Each provincial and territorial regulatory college publishes its own policies on licensure requirements for telemedicine into their province. Several jurisdictions allow physicians and nurse practitioners to practice telemedicine to their patients without holding their specific jurisdictional license.
Below are excerpts from the regulatory colleges in jurisdictions that do not require their own jurisdiction’s license. For more detail, refer to CADTH’s Policy Brief: Inter-jurisdictional Medical Licensing to Support Telemedicine and CNPS: Telepractice for a full review across each jurisdiction in Canada.
Physician requirements
Physician requirements
College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia
College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia
Licensure not required. The College does not regulate physicians who are located outside of the province and providing virtual care to patients located in BC.
Complaints arising out of such services are passed on to the regulatory authority where the physician is licenced. Physicians who are located outside of BC and hold an active license with another regulatory body do not need to obtain an additional license to provide care to patients in BC.
“The requirements for treating patients via telemedicine vary by jurisdiction. Physicians must be aware of and comply with the licensing requirements in British Columbia, and in the province/territory where the patient is located. Some jurisdictions require physicians to hold a licence in order to treat a patient located in that jurisdiction"
Date of excerpt, last revised: June 22, 2023
Maple policy
Maple does allow non-BC licensed physicians to practice into the province currently, however, this is expected to change as physicians will need to order labs and referrals with their own billing numbers.
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta
Licensure is required. However, physicians who do not hold an active Alberta practice permit may practice telemedicine in Alberta:
If the care sought is not readily available in Alberta (e.g., specialty care);
to provide follow-up care or continuity of care for which an established physician-patient relationship exists; or
if the virtual care encounter is for emergency assessment or treatment of the patient where there are no other care options available.
Date of excerpt, issued: Jan 1, 2022
Maple policy
Maple does not allow non-Alberta licensed physicians to practice into the province.
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
Licensure is required. Physicians providing virtual care to Ontario patients located in Ontario must hold a valid and active certificate of registration with the CPSO, unless the provision of virtual care from a physician licensed elsewhere is in the patient’s best interest; for example, the care sought is:
not readily available in Ontario (e.g., specialty care);
provided within an existing physician-patient relationship and intended to bridge a gap in care; or
for urgent or emergency assessment or treatment of a patient.
Date of excerpt, reviewed and updated: June 2022
Maple policy
Maple does not allow non-Ontario licensed physicians to practice into the province.
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia
Licensure not required. Physicians licensed elsewhere in Canada may deliver telemedicine to patients in Nova Scotia without having to obtain a Nova Scotia medical license. Physicians licensed elsewhere in Canada who deliver virtual care into Nova Scotia will be held to Nova Scotia standards but subject to the regulation of their licensing authority.
Date of excerpt, revised and reapproved: May 28, 2021
Maple policy
Maple does allow non-Nova Scotia licensed physicians to practice into the province. Restrictions apply on labs, diagnostic imaging and specialist referral ordering.
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador
College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador
Licensure required. Physicians providing virtual care to patients in Newfoundland and Labrador must hold a Licence to Practise Medicine from the College. In the interest of ensuring continuity of and access to care, the College will permit a physician licensed outside of Newfoundland and Labrador to provide virtual care in the following circumstances:
providing specialty care that is not available in Newfoundland and Labrador;
providing care within an existing physician-patient relationship (e.g., patient has temporarily relocated to NL); or
providing care in consultation with a physician who holds a license issued by the College and has an ongoing relationship with the patient.
Date of excerpt, published: June 17, 2023
Maple policy
Maple does not allow non-licensed physicians to practice into Newfoundland and Labrador.
College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick
College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick
Licensure not required. Those without a licence may be registered on a Virtual Care Provider list by completing a form and registering such with the College. Note that such does not mean services are covered directly, or indirectly, by New Brunswick Medicare.
The physician is licensed with a medical regulatory authority acceptable to Council. There should be no restrictions on such licensure which would impact the intended virtual care services.
