E-Newsletter
ANNUAL REPORT 2023: Annual Report 2015
Board of Directors' Reports
President/Legislation Chair – Garret Woynarski
As I hold two roles on the Board of Directors, I will combine my Legislation Chair report in with my President’s report.
Our year started off with purposeful vision as the Board of Directors and Lori Green, our Executive Director gathered for two and half days of strategic planning sessions to align our goals for the year and coming years. These sessions prove to be valuable to bring in line our expertise and areas of interest to best suit the direction and sustainability of the association.
On April 25, 2015 the Ministry of Health gave us notice of the draft Massage Therapy Act. This indeed was an accomplished goal to have the government understand and validate the necessity for Legislation of Massage Therapy in Saskatchewan. While we were hopeful the government would move to introduce the legislation during last fall’s sitting of the Legislature, they extended consultations, proving there is more work to do.
All stakeholders in the Massage Therapy profession, associations and educational institutions have been meeting, negotiating, collaborating and sharing ideas for the best possible outcome of Legislation in Saskatchewan. Each party at the meeting table has a specified interest to protect and individuals to represent. Participation has been offered to MTAS, NHPC, LCSP, Remedial Massage Therapists Association, Western College of Remedial Massage Therapies, Professional Institute of Massage Therapy and McKay School of Massage and Career Training.
The stakeholder meetings took place in October and November of 2015, and January of 2016. A subsequent meeting has been scheduled for May 2016. Charmaine Panko LLB has been hired as the facilitator for the meetings with costs being shared amongst the stakeholders.
Overall the stakeholder meetings have been slowly progressive. There is a common agreement on a few key items and respectable distance on other areas of concern. All parties have agreed to keep the contents of the meetings secure.
Lori Green and I had extremely productive and insightful meetings in the Legislature in the spring and fall of 2015. The most notable, and repeated meetings have been with the Minister of Health Dustin Duncan, the Minister of Rural Health Greg Ottenbreit and Justice Minister Gordon Wyant. Our Legislation proposal has full support to move forward from the delegated Cabinet Ministers, which is a breath of fresh air to know that our profession is respected.
We will watch with interest the upcoming provincial election campaign. I encourage you to actively engage in dialogue with your current MLA and election candidates throughout the campaign period to ensure that Massage Therapy is top of mind for every individual seeking government office. We have gained great Legislative momentum, now is the time to keep the political pressure on and conversation going. The outcome of the election and the selection of a new cabinet may have impact on our goal. It is our hope those Ministers who have been supportive of our efforts and the Legislation maintain their files and ideally will move to introduce the Massage Therapy Act in the spring sitting of the Legislature. If there is change in those Ministers, we will move quickly to meet with the incumbent Ministers to ensure Legislation progresses as soon as possible.
The Board of Directors has chosen to continue the valued advertising with talk radio CKOM, and as such I have been in studio on two occasions throughout the year to record a talk segment on Legislation. Camille Lapierre and Marles Kerns have also participated in talk radio show segments.
The Board of Directors also entered into a contract with the communications and government relations specialists of Harris Greenaway Communications. The direction and counsel Harris Greenaway provides is paramount in this demanding and strategic time as we continue to lobby for and build support for Legislation. As well, their support in the Cabinet Minister meetings provided credible value to our case. They have also helped us develop a strategic plan and supporting materials that will help MTAS and our members ensure our issue is profiled during the upcoming provincial election campaign.
I sincerely want to thank each of the Board of Directors for your continued commitment towards the association and the profession. Your volunteer pledge speaks volumes. I also want to thank Jayne Little, Member Services Manager for your tireless effort and organizational capacities ensuring the ongoing logistics of an association of our size. Lori Green Executive Director, thank you for your insight, reliability and passion towards Massage Therapy and the success of the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan.
To you the member, thank you for your involvement and loyalty to the MTAS. You are the core and root of who we are as an association and whom we epitomize as a profession to the public of Saskatchewan, our government officials and collaborative health care practitioners. Thank you for setting the bar high, and upholding professionalism.
I hope to have positive updates throughout 2016 on our road to Legislation. 2016 will be my sixth year on the Board of Directors and my final year as President.
