Care Directives Act presumes people 16 and older competent and that anyone under 16 needs a parent’s or guardian’s consent; a child who is not living with a parent can consent only if 16 or older, capable and the services are in the child’s best interests. The physiotherapy regulator’s companion document says the same 16 presumption and adds that a mature minor under 16 may consent in the absence of a parent. We read the Directives Act through this guidance and did not open its text.caslpm.ca
Nova Scotia	Any capable individual, regardless of age, may consent or withdraw consent under the Personal Health Information Act (s.18). The regulator of psychology says the age of majority is 19, that no legislation grants or denies minors decision-making entitlement, and that the mature minor doctrine applies with no fixed age. No Medical Consent Act text was located.nslegislature.ca
New Brunswick	The Medical Consent of Minors Act treats people 16 and older as adults for consent to medical treatment (s.2). For a minor under 16, consent is effective if the attending medical practitioner, dentist, nurse practitioner, nurse, licensed practical nurse or midwife forms the opinion that the minor understands the treatment and it is in the minor’s best interests (s.3(1)). The named professionals do not include psychologists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists or physiotherapists, and whether therapy counts as medical treatment under the Act is unclear. Under the Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act, capacity is presumed and is not tied to age (s.23).laws.gnb.ca
Prince Edward Island	Under the Consent to Treatment and Health Care Directives Act every person is presumed capable (s.3), and capacity means understanding and appreciating the consequences (s.7). If a patient is incapable, the ranked substitutes include a parent; a decision-maker must be at least 16 unless a parent under 16 is deciding for their own child (s.11). The Act states no mature minor age.www.princeedwardisland.ca
Newfoundland and Labrador	The Advance Health Care Directives Act presumes, absent evidence to the contrary, that a person 16 or older is competent to make health care decisions and that a person younger than 16 is not (s.7). The presumption sits in that Act rather than in a general treatment-consent statute, so it only partly supports a clear mature-minor-at-16 rule.www.assembly.nl.ca
Yukon	Not confirmed from the Yukon statutes on 8 October 2026; the Yukon legislation site blocked our tools. See the territories page for the Yukon material.
Northwest Territories and Nunavut	No consent-to-treatment statute, mature-minor guidance or separated-parent rule was found on the official pages we read. The Northwest Territories Children’s Law Act text has no medical consent provisions that we could find by text search.www.justice.gov.nt.ca

Parents’ access to a child’s record, by jurisdiction

Access follows the privacy law that covers the clinician or clinic, so the rule differs between a health information Act, a private-sector privacy Act and a regulator’s standard. The table records who exercises a minor’s privacy rights, and what we read about a parent’s separate right to information.

