Proposed changes to CMRITO fees

Unfortunately as a IHF employee, I do not receive any cost of living wage increases. As a matter of fact, I can't remember the last time I had a raise. I also don't get paid for sick time over 2 days per year! It is becoming increasingly difficult to "afford" to work!!!!

It is not necessary and completely unacceptable. We already pay too much.

I do not agree with the increase registration fee. I work only two days a week, and I am already paying for ARDMS, the Echo Society, CMRITO, and Sonography Canada.

I prefer the fees did not change as they are already very high, especially compared to other professions. In addition, we have to pay for Sonography Canada fees every year as well and all of these necessary fees add up.

I find this new proposition to be very tone-deaf from CMRITO. The issue last time this was approached was how high CMRITO wanted to spike our fees. CMRITO then put it on pause to re-evaluate and came back to hard working technologists still wanting to do the exact same price jump but now it’s spaced out over a short timespan of three years. While I can understand a fee increase to support the organization, jumping from our $470 fee to $643 in the span of three years is absurd. We are in a cost of living CRISIS and CMRITO’s insensitivity to their MRTs is highly noted. In the fact sheet provided, CMRITO gives us a chart of other professionals' fees which is skewed to only compare us to professionals that have a higher salary. My fees SHOULD be lower than surgeons, I don’t know why we are even being compared in the same chart. Where’d the chart go that was provided last time in the fall that had a better comparison of professions of similar salaries? Wasn’t helping CMRITO’s case to show us other professions that make similar salaries with low fees while trying to hike up fees? This new proposition comes off very biased and untrustworthy. MRT salaries can vary depending on where they work (clinic vs hospital) and this spike may be crippling to some. Think of the new starting technologists trying to get a start in life and just trying to keep a roof over their heads living paycheck to paycheck. It’s very disheartening how little CMRITO seems to care for their technologists. MRTs are essential and crucial to peoples health and wellbeing and we should get more respect than this. CMRITO is going to scare away people from becoming MRTs and is going to push current MRTs out of the profession. CMRITO is going to add to the shortage of healthcare professionals in an already struggling system. Please put this proposition back to the drawing board. This drastic fee increase should not happen.

I have a few comments. 1. I understand that costs rise, for everyone. I’m not opposed to a fee increase but I think the proposed increase is inflated. The reason that “I think” this is the lack of transparency with how the funds you do collect are spent. There are approximately 12,000 members. At the current rate that is about 5 ½ million dollars per year. You provide some year-end reports that can be referenced for this, but the information lacks any sort of detail. For example from the 2022 to the 2023 year-end report there was an increase in human resource expenses of $491,000. Was there an increase in the number of staff members that supports almost a half million dollars per year, were these raises? How many staff members are there? Should there be transparency in their wages for members? There is no explanation for it. There was $220,000 spent on “committee meetings”. Is there a way to be more fiscally responsible with that cost? I feel that detailed accountability for member’s fees and more transparency would make me more comfortable with any proposed increase. 2. The numbers you present are misleading. Why are you tracking back to 2011 for data? Sonographers became regulated in 2018, data prior to this is almost irrelevant due to the influx of new members. In one category you quote an increase of 403% since 2011! This is ridiculous! Why not go back to 1985, maybe you could bump that to a 1000% increase. Stop trying to be misleading and just be real. 3. I have a big problem with the proposed “yearly increase” going forward. Depending on the current rate it could mean $15.00 or $25.00 a year, so over 4 years that could mean our fees are up by another $100.00! Please reconsider this plan. Respectfully submitted.