Ontario’s new med spa rules ban unsupervised Botox and filler injections starting March 2027 - Toronto Star

The regulatory changes approved this week by the College of Nurses of Ontario also crack down on the 'rent a licence' loophole used by some GTA spas.

New rules approved by the College of Nurses of Ontario help fill a med spa regulatory gap.

Med spa practitioners who are not regulated in Ontario will no longer be allowed to inject patients without supervision.

Following a unanimous decision by the council of the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) on Thursday, nurses will be required to be on site when they delegate medical esthetic procedures such as Botox and filler injections to a staffer who does not otherwise have authority to perform the treatments.

The new rules will also require nurse practitioners in esthetics to issue direct, client-specific orders instead of a general directive that applies to multiple patients. They will need to complete a client assessment in person or virtually before giving the direct order.

These new policies will come into effect in March 2027.

“We believe that is absolutely the correct decision to safeguard the public,” said Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO), a professional association representing more than 50,000 nurses.

When Botox or another prescription medication is administered, it is a medical act, whether it’s done in a hospital or med spa, Grinspun said. “The same standards of assessment, authorization, competence, safety must follow the patient wherever that care is provided. And the college made that crystal clear today.”