Who exercises a child’s privacy and access rights, by jurisdiction
Jurisdiction	What we read
Ontario	Under the Personal Health Information Protection Act, for a child under 16 consent comes from a parent, a children’s aid society or another person lawfully entitled to consent in the parent’s place, unless the information concerns treatment the child decided on alone under the Health Care Consent Act or counselling the child took part in alone under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017. A capable child’s decision prevails over a conflicting substitute’s (s.23(3)). “Parent” in that section does not include a parent who has only a right of access (s.23(2)). Separately, the Children’s Law Reform Act says parenting time includes the same right as a parent to make inquiries and be given information about the child’s well-being, including health (s.20(5)), and that an order-holder may ask for and, subject to any applicable laws, receive information about the child (s.28(8)). No source we read resolves how those two statutes interact for a parent who has only access, so treat it as a question for counsel.www.ontario.ca
British Columbia	The Family Law Act lists requesting and receiving health, education and other information about the child from third parties as a parental responsibility of a guardian (s.41(j)). We did not find a British Columbia privacy-law rule on a guardian’s access to a minor’s record on the official pages we read.www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca
Alberta	Under the Health Information Act a person under 18 who understands the right and its consequences exercises it personally; otherwise the guardian does (s.104(1)(b), (c)). The Personal Information Protection Act uses the same pattern (s.61(1)). The speech-language pathology guideline says that where separated parents disagree it can be appropriate to pause services until they reach a consensus or a court gives direction.kings-printer.alberta.ca
Saskatchewan	Under the Health Information Protection Act a person under 18 may exercise the Act’s rights where, in the trustee’s opinion, they understand the right and its consequences, and the child’s legal custodian may exercise them where doing so would not be an unreasonable invasion of the child’s privacy (s.56(c), (d)).publications.saskatchewan.ca
Manitoba	Under the Personal Health Information Act a parent or guardian exercises a minor’s rights if the minor lacks capacity to make health care decisions (s.60(1)(e)). The speech-language pathology regulator’s FAQ says that if another parent or guardian asks for information about the services, the registrant must provide it.web2.gov.mb.ca
Nova Scotia	A capable individual’s consent can include disclosure to a parent, guardian or substitute decision-maker (s.20). For an incapable individual, a substitute decision-maker can request access when the request is in that individual’s best interest and complies with the Act (s.21(1A)); a parent ranks below a spouse and an adult child in the list (s.21(2)).nslegislature.ca
New Brunswick	A parent or guardian may be a substitute decision-maker for an individual incapable of consenting (Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act s.25(1)(f)), but not if a court order or separation agreement prohibits that person from having access to the individual (s.25(2)(c)).laws.gnb.ca
Prince Edward Island	Under the Health Information Act a parent or guardian may exercise a minor’s rights where, in the custodian’s opinion, doing so would not be an unreasonable invasion of the minor’s privacy (s.76(1)(c)). Separated-parent rules were not found on the official pages we read.www.princeedwardisland.ca
Newfoundland and Labrador	Under the Personal Health Information Act a parent or guardian may exercise a minor’s rights where, in the custodian’s opinion, the minor does not understand the right and its consequences (s.7). On 25 June 2026 the Premier’s statement said legislative changes would be introduced in the fall of 2026 to protect parental access to children’s medical records, and a government engagement on the Act ran to 21 and 30 September 2026. Whether a bill has been introduced is unknown as of 8 October 2026.www.assembly.nl.ca
Yukon	Not confirmed from the Yukon statutes on 8 October 2026; the Yukon legislation site blocked our tools. See the territories page.
Northwest Territories and Nunavut	No territorial rule on parents’ access to a child’s record was found on the official pages we read. The Privacy Commissioner of Canada’s page says PIPEDA applies to organizations in the territories.www.priv.gc.ca

Separated or disagreeing parents

Several regulators and statutes address separated parents differently. The sources below describe their rules; ask the relevant regulator or counsel when decision-making authority is disputed.

Ontario: the speech-language pathology and audiology regulator’s FAQ says either parent can consent where parents are not separated; where they are separated, check the parenting order, because joint decision-making needs both parents and sole decision-making needs one. A registrant may rely on a parent’s good-faith statement of sole authority under the Health Care Consent Act (s.29(1)), but must ask for the order or get both consents once told of shared authority or a disagreement. It also says to document every consent discussion. The Children’s Law Reform Act says that when parents live apart and the child lives with one of them with the other’s acquiescence, the other parent’s decision-making entitlement is suspended until an agreement or order says otherwise (s.20(4)).
British Columbia: unless an agreement or order allocates responsibilities differently, each guardian may exercise all parental responsibilities in consultation with the other guardians, unless consultation would be unreasonable or inappropriate (Family Law Act s.40(2)).
Alberta: the speech-language pathology regulator’s Q&A says either separated parent can typically consent, that best practice is to get consent from both where there is conflict and it is reasonably practical, and that pausing service can be appropriate until a consensus or direction.
Manitoba: the speech-language pathology regulator’s FAQ says only one parent or guardian need consent, asks the registrant to get written confirmation that the parent holds decision-making responsibility, and says extra steps may be wise if the other parent may object.
New Brunswick: a person barred by a court order or separation agreement from having access to the individual cannot act as a substitute decision-maker for health information consent.

Dated changes to check

Two items on this page depend on dates, and one is still open.

Dated changes affecting child-abuse reporting and minors’ consent
Date	Change
2024	Ontario added a service provider and an employee of a service provider to the list of people who perform professional or official duties with respect to children in s.125(6) of the Child, Youth and Family Services Act.www.ontario.ca
25 June 2026 and 1 September 2026	Newfoundland and Labrador announced a review of the Personal Health Information Act and an engagement on young people’s privacy and parents’ access; government said it would bring legislative changes in the fall of 2026. Whether they have been introduced is unknown as of 8 October 2026.www.gov.nl.ca
30 April 2027	The Alberta Health Information Regulation, which holds the clause keeping the reporting duty ahead of the Health Information Act, is scheduled to expire unless it is renewed.kings-printer.alberta.ca

Official sources directory

The pages we opened on 8 October 2026, grouped by jurisdiction. Government PDFs may move; if a link fails, search the title on the same site. Where a page moved since a published list, this directory uses the current address.

