2021 AGM Minutes

Click here to download the minutes from the 2021 virtual meeting.

2022 AGM Agenda

Call to order: Sunday April 3rd, 2022

1. Housekeeping
2. Review/amend/adopt Agenda
3. Review/amend/adopt Minutes of virtual AGM – April 11th, 2021
4. Business arising from the Minutes
5. Board reports (as written)
6. Audited financial statements
7. Bylaw amendments and motions
8. Report of the nominating committee
9. Election
10. CSMTA update
11. Date of next meeting
12. Adjournment

Date of next meeting: Saskatoon - April 2, 2023

Pre-registration for the meeting is required and will close on March 30th at midnight.

2021 AGM Attendance List

Click here to download the attendance list from the 2021 virtual meeting.

Board of Directors' and Administration Reports

PRESIDENT - CAMILLE LAPIERRE, RMT

Hello fellow members of MTAS!  It has certainly been another heavy and busy year as Chair of the Board of Directors but a fruitful one nonetheless. Managing the COVID-19 pandemic and actively participating in the Saskatchewan College of Massage Therapists Working Group has been the main focus. Below are the highlights from this past year.

Marketing

With the past several years being so heavily weighted on achieving legislation, there has been a larger focus on marketing MTAS to the general public with the messages being simple yet maintaining professionalism. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn are the main social media avenues.  Radio advertising is also being used and has been found to be the most cost effective in reaching a large audience.

Meetings

Although Zoom fatigue has probably affected the majority of us, Zoom has proved to be a very effective and dependable tool for the MTAS Board.  Following the current health care directives at the time, our first in-person meeting held on September 11th, 2021, was very much appreciated and helped solidify our team. We were finally able to greet our 3 new Board members: Amanda Gara, Natalie Cargan and Lara Brierley. Thank you, Board chairs and members, for your adaptability toward any and all virtual meeting/educational sessions formats MTAS has offered.

Government Relations

There is always a time of angst when the provincial government shuffles its cabinet but thankfully for MTAS, M Paul Merriman was appointed Health Minister and much to our surprise, the Massage Therapy Act received royal assent on May 13th, 2021.  The ball has now been in our court to develop the new College bylaws.  This is no small task as you can imagine but we have been collaborating with the Natural Health Practitioners of Canada and the Canadian Massage and Manual Osteopathic Association and are known as the Saskatchewan College of Massage Therapists Working Group. The Working Group consists of equal representations of all 3 associations.  The MTAS representatives are myself, Camille Lapierre, Ken Ansell, Todd Rintoul and Lori Green. Huge thanks to Ken, Todd and Lori for their commitment to this project. The first meeting was January 25th, 2021 with subsequent meetings scheduled once a month. Our goal is to have the administrative and regulatory bylaws drafts completed by fall of 2022.

There was continuous communication throughout the year with the government’s business center for COVID-19.  MTAS stayed vigilant on staying on top of the ever-changing health measures.

Lori Green and I met with the director of Quality Assurance and Private Vocational schools from the Ministry of Advanced Education and were informed that they will be gaining new legislation this coming November ‘21 or December ‘21 which will allow them more authority over the quality of private vocational school programs. The meeting gave us a better understanding of their process and in turn, they gained a clearer understanding of ours. This is all good news for the massage therapy profession in our province.

CMTA

Member associations of the CMTA put in place several common adaptations due to COVID-19.

Ex: Return to Work Guidelines; resources page on their websites; lowering membership fees or offering additional payment options; in person workshops/event cancellations; members holding off their practice, retiring or leaving the profession altogether; webinars for con-ed.

As one of the MTAS representatives, I had the great opportunity to participate in translating to French a series of social media ads for the National Massage Therapy Awareness Week. The next translation adventure will be tackling the new CMTA website.

Acknowledgements

A huge thank you to my fellow Board members: Erin Sobkow, Aileen Tran-Mapletoft, Amanda Gara, Donelda Gowan, Natalie Cargan, Tim Rutley, Lara Brierley.  Your hard work in keeping MTAS running as a well-oiled machine is much appreciated!

