About the Proposed Changes
The College of Physiotherapists of Ontario is seeking comments on a proposed Emergency Class of Registration, an amendment to its General Regulation in response to the new provincial requirements outlined in Bill 106.
Background
What is Bill 106, and how does it apply to the PT College?
Bill 106, the Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Act, aims to ensure, among other things, that certain Ontario sectors have the human resources they need to respond to emergency circumstances. The Bill contains provisions related to the registration of healthcare providers in Ontario so that Ontarians continue to have uninterrupted access to safe and high quality healthcare services. The new registration requirements are captured in Ontario Regulation 508/22 under the Regulatory Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA).
Creating an Emergency Class of Registration
One of these requirements is that Ontario health regulatory Colleges develop an “emergency class” of registration. The intent is to create an alternative pathway to register individuals in an expedited manner during an emergency.
In developing this new registration class, Colleges must:
- Outline the emergency circumstances causing the class to take effect,
- Set out the conditions for expiration and renewal of the certificate, and
- Specify the process for which an emergency certificate holder may apply for another class of registration and create exemptions for this group of people from some of the usual registration requirements.
The above listed requirements come into effect on August 31, 2023. As required by legislation, the proposed amendments must be circulated to stakeholders for at least 60 days before being considered by Council for final approval and submitted to the Ministry.
The College’s Proposed Emergency Registration Class
Implementing an emergency class of registration will require the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario to amend its Registration Regulation, Part III of the College’s General Regulation.
The College currently has three classes of registration: Provisional, Independent, and Courtesy. To align with the Ministry’s requirements, the College is adding a fourth class of registration: Emergency. An Emergency Class practice certificate would limit the holder to practice for a set time and in a set circumstance/setting, with the ability for the Registrar to renew the certificate if the situation persists.
The draft regulation amendments with tracked changes are available to read here, along with the briefing materials to Council. The proposed Emergency Class includes the following components:
- The definition of an “emergency situation.”
- Areas where Council may define conditions and restrictions on emergency class certificates.
- A list of qualifications and standards the applicant must meet to be registered under the emergency class, some of which are non-exemptible.
- Terms, conditions, and limitations of the emergency class of registration.
- Conditions under which the emergency class of registration is revoked, as well as conditions under which the registration class may be extended.
- Exempting eligible certificate holders from examination fees for the practical component of the physiotherapy examination administered by the College.
The draft regulations were approved in principle by Council on February 10, 2023.