I hope to see you at the Research Symposium and social to follow.
Respectfully,
Garret Woynarski, RMT, D.Ac
MTAS President
Finance Chair - Robin Claus
Welcome to the 2016 AGM fellow RMT’s! Robin Claus, RMT, Finance Director here to tell you about my 2015 on your Board.
Our strategic planning meeting in April,2015 had us focusing in on priorities. With Lori’s strong leadership, and our past and present ideas to move forward on, we accepted and shuffled some jobs around to make the important ones happen.
I teased apart the advertising policy and compared it to other associations. While social media remains a delicate area, I feel good about the updates made.
In the financial realm, our situation is stable and well managed. I consulted with some bookkeepers, made the due diligence call to tender our audit out to other companies, and continued to inquire on the ‘who/how and why’ of our current practices in the office. A huge ‘thank you’ goes out to Lori Green for her time and patience with my inquisitions. My goal is to ensure that we remain effective and efficient while staying true to our budget.
As a member of my local Saskatoon business club, I made a presentation recently and included our position on legislation of the practice in SK. I wholeheartedly encourage you all to associate with other business leaders in your area. Keep talking with business owners, MLA’s and your clients about how we all benefit from regulating Massage Therapy. See our website for details.
AUDIT 2014-2015
Click here to download the audited financial statements.
Thank you Lori and Jayne, fellow Board members, Membership and Committees.
Cheers to another 50 years!
Robin Claus, RMT
Finance Chair
Competency and Continuing Education Chair - Aileen Tran Mapletoft
Happy New Year to Everyone!
Congrats and a warm welcome to all new members. My name is Aileen Mapletoft. I have been a practicing member for 10 years now and in my 5th year as the Competency and Con Ed chairperson and I look forward to continuing my duties for this upcoming term.
Firstly, I would like to thank the Con Ed Committee members (Lara Brierley, Jordan Smith, Danica Fritz, and Beckie Goyak) for their time and feedback this past term. Thanks to Jayne, Lori, and the rest of the Board for another job well done this past year. Again, such an amazing group of people that I was fortunate enough to collaborate with!
2015 continued to be a promising year for MTAS. As in 2014, competency continues to play a critical role in fostering high standards of ethical and professional practice through providing opportunities of continuing education to our members. This past year, we were able to evaluate approximately 150 courses – totalling over 1,700 primary credits – which have now been added into our ever growing con-ed course database. We continually grant more business credits for courses and webinars generously made available to us by groups such as Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan, CIRPD and Your Marketing Made Easy.
We are always interested in hearing suggestions from the membership. If there are any courses out there that sound exciting, interesting, important, etc. please do not hesitate to send me or the MTAS office more information. As with the previous years, we will work hard to bring in more high quality workshops and seminars to Saskatchewan, but please encourage all your colleagues to attend these workshops when they do come into our province as it is an extremely valuable experience for RMTs. Subsequently, high attendance may also mean that other course providers and organizations outside of Saskatchewan would more likely WANT to come into our province to collaborate with us. If there are any new or current members who are also interested in being a part of the Continuing Education Committee while gaining some credits, please contact me (atm.erindale@outlook.com).
Thank you again for all your support!
Sincerely,
Aileen Tran Mapletoft, RMT
Competency and Continuing Education Director
Complaints and Investigation Chair - Gus Giannoutsos
Greetings All MTAS Members,
Firstly, I’d like to introduce myself to those new to our association. My name is Gus Giannoutsos, I’ve been practicing massage for 16 years and been on the Board of Directors for 5 years. I currently hold the position of Complaints and Investigation Chair.
While this year has been a quiet one compared to the previous year, complaints none the less are still common.
There is one case that is currently being appealed regarding the sentence; the other is being investigated by the police. Both members have been suspended.
I’d like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to please review our Bylaws and Regulations. Protect yourself, your practice and your Association. Practice massage wisely, ethically and professionally. Also be social media conscience of what you post, tag etc.
Let’s all have a great 2016!!!