Thanks to all of my fellow colleagues for your continued support of MTAS.

And last but not least, a tremendous thank you to our amazing staff: Executive Director Lori Green and Member Services Manager Jayne Little. All of your dedication goes above and beyond!

Respectfully submitted,
Camille Lapierre, RMT

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VICE PRESIDENT - ERIN SOBKOW, RMT

2021-2022 brought some amazing highs (Royal Assent from the Saskatchewan Government to legislate massage therapy within our province, but still lots of work to do to finalize this) and lows (still dealing with COVID-19 and all the challenges that caused in both our professional and personal lives). Our MTAS Board and Staff continues to step up admirably to deal with these and the many other matters that continually arise.

In the fall, we were finally able to meet in person, and that was a much needed reconnect, as we worked through our Strategic Plan for this upcoming year. It was exciting to meet the new Board members face-to-face, who were elected in the spring over our Zoom AGM and have good conversations with all of them personally. Our MTAS Board is very fortunate to have gained the skill sets of Amanda, Lara and Natalie and they have contributed an amazing amount to our Board thus far.

Part of the VP’s role is to organize the performance review of the Executive Director.  Lori Green continues to impress us with her leadership of MTAS. Last year, I redid the review and brought it online. This year, I continued to improve it. Lori and I are working on an updated terms of reference with priorities and goals which will guide us throughout this next year.

After many years of talking about bringing back the old newsletter “Reach,” we finally did it and launched the first “Monthly Memo,” in June of 2021. We are hoping that by monthly contact with our members, you are feeling more connected to MTAS and are learning about our current MTAS news, reminding yourself about our MTAS bylaws, understanding more about research or the research initiatives that MTAS is involved with, and celebrating the accomplishments of our outstanding MTAS members! It is a lot of work to edit this, but I really enjoy doing it. Please feel free to contact me if you have a MTAS member that you would love to spotlight or have an idea to improve the newsletter. I am happy to entertain all ideas!

I continue to be so proud of MTAS and the work we are doing to advocate for and lead the profession of massage therapy within our province! Thank-you to our Staff, Lori Green and Jayne Little, our MTAS Board and all our members who make the profession of massage therapy respected within our province.

All the best in 2022!

Erin Sobkow

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FINANCE - AMANDA GARA, RMT

Hello Everyone,

I joined the Board last April - I was excited for some change in my career and ready for a challenge. I can honestly say it has been such a fun journey and one I hope to continue. I would like to thank everyone on the Board for the warm welcome, it has been so much fun to work with you so far.

My goal as Finance Chair is to move our financial system to a more portable program. We have transitioned  into QuickBooks online. The program is less costly and user friendly. It also allows easier communication  with the auditors and administrative staff.  As with any change I don’t assume this with be a quick and painless transition. However it will be very helpful in the long run.

The Audited Financial Statements will follow separately in due course.

I have learned so much since joining the Board and I look forward to a new term. Thank you to our members for this opportunity.

Amanda Gara RMT

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COMPLAINTS AND INVESTIGATION - NATALIE CARGAN, RMT

I took over the Complaints and Investigations Director position in April of 2021.  I had wanted to be more involved with the MTAS after 25 years as an RMT, and when I found out the Complaints and Investigations position was open, I volunteered myself for it.  I felt that my background as a correctional officer, however brief, would aid me in this position.  My goal was to learn as much as possible and be of help wherever I could.  From then until October 31, 2021 there were 3 complaints investigated and concluded.  The investigations were related to 11.7 Code of Ethics (2) and 11.8 Standards of Practice (1).   There were no referrals to a disciplinary committee in this fiscal year.

Lori and I updated the Terms of Reference for the position of the Complaints and Investigations Director and Committee as well as the Disciplinary Chair and Committee.  I also updated the Complaints and Investigations job description.  At the moment Lori and I are working on the job descriptions for the Complaints and Investigations Committees and the Disciplinary Committee. 

