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

I do not agree with this whatsoever. Our fees are already high, there is no need to increase the fees. This is nonsense. Over $600 for a membership is NOT okay!

I think it's a crazy way to increase...every 4 or 5 years or...I think they could negotiate the raise and do a bit each year, but this is not fairly done. The fees already are very high...let's even out the fees first.

There are many reasons that registrants do not think that this significant amount of increase is appropriate. I'll touch base on a couple that I feel are worth speaking about. To start, there are no details going into where the funds for the extra increase in membership cost is going towards. What are the long-term financial stability goal that CMRITO is looking to gain with this increase? There is a lack of detail in this regard. I have a hard time conceptualizing that the only way to provide financial stability to the College is to increase the annual fee for registrants. Our annual fee is being compared to other professions that cannot be compared in terms of workload (Ie. Surgeons, physicians). These are professions that include much more responsibilities than of registrants for CMRITO. To claim that the annual fee is going to be cheaper than 21 other colleges running in Ontario seems far-fetched because of the unjustified comparison. Many of these other professions have much higher wages than an average registrant of CMRITO. The chart that is provided to demonstrate the difference in cost of annual fees should also include average wages with said professions to then provide a "just" reason as to why a ~37% wage increase of our fee is appropriate. On top of this membership cost, many other registrants are also paying to other certifications boards (ie. Sonography Canada) in order to be legally entitled to work in Canada or to having to pay into obtaining insurance to in order to protect themselves if there ever were to be a circumstance where a registrant were to get sued.

DO NOT RAISE THE ANNUAL FEE. We are already over worked, short staffed and underpaid.

We are undergoing a healthcare crisis in Canada/Ontario primarily due to understaffing and your plan is to make it even less appealing to be a sonographer? If you were planning to increase fees with a clear plan on how to protect the public (as is your job) you may garner more support but as of now there are not reoccurring concerns regarding sonographers and no clear plan stated. What benefit can this possibly have for the general public? If this was a small increase of another $5 per member it would face less backlash but this is ridiculous. This is yet again more bureaucrats looking to pinch more money from the hard working people looking to protect and provide vital services to the public. If you need more money for services, educate and hire more sonographers. Don't make it less appealing.

I do not support the increased fees

I do not support this. This has not factored in the additional Sonography Canada fees, liability insurance, and two licensing exam fees (>$800 each) out of pocket. Let along cost of living! This is going to deter people from going into this field and there are already shortages.

Not happy! This is crazy high for my family members who already pay huge fees. I find it disrespectful to ask this of them especially after not receiving hazard pay during covid, please give more value to this profession!

Hello CMRITO and everyone here, much too steep of a raise, considering it is already too high. I would suggest the powers that be consider the environment in which they are proposing such a raise. As a member, I am not aware of what is happening with my monies so I think that should be discussed first and foremost so every member is aware before we increase fees. Let’s consider the position every health care worker is in right now. Also, is this increase allowed from a legal standpoint? I like the comment previously made about relocating CMRITOs offices, maybe going online. Thank you for the chance to comment, but as a member, I decline being a part of CMRITO if you are going to raise fees by this amount and for no known reasons!

We can't afford it anymore because we have problems finding a job. Our salary is very low.

Please do not increase the annual registration fee because many of us sonographers have membership with ARDMS and sonography canada as well. We don't earn alot of money after tax so increasing the fee will make if really difficult for us. Thank you

As a sonographer who has worked in Ontario for over 10 years, I would like to make my voice heard in stating that I strongly oppose these fee increases. Ontario is one of the only provinces that has a secondary governing body for ultrasound - many other provinces simply require sonography Canada exams/registration. Considering that CMRITO has been the overseeing body for MRTs for many years, and DMS has only joined in 2018. The increase in fees alone from bringing on sonographers during this time should be considered in the increases to the budget. I also believe that the audacity for the CMRITO to include a chart comparison for other Ontario Health Profession Collages is ironic considering if you take a look at that chart, all professions that are OHIP and hospital based are less than CMRITO, meanwhile the professions that are paying more are the ones who are self employed usually charged over 100$ an hour for their services. If you compare the fee for CPSO and CMRITO the amount is almost only double and we can safely say MRTs and DMS are making significantly less than those registering with CPSO. I agree with many other comments that transparency of funds should be made available to all registrants, to better understand where our money is being allocated and what else has been done to avoid a fee hike so significant. As stated in other comments, many individuals in hospital and in private are subjected to wage freezes, or minimal raises due to a lack of fee increases from OHIP. Many clinics and hospitals are also operating understaffed due to a lack of new graduates coming into the field, and other provinces in Canada are offering much more competitive rates and like stated above do not require such high registration fees. Considering our provincial government is trying to prioritize wait times, and patient accessibility to health care, perhaps they should be included in this discussion when it will not only affect the MRTs and DMSs in living and working in Ontario, but also the patients of Ontario who are in need of these services. During a time where many are struggling to buy homes and are living paycheck to paycheck, a 30% fee increase is abhorrent.

I strongly feel it is unfair to sonography technologists in Ontario to have to pay such a high sum to keep our license to stay employed. The fact that we don’t have an option, outside of paying the fee to keep our jobs, is upsetting. Our wages are not going up to compensate for such a high increase in the fee. We are struggling as it is to keep up with ever increasing Canadian daily expenses. It was already difficult to pay such a high fee yearly. I understand the need to have a financial plan but please take into consideration our financial plans as sonographers will be negatively affected.

Hi, as a part time mammography technologist I am very stressed about the increased to our annual fees. I feel the fees where quite high to begin with and I am very shocked to hear it will be going up further. I know many other professions in healyh care that make the same wage and their dues are less than half. I do not think it is fair to compair our dues to dentist, doctors or chiropractors as our wage is in no way comparable. I feel this increase in dues puts way to much more pressure on the technologist financialy and greatly discourages me from wanted to even continue in this career. As a mother of three chidlren i would not recommend this career as thier is way to many extra fees that do not sjow any benefits to the technologist. Our jobs are stressful to begin with and I feel this is just a overal negative move that really gives me a negative feeling towards the college. I feel like I'm being robbed my hard earned money and I have no say because even with my comments the fees will still go up as in reality we have no control over the decision.

My children have to pay these fees and are struggling just to keep a roof over their family's head. This type of increase is unreasonable especially considering the the current economic climate and what these people actually make.

This is a 43% increase. Ask the members if our wage has increased as much to be able to afford this? Some members only work part time or casual and this will be difficult to pay. Our fee is already one of the highest among healthcare workers.

This will be the highest fee medical professionals have to pay. It is ridiculous to raise it any further.

CMRITO provides no benefit to sonographers other than the 'privilege'' of being regulated. It offers no benefit to sonographers whatsoever. However, the benefits packages and salary enjoyed currently by the people that work in the college far outweigh anything we have. It was already an outrageous fee to begin with and the amount of increased proposed is shameful. The only people who are benefitting from this fee on the backs of the people actually doing the work is the CMRITO itself. Absolute no

This change is not feasable especially with how much everyone is struggling already. Shameful!

This increase is beyond ridiculous!!! Thought it was high before this is making impossible for people to survive.