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

I object to this recommendation as I believe that an increase in such large amount is not reasonable for majority of the registrants. I believe that the registration fee increase does not make sense if the sonogrpaher income is also not increased to match/accomodate for extra registration fees. A minimal increase in the registration fee is justifiable and understandable but with an increase of this amount is something I do not feel is right.

This is too much money for workers to try and afford each year. We shouldn't be trying to price ourselves out of being able to maintain registration for our professions that we all value so much. How many members can actually afford to pay this large amount every year at their designated time, on top of the very increased price of living in these times. Respectfully strongly disagree.

I believe that raising the rates by 36% is absolutely outrageous. We already pay some of the highest professional fees in the country in healthcare and are also expected to pay for liability insurance on top of this. Along with these fees many of us also pay union dues. In times when health care is already struggling as are many of your members I fail to see the logic in this. Perhaps it is time for this regulatory body to seek lower costs when leasing office space and paring down other expenses before you "stick it" to your membership. I am absolutely against this fee increase and I sincerely hope that the college pays more than just lip service to these complaints.

I do not agree with the proposed increase. It is a ridiculously large increase for an already overpriced membership fee.

I am concerned about the proposed increase in the annual registration fee for CMRITO members. While I acknowledge the financial challenges faced by the College, the current proposal raises several issues that need reconsideration. 1. Financial Impact on Registrants: The proposed fee increase from $470 to $643, a 37% rise, is a significant burden, especially in today’s economic climate. Many technologists are already dealing with stagnant wages and higher living costs, making such a steep increase particularly challenging for newer or part-time professionals. 2. Comparative Analysis: Although the report notes that the proposed fee would still be lower than 21 of 25 other RHPA colleges, it overlooks the earning disparities between professions. Higher-earning professions, like dentists and physicians, cannot be compared directly with medical radiation and imaging technologists, making the justification misleading. 3. Transparency and Accountability: The 2023 Financial Report cites historical deficits and the need for increased fees but lacks detailed explanations. Breaking down the $3,924,659 allocated to human resources, including executive compensation and bonuses, would help members understand how their fees are spent and build trust. 4. Pandemic Credit: While the $90 pandemic fee credit in 2020 was appreciated, citing it as a reason for the College's financial instability is troubling. Using a one-time credit as a justification for a significant fee increase suggests a need for better financial planning. In conclusion, while financial stability is essential, the proposed fee increase is too steep and lacks adequate justification. A phased approach, cost-cutting measures, and greater transparency would better address the financial challenges faced by CMRITO members.

I am appaled that the cmrito would try and increase the fee by 37% when most of canada is struggling paycheck to paycheck because of inflation on everything. (besides our paychecks. ) Food banks are being used more and more. What does the old $470 get us, and what would the new $643 get us? Can we have a breakdown of where our money is going and being used for? Maybe include liability insurance with our fee? Or what about moving the cmrito office from downtown toronto and pay less rent. This will only lead to an increase in job vacancies (from early retirements/ people quitting) in an already struggling job market. Please reconsider raising the fee.

As a virtual organization with no real estate cost, please justify such a drastic increase for an organization consisting of thirty staff? The revenue received from the addition of sonographers to the college should have been more than sufficient to pay the salary of any new staff hired. Your website states that sonographer now represent about 36 percent of your total of 11732 registrants. Your registrants cannot afford to pay bills these days with the rising cost of inflation and you are asking for more money to fund what? Not acceptable

Absolutely not. This is a huge increase in fees, and as financial hardships are already a current issue and are on the rise for the future; we cannot afford a huge hike like this. We also don't get paid in comparison to the some of the careers you have laid out in your fees chart. Please reconsider as this is outrageous and will hinder future career applicants with the added PLI and course fees we pay elsewhere as well. We pay more for total fees than another other person I know, and we just added the sonographers not long ago and that should have been a large enough increase in your intake than needed. Our financial goals do not align. No thank you

That is much too high of a hike. Please consider a more reasonable amount

This is absolute madness. CMRITO fees are already too high. It is not even worth it to be a somographer in Ontario due to the copious amounts we pay in fees just to practice our profession.