I have enjoyed getting to know our Board of Directors as well as our office.  A special thanks goes out to Lori Green and Erin Sobkow for their support, patience and time getting me familiar with the position and for putting up with my endless questions.  Another shout out to our President, Camille Lapierre, whom I have known since massage school, for her countless hours of work and moral support.  And to Amanda Gara, Tim Rutley, Lara Brierley, Aileen Tran Mapletoft, and Donelda Gowan, for being awesome people, welcoming me into the Board, and being so great in their positions.  And lastly, to Jayne Little, our wonderful Member Services Manager.  You have done an amazing job over the years and it wasn’t until the last year that I truly came to appreciate what you, and Lori, do for our Association.  We would be lost without both of you. 

I am enjoying my position and learning more every day so that I am serving our Members to the best of my ability.

Natalie Cargan, RMT

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CONTINUING EDUCATION/COMPETENCY - LARA BRIERLEY, RMT

I accepted the Chair position for the Competency Committee in September of this reporting year. I was able to attend the strategic planning meeting in September, become familiar with how the board works together, and start to learn the duties of my new role.

In this reporting period, the Competency Committee has approved 136 courses which includes 714 continuing education credits.

This next year there will still be a focus on finding new, interesting learning opportunities for the members, as well as continuing to maintain and renew the courses already on offer. It is time to review the continuing education forms and update them as necessary. I will also bring in new forms for additional credit earnings that have been discussed in the past, such as volunteer credits.

I thank Jordan Smith, Jayne Little, Lori Green, and the Board for their continued diligence and support with this committee. Thank you to the past chair, Corey Schultz, and past committee member Dr. Bob Lidington. I would also like to thank the membership for maintaining their commitment to continuing education.

Lara Brierley, RMT, CLT-LANA

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PUBLIC RELATIONS - TIMOTHY RUTLEY, RMT

Good day to my fellow MTAS members!

It is hard to believe 2021 has come and gone. I know for a lot of us Covid-19 has been very difficult and frustrating. Seeing business close permanently has been tough.

My focus has been on providing perks and benefits to our members through our affinity program.  This program was paused this year as many of our local businesses were also trying to adapt to the constant changes in our province.  Aileen Tran Mapletoft and I continued to look for other opportunities for businesses to join and expand our program. 

The goal of the PR committee is to continue to have more members volunteer to work on the affinity program and consider being a member of the committee. We have identified that there is still a lot to be done in getting more provincially diverse sponsors and highlight and support our local businesses.   We encourage you to connect with your local businesses or with me, in developing more affinity partners as this also will give you the opportunity to advocate on behalf of yourself and the profession.

We are growing this program gradually and I am proud of our work in this area.  Please visit the members-only section of our website www.saskmassagetherapy.com to look at our affinity partners.

Saskatchewan Massage Therapists supporting Saskatchewan!

On another note, public relations is doing just that.  We also welcome suggestions and “committee members” to join us, in furthering expanding what can be done in this area.  

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RESEARCH - DR. DONELDA GOWAN, RMT, PHD

Dear MTAS Members,

Please accept my warm welcome to new members and sincerest regards to all current colleagues.

It is my hope that this annual report finds each of you safe and well.

My name is Donelda Gowan and I am the MTAS Research Chair. I have held various position on the MTAS Board over the last three decades in both education and research focused areas. I graduated from the Canadian College of Massage & Hydrotherapy in Sutton Ontario in 1987 and soon after joined the organization that would become MTAS and began practice in Saskatoon. I have conducted massage therapy research as part of my Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Psychology, my Master of Science degree in Epidemiology, and my PhD in Population Health Sciences. As well as my role on the MTAS Board, I am the Associate Director of the Centre for Integrative Medicine in the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan and the Chair of the Canadian Interdisciplinary Network for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research (INCAM). I’m proud to be part of a provincial Massage Therapy Board with strong national influence, committed to ceaseless striving for the positive development of the profession of massage therapy

“Curiosity is a gift, a capacity of pleasure in knowing.”  This quote is from 19th Century Victorian philosopher John Ruskin. I came across it in a book that I am reading on the theory of mind. I am sharing this here and taking you along with me down this one rabbit hole of learning, to illustrate how delightfully applicable is the work of poets, and artists, and scientists to this profession of massage therapy. Apparently, John Ruskin was a polymath, and extolled the value of understanding the interconnectedness of subjects and disciplines.

