For Canadian practices outside Quebec
How long to keep client records for therapy in Canada, by province and profession
How long to keep client records for therapy in Canada depends on the clinician’s regulator, the client’s age and the province, not on one national rule. The shortest binding professional minimum we read is six years after discharge (Nova Scotia physiotherapy) and the longest is 16 years after a minor reaches the age of majority, about age 35 (British Columbia). This page sets out each rule we could verify, grouped by province and profession, with the minor’s clock shown separately and a link to the official document. Quebec is not covered.
This page is information, not legal advice. Each rule links to the official source we read on 2026-10-08; confirm it there before acting.
Last checked: 2026-10-08
How long to keep client records: the short answer
There is no national period. In the provinces we read, the number that matters most to a clinic comes from the regulator of the clinician who delivered the service: a college standard, a regulation or a practice direction. Health-privacy statutes mostly require a written retention and destruction policy or secure disposal without naming a number of years for clinical records. Saskatchewan’s regulations are the exception we found, and British Columbia’s PIPA sets only a one-year minimum for information used to make a decision about a person.
A multidisciplinary clinic holds notes written under several rulebooks. This page does not say which rule governs a particular chart. Check each clinician’s own regulator and the privacy law that applies to the clinic. The tables below link every rule to the official page we read on 8 October 2026.
- Shortest binding professional minimum we read: six years after discharge for Nova Scotia physiotherapy.
- Ontario: the speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and psychology and behaviour analysis colleges each set 10 years, with the minor’s clock starting at age 18.
- Alberta: speech-language pathology and occupational therapy set 11 years 3 months; physiotherapy sets 10 years; psychology sets 10 years after the last service for an adult.
- British Columbia: 16 years from the last encounter or from the age of majority, whichever is later. The College’s own explainer says a minor’s record is kept until the patient turns 35.
- Almost every rule needs two dates: the client’s date of birth and the date of last contact.
Counting the minor’s clock: a worked illustration
Most pediatric rules start the clock when the child reaches an age, not on the last visit. The table shows the age at which the minimum ends for a child last seen at age 6, using only rules set out in the tables below. It is arithmetic on the published wording, not an instruction. Confirm the rule that governs your clinician and record.
| Rule | When the clock starts | Minimum ends at age |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario: CASLPO | Ten years after the 18th birthdaywww.ontario.ca | 28 |
| Ontario: COTO | Ten years after the 18th birthdaywww.coto.org | 28 |
| Ontario: CPO | Ten years after the 18th birthdaycollegept.org | 28 |
| Ontario: CPBAO | Ten years after the 18th birthdaycpbao.ca | 28 |
| British Columbia: CHCPBC | Sixteen years after the age of majority, which is 19chcpbc.org | 35 |
| Alberta: ACSLPA and ACOT | 11 years 3 months after the 18th birthdayacot.ca | 29 years 3 months |
| Saskatchewan: SCPT physiotherapy | Ten years after the last episode of care or until age 20, whichever is longerscpt.in1touch.org | 20 |
| Manitoba: CASLPM and COTM | Ten years after the 18th birthdayweb2.gov.mb.ca | 28 |
| Manitoba: CPM physiotherapy | Until the minor reaches 25manitobaphysio.com | 25 |
| Nova Scotia: NSRPT physiotherapy | Six years past the 19th birthdaynsphysio.com | 25 |
| Nova Scotia: NSRP psychology | Ten years after the 18th birthdaywww.ns-rp.ca | 28 |
Not every rule in the tables below is shown. Saskatchewan’s regulation also allows a written retention schedule in place of the 10-year or age-20 figure. Nova Scotia occupational therapy’s 20 years is a recommendation, so it is left out.
How long to keep client records for Ontario therapy clinics
Ontario’s four colleges set the same 10-year minimum, and each starts the minor’s clock at the 18th birthday. PHIPA requires a custodian to keep, transfer and dispose of records securely and in accordance with any prescribed requirements (s. 13(1)). We found no retention period for clinic records in O. Reg. 329/04.
