A Reimbursement Framework Frozen in 2014

An Open Letter to the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) and the Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance

We recognize the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario’s (FSRA) role as the regulator of Ontario’s automobile insurance system and its responsibility for overseeing insurers, health service providers, and the delivery of care to injured persons. As the regulator responsible for maintaining a fair, effective, and sustainable automobile insurance framework, we believe FSRA has not fulfilled its responsibility to ensure that reimbursement under the Professional Services Guideline (PSG) reflects the realities of delivering regulated health care in Ontario.

Physiotherapist Reimbursement Rates Unchanged Since 2014

While physiotherapist reimbursement rates under the Professional Services Guideline have remained unchanged since 2014, Ontario’s five largest automobile insurance groups received approved premium increases averaging approximately 42% between 2018 and 2026, with total company-specific increases ranging from approximately 35% to more than 60%.¹ At the same time, the 2016 automobile insurance reforms substantially reduced accident benefit coverage, including lowering medical and rehabilitation funding limits from $2 million to $1 million for catastrophic impairments and from $100,000 to $65,000 for non-catastrophic injuries. As a result of premium increases, stagnant reimbursement rates, and reduced funding, people in Ontario are paying significantly more for less, and physiotherapists are stretched thin as they work to provide high-quality care with outdated funding.

Report Shows Increasing Disparity Between Cost of Care and PSG Reimbursement Rate

The disconnect between reimbursement and the actual cost of care has become increasingly pronounced. The Ontario Physiotherapy Association’s 2026 Ontario Physiotherapy Market Fee Report found that the average fee for a 60-minute physiotherapy assessment or treatment in Ontario is $148.00.² By comparison, the Professional Services Guideline continues to reimburse a maximum of $99.75 per hour for non-catastrophic impairments and $119.92 per hour for catastrophic impairments; rates established in 2014 and never updated.

Physiotherapists are expected to deliver high-quality, evidence-informed care within a funding model that no longer reflects the realities of operating a modern health care practice. Clinics are paying 2026 wages, rent, professional liability insurance, technology costs, regulatory expenses, and increasing administrative costs while reimbursement remains at 2014 levels. There is a limit to how long providers can be expected to do more with less.

Access to Care Challenges Increases Health System Burden

As financial pressures continue to mount, physiotherapists are increasingly challenged to participate in Ontario’s automobile insurance system, making access to care more difficult for injured people living in Ontario. Restricting rehabilitation funding does not reduce overall costs, it simply shifts those costs elsewhere in the health care system. Injured individuals may require additional visits to family physicians, walk-in clinics, emergency departments, and other publicly funded services to manage conditions that could have been addressed through timely access to physiotherapy. Delayed recovery may also contribute to longer periods away from work, prolonged disability, increased reliance on public and private supports, and poorer quality of life.

For more than two decades, Ontario’s automobile insurance reforms have increasingly relied on reducing rehabilitation funding through benefit caps and constrained reimbursement. After years of these policies, it is reasonable to ask whether they have achieved their intended objectives. Have they improved recovery outcomes? Reduced long-term disability? Shortened time away from work? Reduced litigation? Lowered insurance premiums for people living in Ontario? These are fundamental public policy questions that deserve transparent evaluation.

Ontario’s automobile insurance system should prioritize timely access to rehabilitation because evidence consistently demonstrates that early intervention improves recovery, supports return to work, and reduces the long-term impact of injury. Instead, the current reimbursement framework is moving in the opposite direction. It is time to bring physiotherapy reimbursement in line with today’s economic realities and with comparable standards across Canada.

The Ontario Physiotherapy Association calls on FSRA and the Ministry of Finance to:

Increase physiotherapist reimbursement rates under the Professional Services Guideline to reflect the actual cost of delivering care;

Establish a transparent and predictable process for regularly reviewing and updating reimbursement rates so they keep pace with inflation and economic conditions; and

Publicly release the outcome of FSRA’s review of the Professional Services Guideline and implement its recommendations without further delay.

Restore Fair and Sustainable Reimbursement Rates in PSG

Ontario’s physiotherapists remain committed to helping injured people recover, return to work, and resume their daily lives following injury. However, a sustainable rehabilitation system requires reimbursement that reflects the cost of delivering evidence-informed care.