The physician will maintain such licensure at all times when providing the intended virtual care service.
The physician agrees to make reasonable efforts to comply with any statutes, regulations, rules, or policies which would apply if the intended service was provided in person within the province.
Date of excerpt: not specified
Maple policy
Maple does allow non-licensed physicians to practice into New Brunswick, but only for B2B partnerships.
Nurse practitioner requirements
Nurse practitioner requirements
College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba
College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba
Licensure not required. Nurses located outside Manitoba who provide nursing care only by telepractice to people located in Manitoba, may do so under the following conditions:
The RN maintains registration in another Canadian jurisdiction in good standing;
The RN identifies their full name, membership class and jurisdiction of Canadian licensure to the client as part of the informed consent process;
The RN is able to meet all requirements of their Canadian licensing jurisdiction when engaging in this practice;
The RN abides by all relevant federal and provincial (Manitoba) legislation for the services provided by telepractice; and
The RN does not physically enter Manitoba for the purposes of providing RN services.
Date of excerpt, last revised: April 2021
Maple policy
Maple does allow non-licensed Nurse Practitioners to practice into Manitoba.
College of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador
College of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador
Licensure not required. If an RN or NP is outside of NL and providing nursing services, including VNP, to residents of NL they do not require licensure with the College.
With respect to the provision of telehealth services /virtual nursing practice to clients in this province, the College would consider that a nurse is practicing in the province/jurisdiction in which the nurse is physically located. The RN/NP would need to advise their clients where they are licensed (e.g., Ontario) and where/how they can validate their licensure status (i.e., licence verification or member search function on the regulatory body website). If a client wanted to file a complaint/allegation against the RN or NP, they would need to know where the RN/NP holds a licence to practice and the name of the Regulatory Authority where the RN/NP holds the licence (e.g., CNO).
Should the RN’s/NP’s position change and travel to this province to provide care to NL clients becomes
part of the RN/NP role, the RN/NP must contact the College to determine if licensure is required.
Date of excerpt, last updated: September 2022
Maple policy
Maple does allow non-licensed Nurse Practitioners to practice into Newfoundland and Labrador.
Nova Scotia College of Nursing
Nova Scotia College of Nursing
Licensure not required. Nurses not located in Nova Scotia and engaged in nursing practice by electronic means (i.e. Telenursing) to clients located in Nova Scotia do not require licensure with NSCN EXCEPT if they are an NSCN registrant. An NSCN registrant is any nurse who was ever registered and licensed with NSCN or our legacy Colleges, CLPNNS or CRNNS.
Nurses who are engaging in this practice should contact the appropriate nursing regulator prior to providing services outside of the province where they are located to ensure they are aware of the jurisdiction’s regulatory requirements.
NPs are advised to contact the Canadian Nurse Protective Society (CNPS) to discuss the legal implication of telenursing.
Date of excerpt, last revised: April 2022
Maple policy
Maple does allow non- licensed Nurse Practitioners to practice into the province.
Order of Nurses of Quebec
Order of Nurses of Quebec
Licensure not required. Nurses, and specialized nurse practitioners who are members of a professional order in another province, don’t have to register with OIIQ in the event of distance practice with Quebecers.
NPs are expected to identify themselves to the client and to specify their registration as a member of a nursing professional order from another province.
NPs who prescribe must be aware of the existence in Quebec of a public health insurance plan that allows access to free diagnostic examinations and tests for the population. NPs from another province, practicing remotely and not members of the OIIQ (who do not have a RAMQ number) should notify the client of the situation to allow them to make an informed decision.
Confirmed by email from OIIQ: February 16, 2023
Maple policy
Maple does allow non-licensed Nurse Practitioners to practice into Quebec for corporate clients only.
How can I expand my Maple jurisdictions?
How can I expand my Maple jurisdictions?
Please refer to: