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

A near 45% increase is extortion! This is the most ridiculous proposal I have ever heard. How badly has the CMIRTO mismanaged itself to justify such an increase. I’m completely against this suggested increase.

I feel that as medical radiation technologists we are being already overcharged for not just college fees but everything. Parking fees, union fees , everywhere is raising prices. With our union, they haven’t even reached an agreement for our contract. We still haven’t received enough of an increase to compensate for these increases pounding us from all sides. Further, the college doesn’t do anything for us. You work against us. If increases are done, maybe it would be nice if you could actually work with us. Your quality insurance program only gives us headaches on top of the already short staff situations. Patients are already overwhelmed and do not need or want to do surveys. You should review those who have formal complaints with managers instead. Isn’t it enough we complete our 25 hours of education. I wouldn’t mind submitting that every year.

A 37% increase is exorbitant, especially for those of us doing xray casually. What is the reason for such a dramatic increase? Perhaps should be introduced slowly over a few years.

I appreciate the effort and thought that went into the proposed idea; however, I must express my disapproval. The financial implications appear unsustainable with our current wage and salary. Therefore, I cannot endorse this proposal in its current form. Thank you for your understanding.

It would be too expensive

We, as registered technologists, did NOT want this college. This college does absolutely nothing for us as technologists, other than provide an avenue for the public to file complaints. Furthermore, as sonographers, many of us are required to maintain Sonography Canada & ARDMS credentials ontop of CMRITO, so no, maintaining our credentials is not less expensive than 22 of the other 25 regulated health professions. Do better.

37% increase? Preposterous. I would like to see a table of all of the Regulated Health Professions and their annual salary compared to MRTs. The only proposed increase identified is Pyschotherapists with a $28.00 increase. That is reasonable. If one of the reasons for increasing the dues is because the registration base has grown, hasn't the amount of dues collected grown as well? Ridiculous. If $470.00 was good since 2011, why the sudden dramatic increase. Haven't MRTs been through enough?

I don't find this proposal acceptable at all. Given that Ontario already pays the highest annual registration fee in Canada, and that our salary is among the lowest in Canada it is not acceptable to propose a 36% increase in our fees. It is hard enough to maintain our staffing numbers, and every little bit counts against us when potential staff are considering the cost of living in Ontario. If the annual registration fee increases, and is totally incongruent with our compensation, it will only serve as an incentive for potential hires to look to other provinces for work first. We also don't benefit from this increase in our wage. There are no added benefits such as education credits or liability insurance that is included with this fee. Comparatively as a percentage of our yearly salary (average) we would be paying anywhere from double to triple that of other provinces. It simply does not make sense. I believe that the college should seek other options to maintain their financial stability before increasing it's annual fee, especially by such a dramatic amount. I'm sure there are other ways to reduce expenses/expenditure within the organization before we strain an already struggling working class of people.

I’m against the increase. The fees are already huge.

This is ridiculous. Tell me specifically what this money is being used for aside from just stating financial sustainability.

You want to take $173 more from our pay-checks that go to feeding, housing and clothing our families in an economy that is hard enough to pay for necessities we need. It may not seem like a lot to you, but to us it is a week of groceries, a couple weeks of gas or a monthly bill to keep the lights on.

I cannot afford to pay this fee. With the economy being tough and our salaries remaining the same despite our expertise and professional career this is not fair on us. As a sonographer we are also ready also paying sonography canada fee. This is unfair to maintain our license. Our hourly rate pay has not increased and paying two registrations body to keep our license and to have to keep up with credits every year is a lot of load for us. And this is not fair.

We had so many additional registrants with ultrasound joining our college. The fee should be going down not up. We already pay more than other colleges because we are a smaller number (ie. ONA). This is a 30% increase while we have only had the minimal “cost of living raise” which doesn’t even cover inflation. The college was not able to secure us pandemic pay and yet we are being asked to pay more? What is the additional fee covering for us as technologists?

I would like to express our deep concern regarding the proposed 25% increase in membership fees by CMRITO. For several years, our wages have risen by no more than 3% annually, while the current inflation rate stands at 8%. In this context, a sudden 25% hike feels not only disproportionate but also burdensome to members who are already navigating rising living costs. This is not a modest 3-4% adjustment over time—it’s a significant increase that risks undermining the trust and confidence of members across the board. Such a drastic change, implemented without a clear and transparent rationale, raises serious questions about the fairness and necessity of this decision. In light of these concerns, we strongly urge CMRITO to provide a transparent financial review and request an external audit from the appropriate government authorities to justify this unprecedented fee hike. We believe this is a matter of fairness and accountability to all members, and we hope our voices will be heard.

This is very discouraging and outrageous. Nurses don't pay as much in registration fees as we do. Also, several years ago when sonographers were added and became registered with CMRITO, there was no reduction in fees. With more individuals added and no lowering of fees, there should have been a huge amount of money added. There is no need to raise the fees this high. That is just wrong. In addition, during the pandemic, there was not enough advocacy for us from the college. What is all of this money being used for?

This is a massive increase in fees that is being proposed. There certainly must be another way to spread this cost across the organization and not offload it entirely to the MRITS. In this economy an increase of this size sends a message to us that we are not valued and if we are unable to meet this growing financial demand of us that it is okay to lose professionals to another line of work. I am not sure what service or change we as sonographers have been notified of to justify such a large-scale commitment to CMRITO, except that we are at your mercy. I hope you would reconsider and be resourceful enough to see what number would actually be appropriate and right for MRITS. This is very discouraging to us as we come out of the pandemic, being overworked, subjected to high risk with minimal to no support. It makes me reconsider what I am doing as a professional.

This is RIDICULOUS. The fees as they are are too much… what is being proposed is ASTRONOMICAL. I dont know any healthcare profession that makes a similar wage to us with fees like this. People cannot afford this. This needs to STOP!!! Unless we are going to get a wage increase of 36% DO NOT make our fees 36% higher!!!!

A 50% increase in fees is an unbelievable hike. It would be helpful to see a breakdown of how the proposed increase in fees would be spent and how it would benefit members

This raise is too dramatic and should be prohibited. When costs are at an all time for Ontarians, now is not the time to ensure financial stability for the college, it’s the time to ensure your members are not financially tapped. I’ve already encountered coworkers who haven’t been able to pay their dues due to financial instability.

Dear CMRITO, I strongly disagree with the proposed increase in annual fees for several reasons: 1. **Membership Growth**: With the growing number of members, the fees should be reduced, not increased. This aligns with how other regulatory bodies, like the nursing college, have managed their fees. More members should mean that the costs are distributed more broadly, benefiting everyone. 2. **Additional Expenses**: CMRITO members are already required to obtain liability insurance and training from external parties, unlike other regulatory bodies, such as the Quebec College OTIMROEMPQ, which include these in their fees. There’s no clear justification for the fee increase when members are expected to bear these additional expenses. 3. **Financial Burden on Part-Time/Casual Workers**: The proposed amount is excessive, especially for those working part-time or casually. It disproportionately impacts individuals who do not have a full-time income to support such an increase. In light of this, I suggest the following alternatives: 1. **Two-Tier System**: Implement a fairer two-tier fee structure that accommodates part-time and casual workers, so they are not unfairly burdened by the same fee as full-time members. 2. **Office Relocation**: Consider relocating the main office to a location outside of the main city to reduce rental costs. This could help in lowering the fees for members. 3. **Explore Other Cost-Saving Measures**: Given the impact of inflation on all healthcare workers, CMRITO should explore other cost-saving strategies instead of increasing fees, to ensure fairness and affordability. Thank you for considering these points.