Ontario’s automobile insurance system should not ask injured people to accept reduced benefits, providers to absorb rising costs, and consumers to pay higher premiums. Updating the Professional Services Guideline is an essential step toward restoring a fair, sustainable, and effective accident benefits system. A reimbursement framework frozen in 2014 cannot meet the needs of Ontario in 2026.

Help us Advocate. Take Action Today.

There are two ways you can help us advocate for fairer reimbursement rates for physiotherapists:

Sign OPA’s petition.

Write to Mr. Glen Padassery, Executive Vice President, Policy and Auto/Insurance Products, FSRA, and Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance. Simply read the letter on our website, add your name and email, and press send.

Footnotes

Unweighted average of approved premium increase calculated across Ontario’s five largest automobile insurance groups (Intact, Aviva, TD Insurance, Desjardins, and Co-operators) and their subsidiaries using approved Ontario private passenger automobile insurance rate filings from 2018–2026. https://autorateapprovals.fsrao.ca/
Ontario Physiotherapy Association. Ontario Physiotherapy Compensation and Fee Report: 2026. Ontario Physiotherapy Association, April 9, 2026.

Navigating Your Route to Success: A Night of Insight, Networking and Professional Growth

June 24, 2026 Post-Event Highlights

OPA Central Toronto District Student New to Practice Event

The Central Toronto District’s Navigating Your Route to Success event was a resounding success, bringing together over 50 second-year PT students and new grads for an evening of honest conversation about life after graduation.

The evening opened with a presentation from OPA Board Director and private practice owner Jennifer Howey. Jennifer offered attendees a clear-eyed look at the current job market, an overview of different hiring models, and practical guidance on career direction and personal branding. From there, a panel of four physiotherapists, representing hospitals, rehab facilities, private practice, and advanced practice settings, shared their own career journeys and fielded questions from the audience.

Organizer Jackie Tucker described the event as a huge success, noting the overwhelmingly positive feedback from students who attended. Fellow organizer Tiffany Tiu echoed that sentiment, sharing that students were so engaged and full of questions that the evening ran long, so long, in fact, that a few planned activities had to be cut to make room for conversation.

A big thank you to everyone who came out to Cumberland St. and made this evening such a meaningful one for the next generation of physiotherapists. Keep an eye on the OPA calendar for more events like this one!

Another Successful Donate Your Kicks Campaign!

The OPA Windsor District extends a huge thank you to everyone across Windsor-Essex who participated in the 2026 Donate Your Kicks Campaign! Held throughout the month of May in celebration of National Physiotherapy Month, the shoe drive was organized by Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) and the Windsor District of OPA to help stock the HDGH Clothing Closet, giving patients access to footwear and clothing they may need.

The campaign’s goal is simple but meaningful: a good pair of shoes can make all the difference in a patient’s recovery. Without proper footwear, mobility and rehabilitation can be significantly harder to achieve. Thanks to the generosity of staff, students, volunteers, and the wider community, patients throughout the rehab hospital now have greater access to the shoes they need to get moving again.

This year’s campaign wouldn’t have been possible without the support of several community partners who set up their own collection boxes, including:

The Running Factory (Manager Kristy Ireland)

Riverside Physiotherapy (Troy Sajatovich, PT, and staff)

Loaring Physiotherapy (Wesley Bellemore, PT, and staff)

Leap Physiotherapy (Alex Graham, PT, and staff)

Willow Health Centre, Chatham (Tegan Vermey, PT, and staff)

Erie Shores and Rehabilitation, Kingsville (Roberta Weston, PT, and staff)

Erie Shores and Rehabilitation Kingsville

Tecumseh Physiotherapy (Danese Tezer and Sarah Primeau, PTs, and staff)

A special thank you was also extended to HDGH Rehab 4 volunteer Simona Brezeanu, who generously gave up her own time to clean, sort, and organize more than 200 pairs of donated shoes! Her dedication and hard work behind the scenes made a huge difference in getting these donations ready for patients in need.

The OPA Windsor District thanks everyone who donated, collected, and volunteered to make this year’s campaign such a success, and looks forward to bringing the Donate Your Kicks Campaign back again next year!