The Ontario page covers the rest of the province’s rules for private therapy clinics, including the Ontario Autism Program.
| Profession (regulator) | Adult clients | Minors | Version we read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speech-language pathology (CASLPO) | At least 10 years after the last professional contact. Patient financial records follow the same period (O. Reg. 21/12, ss. 32(6) and 33(3)).www.ontario.ca | If the patient was under 18 at the last contact, at least 10 years after the date the patient became or would have become 18. | Regulation consolidation from 1 January 2025; e-Laws currency date 6 October 2026. |
| Occupational therapy (COTO) | At least 10 years after the date of the last entry. Keep records longer if there is reason to believe the information will be needed, for example in a pending legal proceeding.www.coto.org | For pediatric records, 10 years after the client reached or would have reached 18.www.coto.org | Standard for Record Keeping, 2023; no effective date shown on the page. |
| Physiotherapy (CPO) | Clinical and financial records: at least 10 years from the later of the last patient encounter or the date the patient reached 18. The College notes that legal proceedings can be brought up to 15 years after an alleged act or omission, so registrants may wish to keep records longer.collegept.org | The same later-of rule: 10 years after the patient reached or would have reached 18. | Documentation Standard, effective 1 August 2025. |
| Psychology and behaviour analysis (CPBAO) | At least 10 years after the service recipient reaches 18 or after the last professional contact, whichever comes later (Standards, s. 9.4).cpbao.ca | The same rule applies to a minor’s individual client record. Supervision records are kept 10 years after the client turns 18 if the client was under 18 at the last clinical contact (s. 4.5.2). | Standards in force 1 July 2024; practical applications updated 5 May 2026. |
| Privacy law (PHIPA) | Records must be retained, transferred and disposed of securely and in accordance with any prescribed requirements (s. 13(1)). We found no clinic record period in O. Reg. 329/04.www.ontario.ca | Not stated.www.ontario.ca | PHIPA consolidation from 1 January 2026; e-Laws currency date 6 October 2026. |
| Ontario Autism Program families (payer rule) | The ministry’s core clinical services page, in its expense-form section for families whose allocation came from the ministry, says families must keep original receipts, invoices and proof of payment for seven years from the date on the invoice or receipt. The page states no provider-side period.www.ontario.ca | Not stated. | Page updated 10 March 2026. |
British Columbia and Alberta
In British Columbia, the CHCPBC Records practice standard took effect on 1 April 2026. The government’s health professions page lists audiologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, psychologists and speech language pathologists among the professions regulated by CHCPBC.
Alberta’s colleges set different numbers: 11 years 3 months for speech-language pathology and occupational therapy, 10 years for physiotherapy, and 10 years after the last service for a psychology adult client with a longer test for minors.
| Profession (regulator) | Adult clients | Minors | Version we read |
|---|---|---|---|
| BC: speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy and psychology (CHCPBC) | At least 16 years from the date of the last encounter, or 16 years from the date the patient reaches the age of majority, whichever is later. Records are disposed of securely after the period.chcpbc.org | The age of majority is 19, so a minor’s record is kept to about age 35. CHCPBC’s explainer states that minors’ records are kept until the patient turns 35.chcpbc.org | Standard effective 1 April 2026; explainer dated 18 June 2026. |
| BC: privacy law (PIPA) | Personal information used to make a decision that directly affects a person must be kept at least one year after use (s. 35(1)). That is the only period in that section.www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca | Not stated. | Act current to 22 September 2026. |
| BC: ICBC direct-billing physiotherapy firms (payer rule) | Records must be retained for the duration the College specifies or seven years, whichever is longer. ICBC may audit on five business days’ notice (program guide, s. 9.2).www.partners.icbc.com | Not stated. | Program guide effective 27 September 2026. |
| BC: behaviour analysts and technicians | Not found on the official pages we read. The government’s health professions page does not list behaviour analysts.www2.gov.bc.ca | Not found. | Page read 8 October 2026. |
| AB: speech-language pathology and audiology (ACSLPA) | At least 11 years 3 months since the date of last service. Records of a person under disability are kept three years 3 months after the person’s death. ACSLPA also notes the Canada Revenue Agency’s six-year period for records needed to determine tax obligations.www.acslpa.ca | 11 years 3 months after the client turns 18.www.acslpa.ca | Guideline revised February 2026; Standard Area 4.0 PDF labelled Revised June 2022. |
| AB: occupational therapy (ACOT) | At least 11 years 3 months after the last date of service.acot.ca | At least 11 years 3 months after the client turns 18. | Standards of Practice effective 28 September 2024. |