What does this have to do with MTAS and massage therapy? The stated vision of the MTAS organization is that “we exist to encourage and enhance the art, science and practice of massage therapy…” and most assuredly, views will differ amongst and between members of the profession and yet the fundamental value of the work we do in relation to other fields and disciplines remains steadfast.

In the past year, MTAS has continued to advance our two main goals of promoting research engagement as provincial, national, and international leaders in the field and the provision of resources to develop profession relevant knowledge and research literacy and capacity for our members and stakeholders.

We continued to fund research projects and support dissemination of new knowledge gleaned from research. We continued to educate other stakeholders about the evidence base on which our professional activities rest.

We also continued to facilitate individual members participation in research projects, research-related learning opportunities, and evidence-based practice in partnership with other healthcare provider professions and knowledge brokers.

For example, in the past year, MTAS has worked collaboratively at the provincial level with SaskPain in ongoing initiatives and with SHIRP in making the library of research literature relevant and accessible. Nationally, MTAS has worked diligently to educate insurers by, for example, providing a presentation titled “Evidence Informed Massage Therapy: Research based, clinically sound, patient valued”. We shared highlights from research and scholarship about how MT fits into Integrative Healthcare (for which there is a growing body of good quality research), cost effectiveness, and efficacy for both mental health and pain.

Notable activities include support and participation in a research project titled “Massage Therapy and Canadians’ Healthcare Needs 2020: Revisiting Priorities and Evaluating Progress”. This project was jointly funded MTAS and the RMTAO and developed by the MT-SIG (Massage Therapy Special Interest Group) of the Canadian INCAM Research Network as a follow up to the seminal 2012 National Massage Therapy Research Priority Setting Summit (MT Summit).

An abstract has been accepted and a presentation of this research will be given at the The International Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health, convened by the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health.

Presentation of massage therapy research at interdisciplinary research conferences is novel and gains considerable positive attention! Engagement with international colleagues at research events strengthens relationships for collaboration and MTAS is seen as a Canadian leader in MT research.

In the past year I have enjoyed presenting along with other Board directors and MTAS members with expertise in subject matter, about massage therapy and the research base that supports the therapy, for other healthcare organizations including RUH support groups. 

I will be stepping off the MTAS Board of Directors at the end of this term.  It has been a great pleasure to serve as the MTAS Research Chair and I look forward to continuing to support the organization and the field of massage therapy and massage therapy research in other meaningful ways.

I also encourage you, my fellow members, who view curiosity as a gift and find pleasure in exploring all ways of knowing, to pursue the learning channels that afford individuals the capacity to contribute. Please continue to enjoy education to enhance your research literacy. As my mentors directed me to do, I will also say to the curious, “go get the formal training to conduct research”.  Offer the organization, the field, and the health of the individuals that we care for your expertise to advance massage therapy and to contribute to the well-being of all.

I wish each of you continued good health and well-being.

Respectfully submitted,
Donelda Gowan, RMT, PhD

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EDUCATION/EXAMINATIONS - MIEKA DUECKMAN, RMT

Congratulations and welcome to all the new members of MTAS that joined us in 2021!  Good luck to you as you start your professional career as an RMT.

Last year proved to be another difficult year with COVID-19 still affecting every aspect of our lives.  We continued with the usual three sittings (January, June and August) of our member qualifying exam with all precautions/regulations in place.  From these sittings we accepted 19 new members into our association. Yay!!