Respectfully yours,
Gus Giannoutsos
Research Chair - Donelda Gowan-Moody
Dear Colleagues,
Planning for the 3rd MTAS Research Symposium has been a major initiative of the past year. The valuable support and contributions in the planning from committee members Aileen Tran Mapletoft, Camille Lapierre and MTAS staff have made this possible. While the purpose of the annual MTAS research symposia is to promote scholarship and research in MT in Saskatchewan and the larger MT community profit revenue for the Association from research-related events is in excess of $6000.00 since the initiation of the Research Directorship. The participation of distinguished speakers from across the country (including MT/researchers) and the enthusiastic sponsorship by community stakeholders illustrates the strong regard for MTAS and the organization's growing research mindedness.
I attended the 36th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Pain Society this year in Charlottetown, PEI. The conference was multi-disciplinary with representation from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, psychology, physiotherapy, dentistry, psychiatry, basic and animal science, neuroscience, surgery, dentistry, etc and perhaps for the first time - massage therapy. Pain and pain management research influence policy, education and practice and as a profession we need to take a place in this field as suggested by current evidence. Piggy-backing on the conference, MTAS supported a workshop for Maritime massage therapists based on the MTAS journal club to enhance national research literacy and capacity through sharing of resources.
I attended the Process of Integrating Evidence (PIE) Conference at Palmer College of Chiropractic. The focus of the conference was developing evidence-based manual therapy practitioners by teaching the skills of accessing, assessing and applying clinical research to patient care. Resources obtained include the online education modules offered for continuing competency in research literacy and evidence-informed practice to MTAS members.
I attended the College of Opticians Complaints, Investigation, & Discipline workshop on October 3, 2015 in Saskatoon and learned on behalf of the BOD about patient-centred fiduciary regulation - the professional ethos or expectation that health professionals are responsible to uphold the trust a patient puts in them.
I have served for three years as the MTAS Research Director and I look forward to continuing.
Respectfully submitted,
Donelda Gowan-Moody, RMT, MSc, PhD Candidate
Public Relations/Membership Chair - Camille Lapierre
Good day fellow colleagues,
My year as PR and Membership chair has been enriched again with many great discussions in the company of knowledgeable and dedicated registered massage therapists. The strategic planning in April set a great tone and focus for the year ahead.
I had the pleasure of being a Board examiner for the August sitting of the practical exams and enjoyed working with new fellow RMT team members as well as our chief examiner, Cassandra Exner-Williams. Our examiners are dedicated to welcoming safe, educated and informed candidates into our association.
My main focus and portfolio this year was the MTAS 50th celebration. This could not have been achieved without the wonderful collaboration of my committee members, Nancy Junop, Wynne Nicholson, Amy Galiegue, Lori Green and Jayne Little. Many hours were spent discussing the format and organizing the day as a whole. It was decided to hold the 50th celebration in conjunction with our 3rd annual Research Symposium and our AGM to make it a full day of learning, continuing education credits, and socializing. What an opportunity for our members to celebrate our achievements in Board work, education and our work in the health and well-being of our clients.
Committee involvement for me also included the 3rd annual Research Symposium. It has been again a pleasure to work alongside Donelda Gowan-Moody, Aileen Tran-Mapletoft, Lori Green, and Jayne Little.
Lori Green and I met with Q4 students at McKay in January for a general information session regarding the February sitting of the Board Exam. This group was very focused on mastering the entry-to-practice exam. We have received positive feedback on these sessions and were told they were quite helpful in setting the students at ease and instilling confidence.
In all, it has been an eventful year for the MTAS Board of Directors, especially with the tremendous progress our team has achieved with legislation. I couldn't be more proud.
Respectfully submitted,
Camille Lapierre, RMT, PR/Membership Chair
Education Chair - Mandy Fahr
Welcome and congratulations to all the new MTAS members. For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Mandy Fahr. I have been a practicing member for almost 6 years now. I am currently in my 2nd year as the Education chairperson and I look forward to continuing my duties for this upcoming term.