| AB: physiotherapy (CPTA) | Clinical and financial records: 10 years after the last date of service.www.cpta.ab.ca | Ten years past the minor’s 18th birthday.www.cpta.ab.ca | College web page updated 30 September 2026; the PDF copy on the same site is marked Draft Standard. |
| AB: psychology (CAP) | Not less than 10 years after the last date on which a professional service was provided (s. 7.4).www.cap.ab.ca | Two years after the date the client reaches the age of majority, or 10 years after the last service, whichever is longer (s. 7.3). | Standards of Practice, 31 May 2023. |
| AB: privacy law (HIA and PIPA) | The Health Information Act requires disclosure records to be kept 10 years (s. 41(2)); we found no general clinical-record period in the Act. PIPA s. 35(1) allows personal information to be retained only as long as reasonably required for legal or business purposes.kings-printer.alberta.ca | Not stated.kings-printer.alberta.ca | HIA current as of 2 July 2026; PIPA current as of 1 September 2025. |
| AB: behaviour analysts and technicians | Not found on the official pages we read. The Health Professions Act text we read does not name behaviour analysts.kings-printer.alberta.ca | Not found. | Act current as of 31 July 2026. |
Saskatchewan and Manitoba
Saskatchewan’s Health Information Protection Regulations, 2023 are the one privacy rule we found that names a number: a trustee’s written retention policy must include either a 10-year or age-20 requirement or a retention schedule. The OIPC question-and-answer document says sections 17(1), 18(2) and 18(4) of the Act must be proclaimed to enable these regulation duties, and we did not confirm proclamation on the official pages we read.
Manitoba’s colleges split: 10 years for speech-language pathology and occupational therapy and seven years for physiotherapy, with minors to age 25. Manitoba’s own regulators therefore set different periods inside one province, so ask the regulator which applies to a given clinician.
| Profession (regulator) | Adult clients | Minors | Version we read |
|---|---|---|---|
| SK: all health information trustees (HIPA Regulations, 2023) | A trustee’s written retention and destruction policy must include either a requirement to keep personal health information at least 10 years after the last episode of care, or a retention schedule that lists each legitimate purpose, retention period and destruction schedule (s. 6).publications.saskatchewan.ca | The policy may use the age-20 or 10-year minimum, whichever is longer, or the alternative written retention schedule (s. 6).oipc.sk.ca | Regulations effective 1 August 2023; OIPC question-and-answer document undated. |
| SK: physiotherapy (SCPT Standard 15) | Clinical and financial records: 10 years after the last date of service.scpt.in1touch.org | At least 10 years after the last episode of care or until the client is 20, whichever is longer. | Standards of Practice for Physical Therapists in Saskatchewan, updated 2025. |
| SK: occupational therapy (SCOT) | The Document Standards suggest keeping records at least three years after treatment ends.scotsk.ca | Suggested: three years after the client reaches the age of majority, whichever is longer. | Revised June 2016. |
| SK: psychology (SCP) | A draft practice support document, not binding, lists seven years past the date of last service for adults as a consideration.skcp.ca | Ten years after the last episode of care or until age 20, whichever is longer (draft). | Undated draft. |
| SK: speech-language pathology (SASLPA) | The regulator’s reference documents page names a Documentation and Record Management Guidelines document but does not link it. No retention period was found on the pages we read.saslpa.ca | Not found. | Page read 8 October 2026. |
| MB: speech-language pathology and audiology (CASLPM) | At least 10 years after the date of the last entry (General Regulation, s. 5.9(2)). The guideline says adult records are kept at least 10 years after the last visit or last entry.web2.gov.mb.ca | Ten years after the minor turns 18.caslpm.ca | Regulation M.R. 192/2013; guideline revised and approved 2 May 2026. |
| MB: occupational therapy (COTM) | At least 10 years from the date of the last entry.cotm.ca | Ten years after the client reached or would have reached 18, whichever is later. | Practice guideline revised October 2017. |
| MB: physiotherapy (CPM) | Clinical and financial records: seven years after the last date of service. This is shorter than the 10 years in the speech-language pathology and occupational therapy rules.manitobaphysio.com | Records made while the client was a minor are kept until the client reaches 25. | Practice direction updated 17 September 2024. |
| MB: psychology and privacy law (PHIA) | A psychology retention rule was not found on the official pages we read. PHIA s. 17(1) requires a trustee to have a written retention and destruction policy and to comply with it. The regulation sets no minimum period, only three years for records of user activity on electronic systems (s. 4(5)).web2.gov.mb.ca | Not stated.web2.gov.mb.ca | PHIA, C.C.S.M. c. P33.5; Personal Health Information Regulation, M.R. 245/97. |
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador
Nova Scotia has the widest spread: six years after discharge for physiotherapy, seven years for speech-language pathology, 10 years for psychology and a 20-year recommendation for occupational therapy where the therapist is the custodian. Its Personal Health Information Act requires a written retention schedule but sets no number of years.