In 2021 the only aspect of our exams that changed was the fees associated with new graduates.  After much discussion, we decided to offer our exam at a $0 cost for new graduates.  This has created more opportunity for candidates to participate in our exams without the added financial stress.  We have found this to be a positive move on our part in obtaining additional professional RMTs.

As we proceeded with our exam sittings throughout the year, we realized the quality of education that some candidates are receiving lacks grossly.  This has made it difficult and frustrating for our team of examiners, as basic competency is not being met and therefore lower numbers are passing the exam to become members.  Our exam and exam process remains consistent, in line with the national standards, according to the Inter-Jurisdictional Professional Competencies and Performance Indicators (IJ PC/PI) document developed by FOMTRAC, and our core exam team has stayed the same over many years.  It is our hope that this trend will change and start to move in a more positive direction in 2022.

In another year of uncertainty, many thanks go out to the exam team as it would not be possible without them.  As well, Jayne continues to pour her time and expertise into assisting us in our exams and my appreciation for her is enormous.   

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MEMBERSHIP - JAYNE L. LITTLE, B.A. (HONS)

Membership Composition:

1st year students	3
2nd year students	6
Auxiliary	4
Honourary	4
Non-practicing	40
Non-resident practicing	28
Suspended	2
Practicing	759
TOTAL	846

Removed as members on Oct 31, 2021:  41.

• 19 therapists retired, most identified as in response to COVID-19.
• 9 changed careers.
• 5 switched to another Association.
• 3 moved to another province or country.
• 2 removed by MTAS for non-compliance with con-ed policy.
• Remaining 3 – illness; can’t afford fees or con-ed.

Other changes:

• 18 members switched from practicing to non-practicing status.
• 5 members switched from non-practicing to practicing status.
• We reinstated 2 members who had previously let their membership lapse.
• 23 new members added, including 3 who relocated from a regulated province.

Current members (Feb 16, 2022): 809

Member Services:
Once again, we are reporting on an exhausting and unpredictable year.  If nothing else, out of the turmoil presented by COVID-19 we have learned to become more resilient and better able to rapidly adjust to changing circumstances.  This capacity to evolve will hold us in good stead for whatever challenges come our way in the future.

We have built on the foundation laid in the previous year with on-going familiarization with alternative ways of doing business.  The unconventional has now become the norm.  I maintain my work-from-my-acreage-home schedule on Tuesday and Wednesday and am in the Saskatoon office on Monday and Thursday.  The technology that permits this flexibility ~ virtual private network [VPN] cell phone and e-mail ~ is performing splendidly and has allowed me to continue to provide the level of service our members have come to expect, with little or no trouble except for the odd weather-related rural Internet or cellphone service interruption.  Lori has generously agreed to my remote working arrangement being a permanent option, which I am extremely grateful for as I start to consider what my working life will look like as I transition into retirement.

Our dedicated COVID-19 webpage remained active and as the worldwide crisis evolved, we continued to research the latest news from the Government of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Health Authority and provide our members with timely updates and guidance on the changes as they occurred.  Having survived the past two years, we are all much better equipped to understand the requirements of co-existing with this virus. 

I am delighted to report that this year, our updated online membership renewal/payment system was used by the majority of our members. The online payment and e-transfer options were particularly popular.  This tool has not only streamlined and condensed the renewal process for members but has also brought the added benefit of reducing the amount of paper, ink, and postage we consume, and has significantly cut the time spent on making physical bank deposits.  The savings in human and consumable resources we have seen, and the degree of acceptance by the membership, are encouraging us to work towards a complete shift to online renewal within the next couple of years as we transition into a regulated environment.

Continuing Education:
Business as usual for the office this past year was again different to pre-COVID with respect to continuing education opportunities.  Throughout the year I remained in regular contact with Dr. Mohamed at the University of Saskatchewan Department of Anatomy regarding his cadaver labs.  Unfortunately for our members, the University’s COVID policies continued to prevent them from holding labs for anyone except graduating medical students.  2022 is already much improved in this regard and 26 members are looking forward to the sold-out lab in March.