This is a very large increase which makes very little sense. We already feel very underreoresented, for instance we never received pandemic pay despite being a very frontline profession. Our wage has not gone up enough to match the inflation, yet we are potentially facing over 36% increase in our professional fees. We already currently pay more than what the RNs pay, but our income is on par with the RNs at best. I do not feel the increase is justified in any way. There must be other alternatives to reduce expenses, one option could be moving the office from a prime location such as University Avenue.

I don't agree with 35% increase. This huge increase is not justified as we all going through a tough time right now. Every basics cost of living has gone up, it is already hard to keep up the inflation and we are living on paycheck to paycheck. We need your support more than anything now instead of increasing our college fee to a unbelievable rate. Hope you would reconsider. Thank you.

Not at all. We already paying too much for this registration and with increase cost of living- this is brutal on all of us.

This is a very large increase! I DO NOT agree with it! This is not right!

I strongly disagree and oppose the increase in the Fee. We are already struggling to meet our day to day expenses. Our pays have been frozen since the COVID pandemic. The inflation is at its peak and now the increase in the Fee!

I strongly disagree with this proposal. A 36% increase in annual fees for an organization that does not provide professional liability insurance or any resources to help technologists in their day-to-day activities is an atrocious misuse of power and position. If this organization needs more financial stability, I suggest they look to other modes of doing so such as an organization-wide audit of CMRITO employee salaries and other financial decisions being made from within (I.e. downtown Toronto office, meeting expenses). I would love to receive a public breakdown of the salaries of key executives and question if they would be open to a 36% pay decrease each year. The argument that there are more technologists in the CMRITO is quite ridiculous if you look at nurses who in 2024 only have to pay $340 + HST and have larger numbers than technologists. This amount is exponentially larger than the exact same regulatory body for all of the other provinces (CAMRT for other provinces pays $295 per year and INCLUDES professional liability insurance). Referring to the chart provided on pages 3/4 of the report, comparing our profession amongst professions such as optometrists and dental surgeons is quite honestly laughable as we do not have the same liability and no where near the same annual salaries. A note is made that the CMRITO is 21/25 for annual costs yet it fails to mention that half of the professions on this list are making substantially higher income than we as technologists are making and most of these professions have a much higher liability risk. If the CMRITO fails to recognize we should not be lumped into the same category as physicians and pharmacists then I fear this regulatory college has completely lost the grasp of what we as technologists do. This email comes at a time that living costs are higher than ever and there are technologist shortages everywhere. If the CMRITO thinks raising their fees will encourage more people to pursue a career in imaging, they are surely mistaken and only dwindling our numbers even more in this profession. This proposal just exposes the absolute lack of awareness the CMRITO has on the current situation of our health care system and the current issues we face in our careers as technologists. I ask that you provide a financial breakdown of what my exact fees would be going towards and why they are needed to be almost $700 meanwhile CAMRT can do the exact same regulation for $295 in Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador. If you can answer this and provide a fully detailed breakdown, I would be more than happy to increase my annual fees. Thank you for your time. A very tired and discouraged ultrasound technologist.

I strongly believe the current renewal fee is more than adequate,

While I understand the need for financial sustainability, this increase is quite significant and may be challenging for many registrants. The fee increase represents a more than 36% jump, which is substantial, especially considering that many of us are already managing tight budgets.

Against, absolutely not.

A meaningful comparison with other health care professionals should be with those who's salary's are comparable, For example: nurses who pay only 340 dollars a year to their college have a much higher salary than us. I also notice that in your annual financial statement, one of the two category of expense that saw an increase from 2022 to 2023 is human resources, with an increase of 500,000 dollars. Please tell me you are not asking us for more money to pay for salary increases for your staff. The addition of sonographers to your group should have brought in more than enough revenue to cover hiring any additional staff! Sonographers making up approximately 40 percent of your registrants would account for over 2 million dollars in revenue in 2023!