In New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador we found few binding professional periods on the official pages we read. Where a source is missing, the table says so rather than guessing.
| Profession (regulator) | Adult clients | Minors | Version we read |
|---|---|---|---|
| NS: speech-language pathology (NSRASLP) | The client record custodian must maintain records at least seven years from the date of the last entry (Standard 3.1).nsraslp.ca | No minors-specific extension stated. | Page undated; read 8 October 2026. |
| NS: occupational therapy (NSOTR) | Where the occupational therapist is the custodian, the regulator recommends retaining records at least 20 years from the last entry. This is a recommendation, not a requirement.nsotr.ca | Recommended: 20 years after the client reached or would have reached 19. | Record Keeping Practice Standard, issued September 2017. |
| NS: physiotherapy (NSRPT) | Clinical and financial records: six years after the date of discharge.nsphysio.com | Six years past the minor’s 19th birthday. | Approved 22 January 2025; effective 15 June 2025. |
| NS: psychology (NSRP) | At least 10 years following the last client contact (Standard 7.4).www.ns-rp.ca | If the client was under 18 at the last contact, 10 years following the date of the client’s 18th birthday. | Undated standards binder; whether it has been updated for the 2025 transfer to the Regulated Health Professions Act is not confirmed. |
| NS: privacy law (PHIA) | A custodian must have a written retention schedule listing legitimate purposes and the retention period and destruction schedule for each (s. 50), and must securely destroy, erase or de-identify information when the period expires (s. 49(2)). No number of years is set.nslegislature.ca | Not stated. | Consolidated to 1 April 2026. |
| NB: occupational therapy (NBAOT) | Not less than 10 years after the date of the last entry. Financial records are kept separately for at least seven years, and equipment service records for five years.nbaot.org | Records are kept until the age of majority or 10 years after the last entry (wording as published). | Practice guideline uploaded in 2021; the text carries no date. |
| NB: psychology (CPNB) | The Code of Conduct says a client record should be stored for a minimum of 15 years following the last date of service. The wording is "should", so we read it as a recommendation.cpnb.ca | Fifteen years from the day the client became or would have become the age of majority. | Code of Conduct, May 2025. |
| NB: speech-language pathology and physiotherapy | Not found on the official pages we read. | Not found. | No page read. |
| NB: privacy law (PHIPAA) | A custodian must establish and follow a written policy for retention, archival storage, access and secure destruction of personal health information that meets any prescribed or statutory requirements (s. 55(1)). No number of years is set in the text we read.laws.gnb.ca | Not stated. | Act consolidated to 1 January 2024. |
| PEI: health information custodians (HIA) | No retention period was found in the Health Information Act on the official page we read. The Act’s purposes include rules for retention and secure destruction (s. 2). We did not locate college retention standards.www.princeedwardisland.ca | Not found. | Act current to 30 March 2026. |
| NL: speech-language pathology and audiology (CASLP-NL) | The Standards of Practice call for records to be disposed of in a way that protects confidentiality. We found no retention period in them.nlchp.ca | Not found. | Standards of Practice uploaded March 2026. |
| NL: privacy law (PHIA) | Custodians’ information policies must provide for the secure storage, retention and disposal of records. We found no number of years in the text we read.www.assembly.nl.ca | Not stated. | Statute page read 8 October 2026. |
Yukon and the Northwest Territories
We found no statutory minimum retention period for private clinics in either territory on the official pages we read. For Nunavut, see the territories page.
