Proposed changes to By-law No. 60 regarding annual registration fee

I don't think there should be increase

Do not change annual registration fee amount. That is a significant increase and does not seem reasonable or affordable.

I don't agree with this fee increase. Other professions who pay higher fees are all professions who are paid higher than we are. I don't think its appropriate for our fee to be increased by this excessive amount because the college is not able to budget properly. If there is an increase, we should know exactly how this extra money us going to be used, and how it benefits us as members.

This is a very very steep increase at nearly 30%. This is excessively more than our pay raise. What are you doing to reduce financial strain on your end? For example, finding a cheaper office. This is unacceptable

I have several thoughts regarding the proposed 36% increase to our annual fees. First: you pointed out where our fees sit in comparison to other regulatory organizations. That comparison is of no relevance. The only reason to increase fees is as a last resort, not what others may or may not be doing. Secondly: We're all being hit with the ongoing affordability crisis and I have difficulty paying 36% more yearly to an organization that sits in an office on University Avenue. Was relocating to a less expensive location considered as well? Third: Was a graduated increase considered, rather than this outrageous 36%? Four: My final comment is an objection to the increase based on principle. If your goals to 2028 require this large an increase, rather than put the burden on Technologists, I suggest you modify your goals as this is a very unreasonable, offensive increase to our mandatory licensing fees, which we are not reimbursed for.

A number of my young colleagues and I already struggle to handle the current CMRITO fees as we have just started working. Some of us have not found fulltime work even then. Any increase in the fees will unsustainable for those of us seeking a long-lasting career as an MRT. This CMRITO seeks to protect the public but all this change will encourage is young and future MRTs to seek careers elsewhere. The public will ultimately deal with the health care shortage.

You state that the new registration fee would be lower than many other regulatory colleges. However, you do not list average/expected salary for those in other regulatory colleges. I think listing this would greatly change perception. In your description, you list “financial goals in 2028” and “long-term stability of the college”. What does this mean? These goals should be listed. Long-term stability could mean many things. This is too generic and not enough information to make a reasonable decision. Is this additional money simply going to the salary of the executive level employees? What will it be used for specifically. According to the 2023 financial report, the college made an excess of about $212,000. Instead of trying to take more money from your members, who were originally left out of pandemic pay, are not appreciated by the government and hospitals they work for and who are leaving the profession at an alarming rate, perhaps you should instead look at ways to cut operating costs. Although computer software is expensive, maybe it will cost less than renting office space, for example. It should be your responsibility to do more with less, the same way we are expected to while working. Increasing the rates for members should be the ABSOLUTE last option. We have a massive RETENTION problem in our profession. We are seeing staff shortages across the country and this is another expense that some people simply can’t afford. I would seriously consider the impact this could have to the profession and to your own PR as an organization. Lastly, offer payment plans. Lump sum payments are outdated and not feasible. They don’t have to be perfect but even quartly payments might help people make ends meet for the month. If you have to change your own financial structure to accommodate, then so be it. It would probably be welcomed by majority of the members. Thank you for your time.

Too expensive. That’s a paycheque for some people. The hospital should cover the new amount. Why is your budget our problem.

I do NOT believe that our fees should be increased. There are no justifications for this increase. All other professions listed make way more money than us. The ones that are on par salary wise have lower fees. I believe that our fees are raising due to lack of technologists which should not be on us. You should have been able to manage your money better.

I am appalled that you are trying to raise our membership fee by so much. $531 is already a lot to pay. $726 a year just to be able to work? That’s insane! How much do nurses, MLTs and other health care professionals pay for their yearly fees? Nowhere near the amount we pay before you even hike up the cost. What financial goals are going to be met by this? What do you even use our hard earned money for? The number of working imaging technologists in Ontario multiplied by $470 should already provide you with ample financial resources. My input is that this is an absurd amount to increase our membership fee, and it should absolutely not happen.

A 30% increase is outrageous when most of us got 1-2% raises this year because of the government. We can barely afford groceries for our families. Get the money you need from Doug Ford.

HAHAHAHAHHA NO!

The sudden drastic change to the annual fee is ridiculous! Increasing it by $173 (36.8%) is outrageous. Has the council considered moving offices to somewhere cheaper? How is it acceptable to increase our annual fees by 36%, but our salary increase was not of the same magnitude?

This is nearly a 30% increase since 2011. In that time my wage has not increased by that much. If an increase is required it should be reflective of the wage increase that it's members have recieved. I vote against this increase.

We are spread so thin right now and scrambling to cover positions/working short. Are you trying tomake people leave the profession???

As an ultrasound tech we already have a nation wide certification we need to uphold with sonography Canada that is recognized across the country, I do not understand why we are made to pay twice the fee for filling out the same continuing education through two regulatory companies, I understand increasing this fee would be practical for the company, as increasing fees always are, but as a tech our pay has not increased and often times won’t, that being said what must be done must be done but I am against the mandatory registration if I am already registered with a recognized body as an ultrasound technologist

If this is an organization that is to the benefit of the public/government, could this be subsidized by the public/government in some capacity? If there are members who are found guilty of malpractice, they should pay a higher fee to help subsidize your costs. Is this an option?

In principle, I am OK with the price increase as long as it matches inflation rates. A rough calculation reveals that this increase is of about 36%, which is much higher than inflationary rates. If the College wishes to have a better financial position, it should look at other resources and ideas. For example, council and committee members may not get paid on honorary fee since the College is a nonprofit and positions are volunteer. Another solution is to increase both the application and assessment fee for proposed registrar. Yet another worthwhile avenue to consider is the rent at the current location, especially since most of the staff work remotely. I suspect that this would provide some saves in finances. The table that has been provided is informative and important in this scenario. However, it should be noted that the rate of registration for nurses is lower than the current rate for the CMRITO . The professions that pay more on an annual basis for the registration also have a higher salary.

This is way too large of an increase to be able to expect people to pay.

We already pay way too much. Not everyone works at a hospital making "decent" money. Some work for private companies that don't pay well enough. In my city, hospitals make $15-$20 more per hour than private clinics. There seems to be a staff shortage in our field and increasing the fees aren't going to help with that shortage.