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

I am strongly disagree with raising annual CMRTI fee. With a high inflation right now it’s very hard to keep up with all theses costs.

I disagree with increasing CMRITO annual registration fee. In last ten years sonogragher's salary hasn't changed but price of living keeps going up.

Upon receiving an email from CMRITO, I was not surprised by the proposed change to By-Law No. 60 given that the fees have been unchanged for so many years. However, increasing our fees 37% in the current state of our economy with families struggling to afford food, housing, and basic needs is absurd. In addition to our CMRITO fees, as a registered cardiac sonographer, we are also responsible for annual fees to Sonography Canada as well as Professional Liability Insurance. With this increase our annual fees will surpass $1000.00 after tax. Annual fees for Registered Nurses whom make similar salary to sonographers are a third of that at around $400. It is also upsetting to hear of this increase in fees with lack of transparency or justification. The CMRITO does not offer any benefits to registrants or assistance in obtaining CPED credits which are often an additional cost to attend conferences, seminars, etc. to reach the annual requirements. As a young sonographer trying to start a career and life for myself, this increase in fee is just another hindrance to the possibility of a life of financial stability.

This is alot of fee for holding a registration. Why does CMRITO & other Canadians bodies charge double for their exams & their registrations as compared to ARDMS. I totally disagree with this increase in the fee.

I am against the increase in fees. It is already too high. It should be decreased if possible. Thank you.

Pree Tyagi
Registrar and CEO
College of Medical Radiation and Imaging Technologists of Ontario
pree.tyagi@cmrito.org

October 4, 2024

RE: Consultation regarding proposed CMRITO annual registration fee increase

Dear Pree,

CAMRT has been receiving feedback from members and following conversations online from MRTs about the proposed annual registration fee increase from the College of Medical Radiation and Imaging Technologists of Ontario (CMRITO). A recurring theme of the messages from members is frustration about the sizeable increase of fees in the span of a single year.

CAMRT has encouraged concerned Ontario members to take part in the CMRITO’s formal consultation process so that their particular concerns are known and considered, and we will continue to share any feedback we receive from members with CMRITO as well.

CAMRT would like to commend CMRITO for the ongoing consultation efforts being undertaken. Based on our lengthy experience with CMRITO and its consultation processes, we know that there is a genuine commitment to considering all perspectives and are confident the feedback received will be taken very seriously. We believe the process of consultation and information sharing is very important and will help MRTs to feel their voices are heard and better understand the future financial decisions being made by CMRITO.

Yours sincerely,

Karen Morrison
Interim CEO
CAMRT

October 4, 2024

Pree Tyagi
Registrar & CEO
College of Medical Radiation and Imaging Technologists of Ontario (CMRITO)
By Email: pree.tyagi@cmrito.org

Dear Ms. Tyagi,

On behalf of Sonography Canada, I am writing to acknowledge the recent communications regarding the proposed increase to the College of Medical Radiation and Imaging Technologists of Ontario’s annual registration fee. We appreciate the transparency in sharing the detailed rationale behind the proposal, including the financial review and considerations made by the Finance & Audit Committee and Council.

We trust that the review process undertaken by your organization was thorough and well-considered. Sonography Canada recognizes the need for sustainable fiscal management to ensure consistent and responsible governance and operations of the regulatory body for these important professions. As the voice of diagnostic medical sonographers across the country with several thousand members in Ontario, we fully comprehend the importance of ensuring that the regulatory body is financially sound and capable of fulfilling its mandate of protecting the public.

We respectfully encourage the CMRITO Council to review the considerable feedback provided by its registrants during the consultation period, recognizing the value of their input in shaping a solution that is balanced and fair. We are confident that all perspectives, when carefully reviewed, can provide meaningful insights and contribute to the decision-making process.

Sonography Canada remains committed to supporting the interests of our members in Ontario. As always, we welcome any opportunity to engage with CMRITO in a consultative capacity. We believe that open dialogue and collaboration between our two organizations is beneficial as we work towards our common goal of ensuring that sonographers continue to deliver safe, effective, high-quality and ethical patient care.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to continuing a positive and collaborative relationship with the CMRITO, and we remain available to offer any support that may be needed as this process moves forward.

Sincerely,

Susan Clarke, MBA
Executive Director, Sonography Canada

This is an increase of 136% for your financial sustainability. How come you need to do such a big jump in our fees. Why your financial situation was not address earlier. We need more transparency of why the college is in this situation now. I am completely against such a big increase.

I do not agree with increase to our annual fees. Absolutely absurd that this is even being considered.