Being forced to postpone the long-awaited DermoNeuroModulation workshop for another year was a bitter disappointment for the Association and the 40 registrants.  To further compound this setback, Diane Jacobs, the instructor and founder of the modality, decided to fully retire, leading us into a national search for a replacement instructor.  We were fortunate to be able to secure the services of RMT Mike Reoch, from British Columbia, and are eagerly anticipating the new workshop date just prior to the AGM. Thank you to everyone who remained registered or who re-registered for these events. Your patience and understanding are sincerely appreciated.

The 3-year con-ed window closed on October 31st, 2021, and by November 1st 2020,  with one year remaining, 50% of the membership had completed the required credits.  In the continued absence of in-person workshops, I once again spent a substantial amount of my time searching for online con-ed opportunities and working with providers to bring these to our members.  Most of our members are now at least familiar with, if not necessarily enthusiastic about, learning this way.  Besides being less of a financial and time commitment for participants, the opportunity to reach a global marketplace is extremely lucrative and attractive to providers.  Virtual learning is here to stay.   We made available over 100 hours of business credit material, much of it provided free of charge from Women Entrepreneurs of Saskatchewan, Work Wellness Institute, various Chambers of Commerce, and Achieve Centre for Leadership, among others.  Covid-specific webinars were also prolific again this year, as were mental health webinars.  Many of our approved primary course providers continued to convert their in-person class materials to online learning, e.g. Thai Massage, Upledger Institute, RockTape Canada and Seminars for Health.  In March we received one record-breaking submission of primary material from The Brookbush Institute, with 100 online courses totalling 216 credits.  A last-minute relief for a great many members was the free webinar series from the Massage Therapy Foundation, with over 60 hours of learning, made available during October, just before the con-ed window closed.  Also of particular note was the special offer of 80 primary credits from Dr. Edward Kita at Chronic Pain Simplified.  16% of our membership, or 130 members - took advantage of his two-for-one offer, which is the best uptake for one course that I recall in the past 16 years.  

In my report at this time last year, I expressed a wish for a less chaotic year ahead.  While this past year has not been quite as demanding as the previous one, it has, nonetheless, taken a toll on our health, both mental and physical.  Regardless of personal and professional challenges, I attempt to conduct myself by the adage: “Do as you would be done by.” - Charles Kingsley, The Water Babies; and the quote: “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters.” - Alan Simpson.  I believe that treating people respectfully is always the right and honourable thing to do, and so, in closing, I would like to express my humble appreciation to those members who are always thoughtful and kind in their interactions with me, despite often being heavily burdened themselves. 

Respectfully,
Jayne L. Little, B.A.(Hons)

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - LORI GREEN

As I sat down to reflect on the events of this last fiscal year of MTAS, I began to wonder why this has not become a routine task?  Surely, the number of years that I have had the opportunity to participate with members of this professional group and work with leaders within this profession, I must have all the knowledge and know-how that I no longer need to grow and learn?  It was then I realized just like continuing education or quality assurance I do need to continue to find out more, to learn new processes, and to implement these processes into my work.  The last two years can be summed up as learning skills on how to overcome obstacles.  This being walls being built due to COVID-19, workshop cancellations, room rentals disappearing, diversity, and yes, even our office flooding.  The main job of the Administration this year has been not letting the walls stop you but finding ways to climb, move through it or work around it.

So let me begin with the 2020-21 Annual Report:

Board of Directors;  The Board met ten days throughout this fiscal year.  We said hello to Amanda Gara and Natalie Cargan, we said goodbye to Corey Schultze and hello to Lara Brierley and they did not disappoint.  Natalie and Amanda had one conference call before they and Lara joined the Board for planning and orientation.  Our newest Board members are all quick studies that have provided new ideas and new leadership to further the Association, which you will all benefit from in the next year.   We say goodbye and thank you to Donelda Gowan for her many years of service to the Association - as a returning Board member, as a researcher in massage therapy, as our champion on this continent for this profession, and all it has been and all it will become.  Please be grateful to this group of individuals, and to all those who have sat on the Board prior for their contribution to your profession.