First, I would like to thank Dr. Adel Mohammed and the U of S for continuing to collaborate with MTAS. The cadaver lab is run twice a year for our members; once in the spring and again in the fall. It is a pleasure to be the MTAS liaison and I am so grateful for the opportunity to facilitate the cadaver labs. I would like to thank Jordan Smith for covering the fall lab for me in my absence. Thank you to Jayne and Lori for their time and all of their hard work, it is next to none. Lastly, thank you to my fellow board members for another great year.
It has been a quiet year for the Education chair and committee due to our focus on regulation. However, while awaiting the call for regulation in the province, our examinations continue. I would like to thank our Chief Examiner, Cassandra Exner-Williams, for all the work she has done this past year. Also, I would like to thank our examiners for their time and dedication during our exam seasons.
As requested by a few of our members, I have attached a chart showing the percentage of examinations mastered over the past 10 years.
While times provincially have been focused on Legislation, nationally, times have been very exciting with the development of accreditation in the delivery of Massage Therapy education.
The vision of the Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation (CMTCA) is stated as:
The purpose of the accreditation process is to provide a mechanism for quality assurance and continuing quality improvement of entry-level massage therapy education programs across Canada. Accreditation will foster a common national entry-level education standard that is based upon the entry-to-practice requirements in the regulated provinces, and in doing so will facilitate the initiation of regulation in provinces that are currently unregulated. Accreditation will support the advancement of massage therapy as a health care profession (legislation), thereby serving the public interest.
Accreditation operations will:
- Be administered by a newly-created, specific-purpose agency that is federally incorporated and governed collaboratively by massage therapy regulators (FOMTRAC), massage therapy educators (CCMTA) and massage therapy professional associations (CMTA)
- Take place in a manner consistent with the Good Practice Guidelines published by the Association of Accrediting Agencies of Canada
Accreditation services will:
- Be available to programs that take place in both private and public education institutions
- Avoid redundancy with provincial government requirements applicable to education institutions
- Be available in both regulated and unregulated provinces
Accreditation standards will:
- Be based upon the Inter-jurisdictional Practice Competencies and Performance Indicators approved by the regulated provinces in 2012 (and incorporate future updates to that document)
- Be flexible in their application, focusing more on the student learning outcomes produced by the program than on the program’s structure and process
- Be developed in consultation with stakeholders
- Establish organizational infrastructure, staffing, plans, policies and procedures
- Begin the development of the Accreditation Program Standards Advisory Committee
- Pilot accreditation programs to begin in spring of 2016
(The Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation http://www.cmtca.ca/vision/)
I would like to thank Aileen Tran Mapletoft for all her time and effort comparing and making sure that our exam bank questions correspond directly to the Inter-jurisdictional Practice Competencies and Performance Indicators. In doing so, our entry-to-practice examination questions now meet the national accreditation standard, according to the IJPC document listed above.
With all these positive changes happening provincially and nationally, I look forward to what this year has in store!
Mandy Fahr, RMT, Education Director
Chief Examiner - Cassandra Exner-Williams
In 2015 we had 45 candidates in total and 30 mastered the exam. These are very similar numbers to those of last year’s exams.
Thank you to our 2015 examiners: Carmen Bartko, Lindsey Bean, Deveny Braun, Lara Brierley, Briana Descalchuk, Lindsay Doig, Mieka Dueckman, Leca Flavell, Amy Galiegue, Carey Gerlinsky, Lynne Granberg, Rhonda Hill, Marles Kerns, Camille Lapierre, Michael Litschko, Guylaine Loiselle, Dawn Mitchell, Dalyce Oja, Judy Osmachenko, Kendra Pottage, Shalla Riemer, Pamela Schepp, William Schiffner, Kerri Schultz, Karen Tegencamp, Danielle Third and Lynne Topping. Thank you also to Jayne Little for her support in preparing all the materials, and overseeing the logistics for the four Membership Qualifying Examinations each year.
The Board graciously sent me to Vancouver where I had the opportunity to meet with Annette Ruitenback (CMTBC Deputy Registrar) to discuss and audit their exam process. This will help MTAS to further incorporate the Practical Competency and Performance Indicators (PCPI) into our Association exams. National standards for Massage Therapy will continue to ensure competency with the onset of accreditation of schools through the Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation (CMTCA).
