CRPNA Registrants: Frequently Asked Questions

New for the 2026-27 College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Alberta (CRPNA) registration period, all practicing RPNs in Alberta will be required to register as a beneficiary with the Canadian Nurses Protective Society (CNPS) as a condition of licensure, to meet the new professional liability protection (PLP) requirement.

When you complete your CRPNA registration or registration renewal, you will be asked if you have completed your CNPS registration for the corresponding period.

• If you click on the ‘Confirm CNPS PLP’ button, the CRPNA will automatically validate that your CNPS registration is complete so that you may complete the CRPNA registration process.
• If you cannot confirm that you are registered for CNPS PLP, you will be redirected to the CNPS to first complete your CNPS PLP and Core Services registration.

You will be required to complete your 2026-27 CRPNA registration or registration renewal and your CNPS registration for the corresponding period by April 30, 2026.

The registration steps are below. It is recommended to complete your CNPS Professional Liability Protection (PLP) registration before proceeding with your CRPNA license registration/renewal. It is also helpful to have both the CNPS and the CRPNA registration windows open during this process.

Step 1: Create your MyCNPS account by visiting my.cnps.ca and following the steps.

Step 2: Complete your CNPS PLP and Core Services registration/renewal by following the prompts on the MyCNPS portal. Please note that the Supplementary Protection program remains an optional, additional service. Supplementary Protection is not required to complete CRPNA registration. Only CNPS PLP and Core Services is required to meet the new CRPNA PLP requirement. 

Step 3: Proceed to the CRPNA website and complete your license registration/renewal.

If you need help to register on the MyCNPS portal, visit the CNPS’ General FAQ page or Contact Us.

*Please note: If you have already registered with the CNPS as an individual beneficiary for the 2026 registration year, please see the relevant information below. 

No, you can activate your MyCNPS account at any time. If you are planning to register for or renew your license with CRPNA this year, we encourage you to visit the MyCNPS portal early and go through the steps to activate your account. If you need additional information or assistance, you can visit the CNPS General FAQ page or Contact Us.  

The 2026 CNPS PLP and Core Services base fee for RPNs in Alberta is $68 with a $25 transitional fee (plus GST). The CNPS reassesses base fees on an annual basis.

The $25 transitional fee will extend your eligibility for CNPS PLP to legal proceedings that may arise from care provided before May 1, 2026, at the levels consistent with legal requirements in place at the time (i.e. up to $2 million per claim). This is important because legal proceedings can be commenced several years after nursing care has been provided. The transitional fee of $25 will be added to the base fee for the next five years, but the retroactive protection associated with that fee will remain beyond those five years.

No. CRPNA will validate with the CNPS in real time during the license renewal process that your CNPS registration is complete. CRPNA and CNPS have worked to integrate the two registration systems to provide a rapid, secure and convenient approach to verify that you have met the PLP requirement. You will not be required to provide separate evidence of your CNPS registration.

No. The CNPS will automatically extend your registration to May 31, 2027, and will confirm your status as a CNPS beneficiary during the verification process when you complete your CRPNA registration renewal. There will be no additional fee and no reimbursement of the fee already paid. 

Yes. It will not be necessary for RPNs in Alberta to obtain additional professional liability protection (PLP) to meet CRPNA’s PLP requirement. Please note that RPNs in independent practice should still consult with an insurance broker to ensure that they have in place the necessary commercial business insurance appropriate to their business model.  

If you have questions about CNPS PLP and Core Services, CNPS provides support to beneficiaries and can be contacted for assistance. Please use the Contact Us form or call us at 1-800-267-3390. Additionally, you can consult the CNPS General FAQ page for more information. 

CNPS beneficiaries are expected to report to the CNPS involvement in a legal proceeding, or a report, or complaint to their nursing regulator immediately after being notified and before taking any other action. This helps CNPS protect beneficiaries’ interests and respond within timelines that could be short.

The Canadian Nurses Protective Society (CNPS) has been the professional liability protection provider of choice for many regulators (as well as registered nurses and nurse practitioners in most Canadian provinces and territories) since 1988. The CNPS is a not-for-profit society providing legal advice, risk management services, legal assistance and professional liability protection related to nursing practice to over 175,000 Canadian nurses across all Canadian provinces and territories.

As a discretionary legal support system created by nurses, for nurses, the CNPS is known to provide one of the broadest scopes of professional liability protection. We know that your practice is constantly evolving. That is why our scope of protection grows with it and why we offer legal and risk management advice to support your practice and promote safe patient care, along with a variety of continuing education opportunities. The CNPS may also use its discretion to assist in a broader range of circumstances to both protect the public and the integrity of your nursing practice, including in some of the unusual and unpredictable circumstances that can arise.

We encourage you to think of the CNPS as a legal resource in your day-to-day practice! To learn more about CNPS PLP and Core Services, please visit https://cnps.ca/services/plp-core/.