Questions & Concerns About Dietitians

If you have concerns about the services of a dietitian, require information about the complaints process or need help in making a complaint, please contact Mary Lou Gignac, Registrar & Executive Director of the College of Dietitians Ontario.

Client Abuse
There is zero tolerance for abuse of clients. The College of Dietitians of Ontario works with Registered Dietitians to help them maintain respectful and professional relationships with their clients to prevent abuse. The dietitian-client relationship is based on mutual trust and respect. Any act of abuse, including sexual abuse, is a betrayal of that trust.

Acceptable dietetic practice includes:

the client's right to clear, complete information
the right to be involved in all decisions concerning their treatment, and
the right to consent to or refuse treatment.

Making a Complaint
A complaint made to the College of Dietitians of Ontario must:

be in writing, or on visual or audio tape, or on any other recorded format.
identify specific member(s) of the College and specific action(s), conduct or behavior.
be signed or attested to by the complainant.
be related to action(s) or incident(s) which occurred after December 31, 1993.

The College of Dietitians of Ontario must investigate complaints filed with the Registrar & Executive Director regarding the conduct or the actions of a dietitian. Responding to complaints is one of the ways that the College of Dietitians of Ontario fulfills its mandate of protecting the public. Every complaint filed with the College will be reviewed by a panel of the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee.

A copy of the complaint will be given to the member you are complaining about. While the College of Dietitians of Ontario does maintain confidentiality with regards to complaints, information gathered during the investigation may be provided to the member or the member’s representative for the purpose of responding to the issues raised in the complaint.

If the complainant or the member is not satisfied with the decision of the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee Panel, he/she may request a review of the Panel’s decision by the Health Professions Review and Appeal Board. If this occurs, all information reviewed by the Panel must be provided by the College to the Board. The Board will disclose this documentation to both parties.

For more information about how the College deals with complaints, please refer to