We continue to upgrade and add questions with Ron Templeman and the examination committee. Thank you to Aileen Tran Mapletoft, Mieka Dueckman, Carey Gerlinsky, and Lara Bierley for reviewing the questions that are being submitted.
In response to consultation with the Saskatchewan schools, our written exam has been increased from 125 to 200 questions in order to cover more material. Additional questions may be added to the written exam in 2017.
Cassandra Exner-Williams R.M.T.
Chief Examiner for MTAS
Insurance/Intergovernmental Chair - Jordan Smith
Hello, welcome to our newest members and congratulations! I am Jordan Smith and I have been a practicing member for 5 years and heading into my 3rd year as a board member.
Last year we just signed a new contract for a 3 year term with SGI / WCB.
To our new members who are interested in becoming an approved health care provider with WCB / SGI all you need to do is submit a copy of your MTAS certificate and the clinic and/or business contact information to both agencies. The form for applying to be a health care provider for WCB can be found at:www.wcbsask.com/care-providers/care-provider-resources/
Both of these organizations also use direct deposit and they can forward the forms as well during the process.
The SGI ePay system is an online system where you can log into and submit your billing(s) as well as follow up on invoices SGI sends once they have paid out.
With WCB they also have online and some members still use the good old fax method to invoice WCB directly. Those forms for WCB can also be found at the above web address under “Exercise, Massage & Occupational Therapy”. Before treatment begins we must send in a primary level to treat authorization form to get the approval from WCB directly. When billing the form you use is the Therapists Billing Form.
If you do fax the therapist billing form into WCB, there can be a 1-2 day lag in terms of the form actually being scanned to the clients file. If there is any uncertainty you can call the case manager directly, or CES personnel to see if the document you faxed in has been added to the file. With WCB there can be roughly a 3 week window in terms of payment as their in-office Medical Accounts Department typically can operate a week or two behind.
SGI does operate a bit quicker and using their ePay system is a breeze. With the package you receive from SGI they also include all the information to walk you through the billing process.
We also offer two great services for direct billing through Telus E-Health. With Telus E Health registration is fast and easy, thus providing you with the options to direct bill most insurance companies such as Great West Life. The Link for Telus E Health is here: https://www.telushealth.co/health-solutions/allied-healthcare-providers/products/eclaims-allied-healthcare-providers/
The other organization we work with is Medavie BlueCross. A lot of our members are registered with them for VAC (Veterans Affairs Canada) and the RCMP. A great feature Medavie BlueCross offers once registered is you can go in and update your profile to direct bill Saskatchewan Blue Cross members directly as well.
For more information on registering with BlueCross please visit: Sk.bluecross.ca/provider/
When using these services the process is pretty streamlined and in most cases you just need the patient’s name, date of birth, plan ID and member ID.
If at any time you have problems or you are unsure please do not hesitate to contact the office or myself and we can help with any issues/questions you may have. My email should you require assistance is: insurance@saskmassagetherapy.com.
Also, I know we have sent this out previously, we but do have a standardized receipt available that is in Microsoft Excel format. It’s a great receipt to incorporate into your practice and that can be emailed to you directly from the office.
One area we are working diligently on, as this seems to be an issue that’s ongoing, is insurance coverage in the rural setting. We have had some members report to us that coverage has been denied due to the possibility of the therapist being related to the client receiving the treatment. This is an anti-fraud measure used by the insurance companies. We have reached out to one insurance provider for a meeting to see if we can rectify this. As we learn more we will update the membership as well.
With the big focus lately on becoming legislated, this ultimately could impact the direction of how our relationship with WCB/SGI unfolds with the intent of hopefully being able to streamline the processes more, as we would be considered Primary Health Care. Unfortunately we don’t have any more information at this time.
I had the opportunity to help facilitate a Cadaver Lab in the fall for Mandy Fahr.
I would like to personally extend a great big thank you for all the members that continue to make the labs a great success and for coming out. It is always a great pleasure being able to listen in on Dr. Mohamed’s lectures at these events.
