On December 17, 2024, the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) referred a matter involving Kelly-Lynne Neale to the Discipline Committee for a hearing.
The hearing took place on June 5, 2025. This matter was resolved by way of an Agreed Statement of Facts and a Joint Submission on Penalty.
Finding
The panel of the Discipline Committee issued a decision on the finding, penalty and costs on June 5, 2025.
After having considered all the evidence, the panel found Kelly-Lynne Neale to have committed the following acts of professional misconduct:
- paragraph 1 (failing to maintain the standards of practice of the profession);
- paragraph 15 (contravening a federal, provincial or territorial law relevant to the member’s suitability to practice);
- paragraph 18 (engaging in conduct or performing an act relevant to the practice of the profession that, having regard to all the circumstances, would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional);
- paragraph 26 (failing to maintain records in accordance with the standards of practice of the profession)
Penalty
The panel ordered the following penalty, Kelly-Lynne Neale must:
- receive a verbal reprimand (delivered June 5, 2025)
- serve a four-month suspension (to be served from June 30, 2025 to August 29, 2025 and again from June 29, 2026 to August 28, 2026)
- This suspension could be extended if certain requirements are not met
- successfully complete the PROBE ethics course offered through CPEP
- participate in practice enhancement coaching
The panel also ordered Kelly-Lynne Neale to pay costs to the College in the amount of $7,000 to offset some of the costs associated with investigating and prosecuting this case.
As a part of the penalty, the Committee issued a reprimand which read as follows:
Ms. Neale, you are a very lucky person today. Had it not been for a joint submission by you and the College, this panel would have imposed a much stricter penalty on your actions. The panel feels that you need to be aware and adhere to College standards.
There is an inherent danger to the public by performing unverified treatment and providing an illicit substance degrades the profession in the eyes of the public. In addition, inadequate recordkeeping could give the impression of falsified and/or fraudulent behaviour.
This panel has found that your behaviour constituted serious misconduct. This sort of conduct will not be tolerated by the profession. Practising physiotherapy is a privilege, not a right. While serving your suspension, it is the expectation that you will reflect on this fact.
The public interest depends on the integrity of the profession and protecting the integrity of the profession demands adherence to Federal, Provincial and Territorial laws. We would expect the strictest adherence to College standards, particularly by a Physiotherapist who is also a clinic owner. We expect that, going forward, your practice will uphold the standards of the profession, and that we will not find you before a panel of the Discipline Committee in the future.
You can read the full decision of the Discipline Committee of the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario on CanLII (www.canlii.org)