Proposed changes to CMRITO fees

Unacceptable. We are paying a higher increase to a body that essentially doesn't even govern or put in the work. We have to do all the work for investigations into public claims that have no basis in fact. Why even have a college?

The amount we pay compared to other professions is insane for the amount and what we actually get from it. Other professions such as nurses pay a fee and they get support from them. We are not getting any support the main concern is the publics safety, so why isn't another entity paying the extra. There are more people registering and yet the fees are going up. Why are they going up so much? You can say the cost of living is more, but then it is not reflected in our wage. Why not instead of upping the price, start looking internally at who is getting paid all this extra money. There are many companies that look internally and see if people within the company are pulling their weight. Also echo techs in other provinces do not need a governing body within the province they use Sonography Canada or ARDMS, so why in Ontario do we? Why can't we just have our Sonography Canada or ARDMS.

I continue to disagree with these proposed changes. The statement says it has not increased their prices since 2011. It also says the registrants have grown 80%. This alone seems to be sufficient to cover the costs of what is taking place behind the scenes. I do however fail to see what the benefit is to belonging to CMRITO as an echo tech. Besides continuing education which we were already doing with Sonography Canada, there is no benefit to the tech what so ever. Each other province does not have this governing body. I also would like to understand why the fees are the same for everyone. I am a casual tech, not working full time and paying the same as a full time tech. You say in a few years there will be an increase to cost of living, but we are not being compensated likewise with an hourly wage that would make up for the difference of this increase. Any other bill that is this large, I would be cautious about paying as a casual tech because my paycheck and money is going towards other things that are beneficial to living. Mortgage, braces, car maintenance, property taxes. These all give me something in return. I know of no other healthcare careers that pay this much to their governing bodies. At some point it is hard to afford what you are asking as the rest of life is so costly.

I think that the timing is bad... with a recession looming, tariffs implemented it is not a thoughtful time for having to pay more out of pocket for registration, when already we pay a lot of money yearly.

I am very against this increase as I do not personally believe it is necessary. The annual revenue of this college is projected to be $5.9 million dollars, and you are still yet facing a deficit of half a million. That is concerning! Why does the college need so much money? Cut down positions and salaries - robbing your registrants is NOT the way to go. Between cost of living going up, and our salaries still not matching up to it - paying more for the college is unnecessary.

I understand that the cost of everything has increased, but I find it hard to believe that you need an additional ~$200 from each member of the College to cover costs. Surely there is a more reasonable number that could be used to achieve the finances you are requiring without having such a large increase in fee

As a sonographer we already pay 75% of the cost that a pharmacist pays to be regulated in Ontario ($635/yr) and don't make nearly as much as pharmacists. I understand that CMRITO's job is to protect the public, but we are a publicly funded profession. In addition if we want to hold personal liability insurance many of us are members of Sonography Canada on top of CMRITO where including insurance I pay $320/year. If CMRITO wants to protect the public it should amalgamate with Sonography Canada so that we at least are licensed through the same agency and don't pay these ludicrous fees which amount to almost $900!!!! DOLLARS PER YEAR. I am stunned at how much these fees are. Somehow in the US to be a registered sonographer through ARDMS I pay $94 per year. I'm not sure what the hell you guys are doing with your $531 per year, but, maybe some internal financial auditing would help or subsidizing some of this through the government so that middle class workers don't get completely screwed when life is already insanely expensive.

No. You need to post the salaries of every employee at CMRITO. The 2023 financials show HR cost and salaries close to $4,000,000. Last count maybe 30 staff. This is an avg of $133,333 per person in HR costs. And isn't it wonderful that those of us without HOOPP pensions get to pay for your HOOPP pensions? This money comes from us. Enough is enough!

I think I suggested this in November. There needs to be a forensic audit. Something here is not adding up.

Proposing this fee increase at this time is astonishing in its tone deaf ignorance. People are barely keeping their noses above water financially and you (*) float this brain dead proposal? Everyone has had to drastically tighten their belts to survive the last several years, and CMRITO should be doing the same! Live with what you're currently soaking us for! We get next to zero value for the money we are forced to pay you. If you go ahead with this, you will trigger a massive revolt. Many people will NOT pay, me included. You'll push people into retirement, people will change professions and move to other, more reasonable jurisdictions. The so called Financial Committee that had the audacity and (*) to propose this should be disassembled immediately as they are clearly (*). *this comment has been edited to comply with the CMRITO's Social Media Policy.

Vote NO. Our fees are already some of the highest of all regulated health care professionals. Yes, there is a large influx of registrants, but you are also gaining 80% more registration fees (which are very high as previously stated.) It is all relative.