Lastly, I wish to thank everyone on the Board of Directors and Lori and Jayne. Over the last few years it has been an absolute privilege to work alongside each and every one of you. And to our membership as a whole, thank you for another great year and here’s to 2016.
Respectfully,
Jordan R. Smith RMT
Insurance / Intergovernmental Affairs
Nominations - Marles Kerns
The 2014-2015 MTAS Board of Directors consisted of 10 members.
Current Board members who will be returning are as follows:
- Marles Kerns
- Aileen Tran-Mapletoft
- Gus Giannoutsos
- Camille Lapierre
- Donelda Gowan-Moody
- Kendra Pottage
- Garret Woynarski
Current Board members who will be asking for re-election:
- Jordan Smith
- Robin Claus
- Mandy Fahr
The Board of Directors slate is at maximum of 10 members with 7 returning to complete their term and 3 seeking re-election. Nominations may be called from the floor at the Annual General Meeting or submitted to the office by 12:00 noon on March 29th.
Bylaws
3.1 Number and Term of Board Members
The Board shall consist of not less than five (5) Board members, four (4) of whom shall also be the officers of the Association and no more than ten (10) Board members. Subject to the Act and the Articles, the Members may, by ordinary resolution passed at an annual general meeting, increase the number of Board members. Each Board Member or Officer (herein collectively referred to as “Board Members”) shall hold office for a term of two (2) years commencing on the date of election. The offices of the Association shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Past-President. The Board of Board members at the first meeting of the Board shall choose the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. The first board meeting will occur after the Annual General Meeting. Notwithstanding Section 3.3, the Member who held the office of President of the Association for the term of office immediately prior to an annual general meeting at which a new President is elected shall, if willing to do so, continue to act as a Director/Officer of the Association, without election by the Members, for the next ensuing term of office and shall hold the office of Past President.
3.2 Eligibility for Election
Any practicing Member or Non-resident Practicing Member with voting rights, in good standing, with the exception of an owner or operator of a massage therapy training school, or director of another massage therapy association, who is qualified to act as a director pursuant to the Act shall be eligible for election to the Board. A retiring Board Member shall be eligible for re-election.
3.3 Election at Annual General Meeting
At each annual general meeting of the Association the Members shall elect Board Members to fill the vacant board positions. Each Board Member that has served for the immediately preceding term shall retire at the dissolution or adjournment of the annual general meeting and the Members entitled to vote thereat shall elect Board Members to replace such retiring Board Members. The Member who held the position of President immediately prior to the election of a new Board at an annual general meeting shall be deemed to have been elected as a Board Member of the Association and shall hold the office of Past-President.
Executive Director - Lori Green
This year we celebrate fifty years of professional Massage Therapy Associations - from the initial three or maybe four Associations to the amalgamation of the MTAS. It is inspiring to look into the archives and read the minutes and notes of the Provincial Licensing Board. The work of those individuals from three Associations, who met, discussed and negotiated for hours and months to pave the way for our standards of education, commitment to examinations for competency and agreements with our provincial insurer SGI and Workers’ Compensation Board. This desire to work towards the greater good, for both the profession and the public has paved the way for a strong and well-respected Association and ultimately to our eventual goal of regulation in the province. I express my gratitude to all of the Presidents and Board members before and current, for your unwavering dedication and work for the Association.
This year was filled with anticipation of see legislation granted in Saskatchewan with the release of the draft document “Massage Therapy Act 2015” being released by the Ministry of Health in April 2015. Garret Woynarski and I have continued to meet frequently with Government officials in the Ministry of Health, Members of the Legislative Assembly, both parties and those in the Health Policy Department. We supplied the Health Minister with a petition of 1200 names in support of legislation and this year the opposition also has shown their support when we submitted a further petition of 1250 names. The meetings have been mostly favourable and encouraging that we will see legislation shortly. Given our mandate to achieve this goal, we have implemented further public relations, member and public education and marketing tools. We were happy to contract with Harris Greenaway and Associates who have enabled us to prepare government-ready education PowerPoint presentations, briefing notes, and promotional material - some that have just been revealed at the beginning of this new fiscal year.