| Territory and source | What the source says | Minors | Version we read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yukon: custodians (HIPMA) | No statutory minimum was found. The Commissioner’s guide for small custodians says the consent notice must describe the custodian’s record retention schedule, and its template notice leaves the number of years blank.yukonaccountability.ca | Not stated. | Guide dated March 2026. |
| Northwest Territories: Health Information Act | Section 86(4) requires a health information custodian to comply with retention requirements set in regulations. The Act defines a custodian as the Department, a medical practitioner, a pharmacist, or a prescribed organization or person. We did not find private therapy clinics named, and found no clinic retention period.www.justice.gov.nt.ca | Not stated. | Consolidation shows amendments up to SNWT 2026, c. 2. |
Using these rules in a multidisciplinary clinic
These steps organize the question; they do not choose a rule for you. Each clinician’s regulator, and the privacy law that makes the clinic or the clinician a custodian, decide what applies.
- List every regulator whose members write in the chart, and record the retention rule each one publishes with its version date.
- Keep the client’s date of birth and the date of last contact in the record, because most minors’ rules start from an age, not a visit.
- Where sources disagree inside one province, as with Saskatchewan occupational therapy and Manitoba physiotherapy, ask the regulator which applies.
- Before destroying any record, check whether a legal proceeding is foreseeable. COTO and CPO both say records may need to be kept beyond the minimum.
- Record who the custodian or trustee is for the clinic’s records, because the privacy statutes place the duties on that person or organization.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a therapy clinic keep client records in Canada?
There is no single national number. In the sources we read, Ontario’s four therapy colleges set 10 years, Alberta’s speech-language pathology and occupational therapy colleges set 11 years 3 months, British Columbia’s CHCPBC sets 16 years, and Nova Scotia physiotherapy sets six years after discharge. Check each clinician’s own regulator in the tables above.
How long to keep client records for Ontario therapy clinics?
The speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and psychology and behaviour analysis colleges each set a 10-year minimum in the sources we read. For adults it runs from the last contact or entry; for a minor it runs from the 18th birthday. PHIPA itself sets no number of years that we found. See the Ontario section above and the Ontario page.
How long must a clinic keep a child’s records?
It depends on the rule. Most pediatric rules start at an age rather than the last visit: age 18 in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba, the age of majority of 19 in British Columbia, age 19 for Nova Scotia physiotherapy, and age 20 as a floor in Saskatchewan. The worked illustration above shows how the arithmetic differs for a child last seen at age 6.
Does privacy law set the retention period for therapy records?
Mostly not. The health-privacy statutes we read require a written retention policy or secure disposal without a number of years. Saskatchewan’s regulations name 10 years or age 20 for minors, or allow a retention schedule, and British Columbia’s PIPA sets only a one-year minimum for information used to make a decision about a person.
Do behaviour analysts have a retention rule?
In Ontario, the CPBAO Standards require individual client service records to be kept at least 10 years after the service recipient reaches 18 or after the last professional contact, whichever comes later. In British Columbia and Alberta we found no behaviour-analyst retention rule on the official pages we read.
What if two regulators in the same clinic give different periods?
The sources do not settle it. Manitoba physiotherapy sets seven years while its speech-language pathology and occupational therapy colleges set 10. Saskatchewan occupational therapy suggests three years, while the HIPA Regulations offer either a minimum period or a purpose-based written schedule. Ask each regulator which rule applies to the clinician who wrote the entry, and ask counsel before destroying records.
Can a funding program or insurer change how long invoices are kept?
Yes, payer rules can add periods. The ministry’s core clinical services page tells families who received their allocation from the ministry to keep receipts and invoices for seven years, and ICBC’s physiotherapy program guide requires approved firms to keep records for the College period or seven years, whichever is longer.
Is this page legal advice?
No. It is information drawn from official pages we read on 8 October 2026, and it links each rule to its source. Rules change, and the cells marked not found mean not found on the official pages we read, not that no rule exists. Confirm the current text with the regulator or counsel before acting.