Members of the Vancouver chapter of the Canadian Public Relations Society are bound by the national CPRS Code of Professional Standards.

If you believe a member of the Vancouver chapter has violated the Code, you are entitled to file a formal complaint against him or her. For instructions on how to do this, please see below.

The President of the Vancouver chapter will commission the chapter's Judicial and Ethics Chair to investigate the complaint and to seek to resolve it.

If the complaint cannot be resolved locally, the matter goes to the CPRS national Judicial and Ethics Committee. Then a full inquiry is held into the matter and if the accused is found culpable, he/she may be sanctioned by the Society. Penalties can range as high as expulsion from the Society.

The complaint mechanism below is open to members of the public and to members of the CPRS.

How to make a complaint

To make a complaint, please e-mail or write a letter to the Vancouver chapter president. You will find the name, e-mail address and postal address of the current president on this page.

Please ensure you cover in your e-mail or letter the following points:

• Your full name. (We cannot act on anonymous complaints.)
• Your preferred e-mail address
• Your full postal address
• Your daytime phone number
• Name of the member about whom you are complaining
• The specific paragraph or paragraphs of the Code of Professional Standards that you believe the member has breached
• A detailed explanation of the complaint and of the facts and circumstances that led to your complaint. (Please give plenty of detail, including dates, times, any discussions you had with the member, etc.)
• An explanation of exactly why you believe the member has violated the specified paragraph or paragraphs of the Code, and, in your view, how the member violated it.
• As well, please give an explanation of what impact the member's action, or lack of action, had on you.

You will soon receive an acknowledgment of your complaint from the chapter's Judicial and Ethics Chair. During the investigation, this person will get back to you to discuss your complaint and the details. This may happen more than once.

Later, the Judicial and Ethics Chair will advise you of the outcome of the investigation.