Overview

Ontario law assumes that adults are capable of making decisions until a qualified professional makes an assessment and determines they are not.

The Capacity Assessment Office

The Capacity Assessment Office trains eligible health professionals to be capacity assessors in accordance with the Substitute Decisions Act and:

  • maintains an updated list of qualified assessors
  • provides on-going education and consultation services to capacity assessors
  • offers financial assistance plans to people who want to request an assessment but cannot afford to do so
  • answers questions about capacity assessments
  • can help in locating capacity assessors who speak other languages

You can contact the Capacity Assessment Office by:

Assessing mental capacity

Mental capacity is assessed by health professionals who have completed the Capacity Assessor course under the Substitute Decisions Act.

Capacity assessors may be:

  • doctors
  • nurses
  • psychologists
  • social workers
  • occupational therapists

All capacity assessors have training and expertise in conducting assessments, but some may have specific skills and experiences working with people who have certain types of disabilities, such as:

  • dementia
  • mental illness
  • brain injuries
  • intellectual disabilities

Learn more about mental capacity and the assessment process.

Fees

Capacity Assessors set their own hourly or flat rates.

If you cannot afford the fees, you may be able to receive financial assistance.

Learn more about the assessment fees and how to apply for financial assistance.

Find a capacity assessor

You can find a capacity assessor who serves your region by using the interactive table below. Find what region your municipality is in.

To add or remove information, including, region, specialty, language or additional contact information select the “Show/Hide” columns” below.

Scroll left (←) or right (→) on the table to see additional information.

East region

An assessor on the East roster may serve the following municipalities:

  • Frontenac
  • Haliburton
  • Hastings
  • Kawartha Lakes
  • Lanark
  • Leeds & Grenville
  • Lennox & Addington
  • Northumberland
  • Ottawa
  • Peterborough
  • Prescott & Russell
  • Prince Edward
  • Renfrew
  • Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry

Central region

An assessor on the Central roster may serve the following municipalities:

  • Durham
  • Halton
  • Muskoka
  • Peel
  • Simcoe
  • Toronto
  • York

West region

An assessor on the West roster may serve the following municipalities:

  • Brant
  • Bruce
  • Chatham-Kent
  • Dufferin
  • Elgin
  • Essex
  • Grey
  • Haldimand
  • Hamilton
  • Huron
  • Lambton
  • Middlesex
  • Niagara
  • Norfolk
  • Oxford
  • Perth
  • Waterloo
  • Wellington

North region

An assessor on the North roster may serve the following municipalities:

  • Algoma
  • Cochrane
  • Kenora
  • Manitoulin
  • Nipissing
  • Parry Sound
  • Rainy River
  • Sudbury
  • Thunder Bay
  • Timiskaming

Disclaimer

Assessors provide their own contact information.

The Capacity Assessment Office (CAO) updates the roster as often as it can. Some information may need to be updated.

Every assessor is a member of a regulated profession.

You will need to contact an assessor’s regulator to check registration status, discipline history or employer contact information.