Official sources

[CR-1] Ontario Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017. Duty to report (s.125) and counselling for a child 12 or older (s.23).
[CR-2] Ontario: report child abuse and neglect. Ministry page; updated 20 April 2026.
[CR-3] Ontario Health Care Consent Act, 1996. Capacity (s.4) and substitute decision-makers (s.20).
[CR-4] Ontario Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004. Persons who may consent (s.23).
[CR-5] Ontario Children’s Law Reform Act. Decision-making responsibility and parenting time (s.20) and the right to ask for information (s.28).
[CR-6] CASLPO consent, custody and children FAQ. Separated parents and consent; effective February 2023, revised June 2026.
[CR-7] CASLPO consent and capacity standard. No age criterion for capacity.
[CR-8] British Columbia Child, Family and Community Service Act. Duty to report (s.14).
[CR-9] British Columbia: reporting child abuse. Provincial Centralized Screening and the Helpline for Children.
[CR-10] British Columbia Infants Act. Infant’s consent to health care (s.17).
[CR-11] British Columbia Family Law Act. Guardianship and parental responsibilities (ss.39-41).
[CR-12] CHCPBC consent practice standard. Consent for minors (ss.6.1-6.3); the regulator’s website relaunches on 19 October 2026, so links may change.
[CR-13] Alberta Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act. Duty to report (s.4).
[CR-14] Alberta Health Information Act. Exercise of rights by other persons (s.104).
[CR-15] Alberta Personal Information Protection Act. Exercise of rights by other persons (s.61).
[CR-16] Alberta Health Information Regulation. Section 4 keeps the reporting duty ahead of the Health Information Act; expires 30 April 2027.
[CR-17] ACSLPA informed consent guideline. Mature minors and separated parents.
[CR-18] Saskatchewan Child and Family Services Act. Definition of a child (s.2), duty to report (s.12), offence (s.81).
[CR-19] Saskatchewan: child abuse and neglect. Where to report, daytime lines and after-hours crisis centres.
[CR-20] Saskatchewan Health Information Protection Act. Exercise of rights by other persons (s.56).
[CR-21] SCPT Standards of Practice for physical therapists. Informed consent (Standard 14); effective 1 November 2025.
[CR-22] Manitoba Child and Family Services Act. Duty to report (s.18) and offence (s.18.3).
[CR-23] Manitoba: reporting child abuse. Province-wide intake and after-hours number.
[CR-24] Manitoba Personal Health Information Act. Exercise of rights by other persons (s.60).
[CR-25] CASLPM informed consent FAQ. Minors, separated parents and requests for information; revised 23 May 2024.
[CR-26] CPM mature minor companion document. The 16 presumption and the mature minor doctrine.
[CR-27] Nova Scotia Children and Family Services Act. Duty to report (ss.23-25A); consolidated 9 April 2026.
[CR-28] Nova Scotia Regulator of Psychology memo on reporting child abuse. General and professional duties; the duty continues if others already know.
[CR-29] Nova Scotia Personal Health Information Act. Ability to consent (s.18) and substitute decision-makers (s.21); 1 April 2026 version.
[CR-30] Nova Scotia Regulator of Psychology position statement on age of consent. Age of majority 19 and the mature minor doctrine.
[CR-31] New Brunswick Child and Youth Well-Being Act. Persons required to report (s.33) and duty to report (s.35); consolidated 30 June 2026.
[CR-32] New Brunswick Medical Consent of Minors Act. Consent at 16 and for a minor under 16 (ss.2-3).
[CR-33] New Brunswick Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act. Capacity (s.23) and substitute decision-makers (s.25).
[CR-34] Prince Edward Island Child, Youth and Family Services Act. Large PDF; its reporting duty could not be read with our tools.
[CR-35] Prince Edward Island Consent to Treatment and Health Care Directives Act. Presumption of capacity and substitute decision-makers (ss.3, 7, 11).
[CR-36] Prince Edward Island Health Information Act. Exercise of rights or powers (s.76).
[CR-37] Newfoundland and Labrador Children, Youth and Families Act. Duty to report (s.11).
[CR-38] Newfoundland and Labrador Advance Health Care Directives Act. Presumption of competence at 16 (s.7).
[CR-39] Newfoundland and Labrador Personal Health Information Act. Exercise of rights by a parent or guardian (s.7).
[CR-40] Newfoundland and Labrador Premier’s statement, 25 June 2026. Review of the Act and legislative changes on parental access promised for the fall of 2026.
[CR-41] Newfoundland and Labrador engagement, 1 September 2026. Engagement on the Act and young people’s privacy rights.
[CR-42] Yukon: report child abuse. Age line and intake numbers; date modified 2026-02-25.
[CR-43] Northwest Territories Child and Family Services Act. Duty to report (s.8) and definition of a child.
[CR-44] Northwest Territories Children’s Law Act. No medical consent provisions found by text search.
[CR-45] Nunavut Family Services: duty to report a child needing protection. Government sheet describing section 8 of the Act; uploaded April 2024.
[CR-46] Privacy Commissioner of Canada: guidelines for obtaining meaningful consent. Children and consent; page modified 2025-08-11.
[CR-47] Privacy Commissioner of Canada: provincial laws that may apply instead of PIPEDA. Which provincial laws are treated as substantially similar, and PIPEDA in the territories.

How TherapyCRM fits

TherapyCRM is practice management software with a clinical record. It does not decide who may consent in your province, and nothing on this page describes TherapyCRM as meeting any of these rules.

The Family and consent tab of the client page has a Custody and consent card. It records a custody status for each guardian, shown as Custodial, Access only or No custody, and a consent ledger that notes who gave each consent and in what authority: a custodial parent, an access-only parent, a capable client or a substitute decision-maker. When staff record a consent, TherapyCRM checks the stored custody status of the guardian who signed and does not record a consent from a guardian marked Access only or No custody; a capable client or a substitute decision-maker can be recorded. That describes how the software behaves, not what any province requires, and how your clinic treats an access-only parent is a policy decision for you and your counsel.

TherapyCRM stores each client’s date of birth, which helps a team see when a child turns 16, 18 or 19, the ages the rules above use. TherapyCRM does not apply any province’s age rule on its own.

Frequently asked questions

Who has to report suspected child abuse in a therapy clinic?

Any person who meets the statute’s test, which includes front-desk staff, behaviour technicians and owners as well as clinicians. In Ontario the statute adds that a person must report directly and may not rely on someone else to report for them, and the Northwest Territories Act says the duty cannot be delegated.

Does privacy law stop a clinician from reporting?

The statutes and pages we read say no. The duty applies despite confidentiality, with a solicitor-client exception in several provinces. Ontario’s reporting section says it prevails despite its health privacy Act, and Alberta’s Health Information Regulation does the same for its Health Information Act.

What age does the duty to report cover?

It varies. Ontario’s duty covers children under 16 and does not apply to 16- and 17-year-olds, though a report may be made. Alberta and Saskatchewan use under 18, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Yukon use under 19, and the Northwest Territories and Nunavut use under 16.

What are the penalties for failing to report?

The ceilings we read run from a fine of up to $2,000 for Nova Scotia’s general duty to up to $50,000 in Manitoba. Nova Scotia’s professional duty carries up to $5,000 or one year. New Brunswick makes failure an offence in a category set under its provincial offences law and does not state the amount in the Act text we read.

At what age can a child consent to therapy on their own?

No jurisdiction we read fixes one age. Ontario and Nova Scotia tie consent to capacity rather than age, British Columbia asks the provider to be satisfied the minor understands, and Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador sources use a presumption at 16. New Brunswick treats 16-year-olds as adults for medical consent and uses a different test below 16.

Can a parent who has only access see a child’s record?

It depends on the province, and in Ontario the sources we read do not resolve it. Ontario’s health privacy Act excludes a parent with only a right of access from its definition of parent, while the Children’s Law Reform Act gives a person with parenting time the same right as a parent to make inquiries about the child’s health, subject to applicable laws. Ask counsel before releasing a record in that situation.

Which parent must consent when parents are separated?

Look at the parenting order or agreement. Regulators we read say joint decision-making needs both parents and sole decision-making needs one; Manitoba’s speech-language regulator says one parent is enough but asks for written confirmation that the parent holds decision-making responsibility. Document the discussion either way.

Are Yukon and Prince Edward Island covered?

Only partly. For Yukon we confirmed the age line and intake numbers from the government page but could not read the Act or the consent statutes with our tools on 8 October 2026. For Prince Edward Island the reporting duty could not be read, so those cells say not found. Check both directly.