Ontario Doctor Sounds the Alarm: Cutting Publicly Funded Physiotherapy Will Cost Us Far More

A Toronto family physician is calling out the Ford government’s decision to freeze publicly funded physiotherapy. The numbers behind her argument are hard to ignore.

Dr. Iris Garfinkel Toronto doctor warns of physiotherapy cuts

Dr. Iris Gorfinkel

Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, a family physician and clinical researcher, recently published an op-ed in the Toronto Star describing the real-world consequences she sees daily in her practice. “I typically see three patients a day who require rehab,” she writes. “Most don’t want medications. They want to get better.” What they need, she explains, is supervised exercise, but what she can prescribe, without limit, is drugs.

Read Toronto Star op-ed (open to Toronto Star subscribers only)

A System Built on Underfunding

The Ontario Physiotherapy Association (OPA) has long raised concerns about chronic underfunding of the Community Physiotherapy Clinic (CPC) Program; a program that provides publicly funded physiotherapy to primarily seniors and youth. The gap between need and funding has been growing for decades, and it’s getting worse. Since 2013, Ontario’s senior population has grown by 940,000. In that same period, available CPC referrals grew by only 17,000. Operating costs for program delivery have risen 40%, while program funding has increased by a mere $20 in 13 years. While clinics deliver on average 6.2 visits per patient referred, the funding of $334 only covers about 3 of those visits, forcing them to operate at a loss.

The Ford government’s latest move freezes clinic funding at zero growth for the next two years. Ontario needs funding to serve 195,000 referrals annually to this program to align with the growing senior population. Current funding will cover only 140,000.

The Math Is Clear

What makes this freeze especially difficult to justify is the return on investment. Every $1 invested in the CPC Program saves the government $4 in other healthcare costs. The program prevents an estimated 70,000 emergency department visits every year, while also reducing hospital admissions, diagnostic imaging, surgeries, and specialist consultations.

Defunding physiotherapy doesn’t eliminate the need for care. It shifts the cost to much more costly care – emergency rooms, operating rooms, and long-term care – and access to physiotherapy is still needed.

Real Patients, Real Consequences

Dr. Gorfinkel describes one of her patients: a 72-year-old grandmother in tears, her knee failing her, who had already waited six weeks on a physiotherapy waitlist. “She could have fractured her hip,” Gorfinkel writes. Falls and fractures are among the most costly and preventable outcomes in senior care, and timely physiotherapy is one of the most effective tools we have to prevent them.

Research backs this up. A landmark Sunnybrook study following nearly 900 colon cancer patients found that those in a supervised exercise program were more likely to remain disease-free eight years later and cost $1,600 less per patient than those who received educational materials alone. Exercise and rehabilitation aren’t optional. They are evidence-based medicines.

The Downstream Risk

OPA has also flagged that underfunding the CPC Program impacts other publicly funded programs, including the Bundled Care Program for hip and knee replacements. When the government underinvests in rehabilitation, it signals that access to physiotherapy is optional, while simultaneously pushing greater demand onto already-strained parts of the healthcare system.

Several physiotherapy clinics across Ontario have decided that they can no longer afford to deliver care through this program. And many more have signaled their planned departure from the program, if the funding does not increase to meet their operational costs. Each departure from the program means one fewer physiotherapist available to people in Ontario who rely on publicly funded services; leaving many with no access.

What Needs to Change

The fix is evident:

1. Eliminate the cap of 142,000 patient referrals and fund the access that people in Ontario actually need.

2. Raise the per-patient rate to account for increasing operating costs, and ensure people in Ontario continue to have access to essential physiotherapy services.

As Dr. Gorfinkel states: “When my patient is left to cry because she can’t get rehab without her credit card, the real sickness isn’t arthritis; it’s political neglect.”

The evidence hasn’t changed. The question is whether Ontario’s government is willing to act on it.

Ford Government Pushes Community Physiotherapy Clinic Program Into Funding Crisis

The Ontario Physiotherapy Association (OPA) is sounding the alarm as the Community Physiotherapy Clinic (CPC) Program faces a critical funding crisis that will hurt communities across Ontario.

Despite a proven track record of saving healthcare dollars, the program has been pushed to a breaking point due to chronic underfunding over the last 13 years. Current Government funding is currently less than clinics’ costs of delivering the service. Regardless, the government recently notified clinics that there is no increase in patient funding or program capacity for the next two years.