Covid once again, continued to be a great adversary for the membership and the office. The office continued to provide regular reports to the membership on Saskatchewan Health public orders and provide recommendations based on consultation with affiliate health groups to the membership. I continued to liaise with the Covid Business Team, Dr. Shahab’s Chief Executive, Chiropractic Association and the Physical Therapists to share concerns and work together on health regulations. I met and spoke with several members throughout the year regarding fear or disappointment with health recommendations and sometimes unmanageable working conditions, and felt the angst and frustrations with you all.   We too, were often left wondering what road on this path should we take?  We have continued to work exceptionally hard reading and resourcing all available reports related to Saskatchewan. In keeping with the strategic direction and planning of the Board of Directors, transparency and communications remained first and foremost as part of my position.

Marketing has been slowly evolving to be more reflective of the membership and patients, through our Facebook promotions, and we have worked on better coverage with engaging more social media and working with two radio sources upcoming.  We continue to work with our partners Mash Strategies, MindzPlay Solutions, and Rawlco Radio to help us navigate best practice, and boost our Association.

We have had good response to most of our Facebook advertisements and continue to see more members sharing some of our promotions on their pages throughout the year.  I would like to remind all the members that the Facebook is a social platform, and to be clear on positions, policies or communications you should always contact the office or look for the information on the MTAS website.  www.saskmassagetherapy.com

New horizons, and new realities have become mainstream for those of us working in the world of administration. Gone are the face to-face meetings and here to stay are endless digital meetings on Zoom, GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and as many of you know, learning to navigate in this realm has not been an easy road for me.  I am extremely grateful and delighted that this year, I will once again be able to meet with familiar faces in real time and real space!  I have not yet determined if this digital world has created more meetings with less productivity, but it did require a complete reset of one’s day of activities at the office.

Education in massage therapy has gone through changes as well, with many of our Institutions now providing more online education.  We have been advised by our examination team that this proved to provide students with obstacles in the transfer of knowledge into the MTAS examination and into the clinics.  I suspect this learning curve will continue to be another wall which we will need to challenge.  We are thrilled with the new members that have come through the door of MTAS with the confidence and commitment to therapeutic massage.

Tim Rutley and I did some online presentations and had the opportunity to provide one in-person presentation to upcoming graduates to promote the benefits, mission and mandate of the Association. We have worked together on a PowerPoint for consideration of membership from students throughout Saskatchewan.

Legislation preparation has certainly taken up a great deal of time with regularly scheduled monthly Wednesday afternoon meetings, and many more with our own team outside of these.  I am very grateful and extremely impressed with the integrity and study that Camille Lapierre, Todd Rintoul, and Ken Ansell have given to the quest for succession from Legislation to the Regulation and opening of the Saskatchewan College of Massage Therapy.

The road has been long, and the details of the Act has been filled with consultation and conversation with the two other Associations that we meet with.  We are nearing the end of the administrative applications and will look forward to the review.

I had the opportunity to be invited to the NIRO group (Network of Inter-professional Regulatory Organizations) as a guest to participate in the meetings with 27 other regulated health professions in Saskatchewan.  This was the highlight of my year, and I was overwhelmed at the collaboration and desire for all to work together in an inclusive environment.

CMTA has gone through many changes this year.  I continue to work within the Management team to move the need for a national network to work together on issues, professional standards, GST exemption, accreditation and the sharing of resources, with other “like” associations. I currently am implementing a working team on Insurance, and am a committee member of the GST exemption group.   The CMTA has moved from an Alliance to an Association and developed a new Facebook page that includes the RMTACT website for the GST exemption.  I would suggest that members go to https://www.crmta.ca and catch up on the National front and share your story in RMTACT.

