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RMTAOLOGO

The Ontario government has published several changes to the Registration Regulation under the Massage Therapy Act, which is the government act that establishes the regulation of massage therapy in Ontario. These changes will go into effect on July 1, 2024, and will impact both graduates applying to be Registered Massage Therapists (RMTs) as well as the requirements that current RMTs have to fulfill to remain in practice.

Below are changes to the Massage Therapy Act that will impact individuals newly applying to enter the massage therapy profession:

• As of January 1, 2027, accreditation with the Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation (CMTCA) will be required for a massage therapy program’s graduates to apply for registration with the CMTO.
• If a first-time registrant with the CMTO meets all the requirements of registration, but has not yet secured employment as an RMT, they may register in the Inactive class of registration. Before they begin practicing, they are required to move to a General Certificate of registration. This can benefit some new RMTs if they are not planning to begin practicing as soon as they are eligible.

The changes below will impact currently registered RMTs as they maintain the registration.

• RMTs previously had to provide 500 hours of direct client care to maintain their registration. These 500 hours now must be practicing the profession which includes time teaching in an approved massage therapy program. This change will be particularly beneficial to people teaching in massage therapy programs.
• RMTs with a General Certificate are no longer required to maintain a practice address in Ontario. This will help make it easier for RMTs to work across multiple different areas.

There are a variety of other changes to the Registration Regulation that will be in effect on July 1, 2024 which may be relevant to RMTs.

This includes:

• Slight changes related to moving from inactive to general certificates of registration, somewhat related to the changes in eligibility for registering with an inactive certificate.
• More details about the requirements to be reinstated after an RMT’s general certificate has been suspended.
• More information on conditions on registration if an individual has a physical or mental conditions that impacts the practice of the profession, and;
• Clarification that a registrant should only practice in the areas of massage therapy in which they have sufficient knowledge, skill and judgement.

These are just a few of the changes that may have more impact. You can review the updated Registration Regulation here.

If you have questions about the updated Registration Regulations requirements, you can contact the CMTO Registration Services department at registrationservices@cmto.com. 

Tags: cmto, registration, regulation