Significant amendments to CMTBC’s Bylaws will come into force April 2, 2019. The amendments affect a number of regulatory requirements, such as registration, quality assurance, and professional standards.

The following are key changes to the Bylaws:

Board election: electronic voting

CMTBC will move from paper ballots to electronic voting for CMTBC’s annual Board election, commencing in 2020.

Names of registration status categories

“Inactive” becomes “Non-practising”. “Active” becomes “Practising”. This change was made to make the names of CMTBC’s registration status categories consistent with the names used by other health regulatory colleges and to make the different registration statuses more clear and understandable to members of the public reviewing CMTBC’s Public Register.

Use of reserved titles by “Inactive” (to be renamed “Non-practising”) RMTs

An “Inactive” (to be renamed “Non-practising”) registrant may use the four titles reserved under Section 3 of the Massage Therapists Regulation only if immediately followed by “(Non-practising)”. This change was made to ensure that members of the public are not misled about an RMT’s registration status.

Length of time a registrant can be “Inactive” (to be renamed “Non-practising”) before being subject to additional requirements when returning to “Active” (to be renamed “Practising”) status

Previously, registrants could hold “Inactive” (to be renamed “Non-practising”) status for up to three years before having to undergo review by the Registration Committee on re-entry and potentially having to re-do part or all of the registration examination. That period has been reduced to up to two years.

CMTBC recognizes the impact that this Bylaw amendment will have on a number of “Inactive” (to be renamed “Non-practising”) registrants. The College, therefore, has developed a transition timeline setting out the date by which Inactive (to be renamed “Non-practising”) RMTs must return to “Active” (to be renamed “Practising”) status without being subject to additional requirements. The table below outlines the transition timeline:

Transition timeline

Duty to Report

The College has adopted a new Duty to Report provision that creates a responsibility to make a report at any time of the year, not just when renewing registration.

CMTBC adopted this provision from the Bylaws of the BC College of Nursing Professionals (BCCNP), which was established in September 2018. BCCNP’s Bylaws are among the most-up-to-date among health regulatory college Bylaws, and were recently reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Health.

The new Duty to Report section of CMTBC’s Bylaws requires registrants to immediately report to CMTBC any charge for an offence under a federal or provincial statute in BC or in another province or jurisdiction, as well as an investigation, inquiry, or review in BC or in another province or jurisdiction that could result in the person’s entitlement to practice a profession being cancelled, suspended, limited, restricted or made subject to limits or conditions, or the person’s membership in a professional association being suspended or cancelled.

The Duty to Report provision is consistent with information requested from registrants when renewing registration, but creates a responsibility to make a report at any time of the year. Mandatory reporting ensures that the College is alerted to information that may give rise to a concern about whether an RMT can practice safely. It allows the College to take action to protect the public where warranted.

All regulatory health professionals are subject to various types of mandatory reporting. Information about other mandatory duties to report can be found on the Duty to Report page.

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The Bylaw amendments mentioned above do not represent all amendments that will come into force April 2, 2019.

Notice of all Bylaw amendments was given to the Minster of Health, other health regulatory colleges, and the public in a three-month notice period.