CMTA is proud to participate in A National Study on Canadian Registered Massage Therapists’ Experiences of Sexual Harassment and Assault by Clients.  Massage therapists are invited to participate in a cross-Canada research study to evaluate massage therapists’ experiences/lack of experiences of sexual harassment and assault by clients led by Morgan Richard (Principal Investigator, University of New Brunswick), Dr. Lucia O’Sullivan (University of New Brunswick), and the Canadian Massage Therapist Association.  The study will provide valuable information about the rates and responses to sexual harassment and assault of therapists by clients.   The link has been sent out to you by our office.

Insurance: I continue to work both nationally with CLHIA (Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association) and benefit providers to bring attention to the benefits of massage therapy to plan providers and to work with our members to assist them with difficulties when dealing with said providers.  Predominant consultation has been done in these areas: cross border (Alberta and Saskatchewan) therapists treating Alberta and Saskatchewan patients and students working in massage therapy clinics for their practicum and submitting receipts for their clients.

In closing I would like thank Jayne Little for her unwavering devotion to our members, whose calm in the most chaotic situations and work ethic will continue to be legendary long after she has retired.  I would also like to thank Mieka Dueckman who has joined us in a part-time position as Chief Examiner and has navigated through rough water in a pandemic while dealing with running a clinic with changing rules.   This has been a difficult year for me and many others, and it has been humbling to receive the support and the camaraderie of the Board and my co-workers.

I will continue to navigate these walls and continue to build with you an Association that we can all be proud of.  May we continue on this path, and work towards legislation and peace in all areas of our lives.

Lori

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NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE – Erin Sobkow, Vice President

The 2020-2021 MTAS Board of Directors consisted of 8 members. 

• Camille Lapierre
• Erin Sobkow
• Aileen Tran-Mapletoft
• Amanda Gara (Appt)
• Donelda Gowan
• Corey Schultz (retired)
• Lara Brierley (Appt)
• Tim Rutley
• Natalie Cargan

I would like to say thank you and acknowledge all the hard work of our Board members both to returning Directors, and our newly appointed and nominated Directors.

I would like to thank Dr. Donelda Gowan who is retiring from the Board of Directors and MTAS.  We are grateful for the years that you have given to the Board, the Association, and the profession.

Five members will be continuing their second-year terms:  Camille Lapierre, Erin Sobkow, Aileen Tran Mapletoft, Tim Rutley and Natalie Cargan.

There are currently three positions open on the Board of Directors. The Board is putting forth Lara Brierley who was appointed to replace Corey Schultz in the Competency Committee and Amanda Gara who was appointed as Treasurer. Their nomination (and biographies) applications are in this report.  

We had sent out a nominations ballot with our proxy votes and pre-AGM package. We are currently seeking a nominee for member-at-large. If you are interested in these in running for the Board of Directors, please contact the office for us to distribute your nomination prior to March 23rd.

Click here to download the complete nominations

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 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.   All interested applicants who are eligible for election or re- election to the Board of Directors must have the MTAS application form submitted a minimum of twenty-one days prior to the Annual General Meeting. All applicants’ biographies will be provided in the Annual General Meeting reports

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.  

Financial Statements

Click here to view the audited 2021 financial statements.

Bylaw Amendments

Amendment #1

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.  

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.

BIRT: To replace Section 3.3 to read:

3.3 Election to the Board

The Members entitled to vote thereat shall elect Board Members to replace retiring Board Members and fill the vacant Board positions.

Voting may be held at the Annual General Meeting or
Through an online vote held prior to Annual General Meeting through a certified voting system.

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.

Rationale:

Online and digital communications have become mainstream in communication.  The opportunity to have digital voting allows all members the same opportunity to elect the Association’s representatives.

A certified online provider ensures individual ballots are 100% confidential, and the MTAS will receive voting results in final tabulated and aggregated form only.

Eligible members would receive an email prior to the with voting instructions and a link to the voting website. Ballots must be cast by over a series of days to allow more members to participate.

Moved by: E. Sobkow
Seconded by: K. Ansell

Motions from Members

AGM Forms

Motions form - must be submitted no later than March 23rd .

Nominations form.

Proxy voting form - must be submitted no later than March 29th.