As an occasional technologist, this is a huge increase, not sure why the Medical Lab Techs and Nurses can pay $340 but CMRITO feels the need to more than double our fee. I will not be renewing my membership and take permanent retirement if this goes through. At a time when there is suppose to be a shortage of technologist this seems to be very short-sighted. Where does all our fees go now? This organization is there only to protect the public not the technologist. I would still have to pay for liability insurance above this fee. Seems to me this organization is out of touch. Those of us working in clinics for the most part are no making what our counterparts are making working in hospitals.

as a registrant of CMRITO I disagree with such fee increase. this does not consider interests of the members. the jump is unreasonably high.

This news is extremely disappointing. We have been working extremely short staffed in the years following COVID as there is a Human Resources crisis in Ontario. This is not encouraging MRT to stay within the healthcare domain and will in fact push those closer to retirement out the door. We all have our own financial goals to achieve. It is clear after the pandemic that people do not know who we are or what we do and all of the combined is extremely disheartening. A sudden increase in dues of this magnitude does not make sense and should be done if absolutely requires in smaller increments. We have all had to make sacrifices financially and maybe the college should look at potential ways to do this also if not already done. Our fight for slight wage increases does not meet inflation and this just adds to the duress we all have felt for the last 4 years. I am saddened to say that over the last few years I have considered alternate employment opportunities outside of this field .

This is a significant increase. I have been and MRT for a long time and I have yet to see where all of this money is being allocated. Our fees are higher than nurses which I find outrageous. LEAVE THE FEES AS IS

As a sonography student who will be joining this cooperation in the summer of 2024, I do not feel as though it is fair to increase the fees by $173. I feel as though this hike in price is outrageous since the only thing you provide is a portal for patients to complain about us. The cost of living is already at a peak, and adding this amount annually will have a very negative impact on your members. Please reconsider this increase and how it will impact the members and the community. We all understand that times are hard for everyone, however we are no exception and should not be held accountable to help others when we are struggling just as much

This is a big NO for me. Healthcare workers are already leaving in high numbers since the pandemic and this is not helping keeping us in this field of work. Our salaries do not reflect what they should be with the inflation rates since the pandemic. Please consider finding a less expensive head office for CMRITO. There’s no need for it to be right in Toronto. Thank you.

“Registrants also need to appreciate that the College cannot break its office lease without incurring significant liability. The College has been making efforts to sublet its space, however, with vacancy rates currently at 60%, this has not yet been successful. The College has moved to being a completely virtual workplace and is not planning any future office lease costs after the expiry of the current lease.” So you have transitioned to being a completely virtual workplace, yet you have committed to a 10 year lease that doesn’t expire until the end of 2029 at the cost of over $400,000 per year (which will end up being $2,459,901 for 2024-2029). Is that why you felt the need to raise our fees so much? To cover this huge waste of money? This situation suggests a concerning level of financial mismanagement.

In your meeting on October 9, actually read some of the heartfelt comments of the CMRITO regisrtrants out loud. The proposed changes in fees indicate a disconnect from the reality of living on the part of whoever proposed a fee increase in the first place. In your meeting, review how much a technologist must sacrifice to be able to provide health care for patients. What mental and physical tolls are technologists required to deal with on a regular basis as part of their service? Explain what you think your fee increase will do to the physical and mental burdens so many members must be dealing with already. The money is a significant part of the issue. The lack of empathy towards technologists is the other part.

Increasing registration fees by CMRITO seems to reflect a profound disconnect from the realities Sonographers face. It's almost laughable that, while our wages have stagnated for years, the organization feels justified in imposing higher fees on those of us living paycheck to paycheck—many of us are even juggling second jobs just to make ends meet. It’s frustrating how we’re expected to keep paying for a system that offers so little in return, especially while professions like nursing get ample advocacy, support and competitive wages. Given the current shortage of Sonographers, perhaps it’s time CMRITO reassesses its priorities, and what it has to offer us sonographers, instead of piling on more financial burdens. You need to stop using us as a means to achieve your financial goals when you haven’t even tried to ensure we receive fair compensation that aligns with industry standards, like other organizations do for their workers. Absolutely Ridiculous!

Good morning, I hope all is well. I'm sending an email in response to the suggested increase in fees. It has been challenging times since covid while recruitment and retention being at the forefront of most cancer centers. Such a steep increase would be possibly detrimental to efforts to retain staff. I do understand the need of some increase though. Is there any thought of implementing an option of monthly payments which would make it easier for many of us and having such an increase be a little more palatable. Speaking with colleagues, this would also be an option that they would prefer. Thanks for your time,

Absolutely atrocious increase in fees. We pay more than nurses who perform higher risk procedures daily. While inflation everywhere has gone up, an increase this high is absurd. How is the CMRITO not making other changes to account for their spendages? Moving your office from a busy downtown Toronto area to a lower cost area for starters. There are countless ways they can reduce their impact without increasing fees astronomically.