You need to stop comparing our fees to dental surgeons and psychotherapists, it’s absolutely ridiculous. Here is a summary of the fees for each province as listed in the Canadian Comparison Chart of Regulators and Associations for Medical Radiation and Imaging Technologists: British Columbia: $285, Alberta: $450, Saskatchewan: $425, Manitoba: $285, Quebec: $505, New Brunswick: $215, Nova Scotia: $450, Prince Edward Island: $350, Newfoundland and Labrador: $285, and Ontario’s proposed fee is $615.85 with taxes, and increases to $727 in two years! Unbelievable. Decrease your spending and manage your money better instead of increasing our fees.

I strongly oppose the proposed fee increases. The current fees are already excessive for the limited services provided—no liability insurance, no advocacy and no support for workplace issues. Key concerns: 1. An 80% growth in registrants since 2011 should mean more revenue, not higher fees. 2. Salaries haven’t kept pace with inflation, yet CMRITO adds a cost-of-living increase. 3. Fees are higher than nursing, yet we earn less and get far fewer benefits. 4. Why operate in Toronto’s expensive core if it drives up fees? CMRITO must halt increases until it can prove how funds will directly benefit members. Transparency and fiscal responsibility are overdue.

As a regulator of medical radiation and imaging professionals in Saskatchewan, CMRIPS is fully supportive of the proposed phased in approach to the fee increases. The need for an increase is well substantiated and is necessary to fulfill the public protection mandate of your college.

I understand that our fees need to be increased every so many years to keep up with inflation. I don’t think there should be annual increases though. You say the amount of members has increased by 80%. I understand this increase requires more staff at CMRITO, however, the fees these new members are paying should offset the additional costs to some degree. I would much rather have a set percentage it will be increased every 5 years. Annual increases is a lot to ask of your members. The price we currently pay is already a lot in my opinion.

I believe that the annual renewal fee that the CMRITO already charges its members is grossly overpriced compared to other counterparts. For example, the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) charges $125US for annual renewal, which includes 17 continuing education credits (according to their website). The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) will charge a flat fee of $65US for annual renewal starting in 2026 (according to their website). In comparison, the CMRITO charges $531.10 CAD (after taxes) for annual renewal - almost double the amount of the ASRT and the ARRT combined, even after accounting for the different currencies. In addition, the fee the CMRITO charges for annual renewal does not include any sort of credits towards continuing education. Why is there such a large discrepancy between the Canadian and American counterparts? Do the American regulatory bodies provide less of a service than the CMRITO? The CMRITO purports that "number of registrants has grown by 80%, and the work associated with regulating the profession has grown considerably in volume and complexity." However, wouldn't the increase in the number of registrants mean that the CMRITO is getting more money from the increased annual renewal fees from said registrants? How can you justify increasing the annual renewal fee when you are already receiving a boosted revenue from the 80% increase in registrants? I strongly disagree with the proposed changes and I personally believe it is abhorrent for the CMRITO to request an increase in the price it charges its member for annual renewal, considering how overinflated it already is.

As a member of CMRITO, I think consideration should be taken to collect fees from the public looking to submit investigations into members. I know several members that have been investigated, because of false allegations. As members, we should not have to cover your cost of living increases, or your raises. If your parties have been appointed by the provincial government, you should be seeking financial support from the government. MRTs work long hours, in difficult situations, to provide outstanding care to the public, however we are continuously over looked and over charged. Increases will be placing my total cost to practice over $1000 / year between licenses, insurance, and CMRITO fees. Please consider moving to remote jobs instead of leasing a building in the most expensive city in the province. There should be investigations into where costs can be saved before adding additional charges to your members. I do not get the choice to not be apart of your sector. We are forced to join, and are forced to pay. We do not have other options.

Please do not increase the fees, it is already hard financially with all that is going on!

I think we pay way too much as it is. We are forced to pay for this annual fee but I’m not sure what the benefits are. What to we get out of this registration??

This College is just robbing the members. Originally the fees were high because we were a smaller College needing all the same infrastructure as the larger Colleges, then the ultrasound techs were forced to join the College (we voted against this many years ago). Now with the increased numbers of members you say the College needs to increase the fees due to the increased membership, the exact opposite of what was originally said. There are much cheaper office spaces available for the College outside of Toronto and with online meetings common place there is no excuse to have the College located in such a high rent/lease area. The College needs to reduce it's costs instead of putting all this effort/money into hiring consultants and lawyers to try and justify the increased fees. The overwhelming majority of members are against any increases and instead would seek a decrease in fees. As a few have mentioned a cost of living increase, what a joke, we as members don't receive this in our pay checks. The College administrators need to look at a decrease in their wages. I insist these pay increases be put to a vote by the paying members instead of being decided by a bunch of overpaid administrators looking to line their pockets. REDUCE YOUR OVERHEAD LIKE ALL YOUR MEMBERS ARE TRYING TO DO TO STAY AFLOAT.