We have expanded our marketing to six “Talk to the Experts” episodes on Talk Radio. Garret Woynarski, Marles Kerns, Camille Lapierre and I have all participated in these talk shows. We advertised on Cool 93FM, participated in tradeshows at Saskatchewan Polytechnic Health Fair, presented to two of the three schools in Saskatchewan, and supported our members with information and marketing tools in their communities.
We continue to try to reach and connect with our membership by providing continuing education opportunities that have been suggested by the membership or thought to be of interest. In addition to the Touch U online courses, we offered sixteen hands-on workshops for credits. Unfortunately, we had to cancel three workshops due to lack of interest. The learning opportunities delivered: Cadaver Labs (2), CPR/SFA courses (2), Dr. Vodder Basic Training, NISA Basic Training, Itty Bitty Book Club (3), Professional Practice Group (PPG) Oncology (3), and the Research Symposium. Opportunities missed: Dr. Vizniak Advanced Clinical Reasoning Modules 1 and 2, Dr. Lombardi Assessment and Treatment (Football) and Arthrokinetics with Mike Dixon.
The CMTA continues to move forward with the release of our first white paper. The CMTA is currently being chaired by the very knowledgeable Krystin Bokalo from Ontario and I remain part of the Management Team as Vice President. We have representatives from all of the provinces with the exception of Quebec.
We continue to discuss National issues such as accreditation, GST exemptions, legislation and share knowledge and resources with each other.
I continued working with the Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation on the planning committee, as a founding member representative for the CMTA, and finished off my five year term as a sitting Board member. I am pleased to see the growth in this area to develop a standard of education for all students who choose this career path. This is an important initiative for the profession with the onus on Associations, Colleges and massage therapy schools to fund the start-up operations until accreditation is self-sustaining.
Our active participation in the CMTA and strong partnerships that we have developed with those affiliates allowed me the opportunity to represent MTAS at various events:
- The RMTAO Education Conference as a panel member
- Presenter at the RMTBC Education Summit
- Presenter at the Canadian Health and Life Association Conference in Niagara Falls
- Participant at the final Canadian Health and Life Anti Fraud Association meeting in Toronto.
- Regina City Hall policy and planning: massage parlour bylaws.
The Board of Directors continues to work tirelessly on your behalf beginning with the three day intensive strategic planning meetings that occur shortly after the AGM, to set the direction for the Board and office staff, until the night before the next Annual General Meeting. Many tough decisions are made throughout the year, on how to deliver more member services and more opportunities. The Board met three times for face-to-face meetings and had six teleconference calls; this does not begin to account for the hours of preparation for Board agendas, committee work and meetings with stakeholders, and other interested parties. I am very grateful for your hard work and appreciative of our new “24 hour” instant responses to keep us leading the way! Thank you to Garret for keeping the patient perspective at all levels of the Board. Your leadership is greatly appreciated, as is your successful campaign with the Government.
We upgraded our website this year, and have begun to prepare for our Town Hall meetings (beginning in this fiscal year) and have had success in renting out our classroom to both massage therapy groups and other groups needing rental space such as the Sask. Trucking Association. Our advertising fees increased slightly this year, which enables us to offset some of our marketing and upgrades to the website. Our members stepped up to the plate with the Succession of Files policy being introduced as a mandatory requirement for renewed membership, and we were able to negotiate an increase in your malpractice and liability insurance coverage to $5m this year.
It is hard to believe that I have been with MTAS for ten years. I continue to learn, grow and still find this an exciting place to be. I hope to share many more successes with you. I would be remiss if not to shout out my admiration for Jayne Little. Most of you know that Jayne can do the work of three office managers - she keeps us all balanced, prepared and as orderly as humanly possible. I am grateful that she has been part of MTAS for the past nine years.
In writing this report, I realize that there have been many achievements, and work done this year but despite all of these accomplishments we are still dependant on you, the members; the therapists who continue to support, enhance, and maintain the highest of standards in Saskatchewan. I appreciate your candor, your bouquets and yes, your respectful dialogue when things are not as you believe they should be. All input is welcome.
With great respect I thank you.
Lori Green
Executive Director
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