Many CPC clinics are small businesses that cannot sustain such continuing losses and will have to exit the Program. That will leave many communities without access to publicly-funded physiotherapy, after surgery, or injury.

The CPC Program is a vital health service for patients who qualify, mostly seniors, and those who do not have private insurance. With seniors making up over 80% of the program’s patients, the lack of adequate funding puts thousands at risk.

Sarah Hutchison, CEO of the Ontario Physiotherapy Association, stated:

“Despite a commitment to end hallway medicine and increase investments in primary care and home care, it appears that this government undervalues the Community Physiotherapy Program’s role in achieving both objectives. There is no increase in funding for physiotherapy clinics who deliver care and no response to the growth of wait lists and wait times for services. A mere $20 increase in funding over 13 years speaks for itself.”

Reflecting on the government’s position, OPA President Courtney Bean stated:

“The news regarding the government’s lack of support for Community Physiotherapy Clinics (CPCs) is deeply troubling and inconsistent with what Ontario seniors and our health-system partners need in 2026. As our acute care system is under increasing strain, our health system needs better access to rehabilitation and the ability for people to stay independent in their homes and communities. Despite this, access to valuable care by physiotherapists through CPCs is being challenged. This lack of funding will erode access to already strained services for many seniors living in this province.”

The Ontario Physiotherapy Association calls on the Ford government to think again and provide immediate, sustainable funding to ensure that seniors and vulnerable populations living in Ontario are not left behind.

Background

An Undeniable Return on Investment

Investing in this program is one of the most cost-effective ways to support the provincial healthcare budget. The CPC Program currently delivers extraordinary value:

System Savings: Every $1 invested in the CPC Program saves the government $4 in other healthcare costs.

Emergency Prevention: The program prevents 70,000 emergency department visits annually.

Reduced Strain: It reduces hospital admissions, diagnostic imaging costs, surgeries, and specialist consultations.

A single emergency department visit costs $275. The CPC Program’s value is clear, but the government isn’t investing to match it.

The Widening Gap in Care

The disparity between Ontario’s growing population and needed health care funding is stark:

Population Growth: Ontario’s senior population has grown by 940,000 since 2013.

Stagnant Access: In that same period, available CPC referrals have grown by only 17,000.

Underfunding: While operating costs have increased 40%, referral funding has increased only 6%.

On a Dangerous Path

OPA notes that the funding for the CPC Program directly impacts funding for other programs, including the Bundled Care program for hip and knee replacements. If the government underinvests today, it sends a message devaluing access to needed physiotherapy services that support a return to function, and shifts the burden of care to other parts of our health care system.

Find out more

OPA Thanks Volunteers

April 19 –25, 2026

This National Volunteer Week, the Ontario Physiotherapy Association wants to take a moment to say thank you.

To every OPA volunteer who has given their time, expertise, and energy to the Association, your contributions matter deeply. You are the reason OPA is able to advocate, evolve, and remain relevant to the members and profession it serves.

What Volunteers Make Possible

OPA volunteers show up in so many ways. Whether you’re guiding the Association’s strategic direction as a member of the Board of Directors, bringing local voices to the provincial stage at the District level, engaging with government and stakeholders on behalf of the profession, or advising staff and leadership on sector-specific issues through a committee, the work you do is invaluable.

You bring more than your professional knowledge to these roles. You bring your perspective, your passion, and your commitment to a profession that improves the lives of patients across Ontario every day. It’s the shared dedication between volunteers, staff, and leadership, that makes OPA’s success possible.

Member volunteers are essential to the work and vision of OPA. They provide their experience, expertise and passion to support and strengthen the Association and the profession.

Members Advancing Physiotherapy Through Community Engagement

OPA volunteers are the living expression of what it means to be part of a member-led association. By dedicating your time to this work, you are not just supporting OPA, you are shaping the future of physiotherapy in Ontario. Your involvement ensures that the profession’s voice is heard, that decisions reflect the realities of practice across every sector and corner of the province, and that the next generation of physiotherapists inherits a stronger profession than the one before.

The impact of your service extends well beyond board tables and committee calls. It is felt in advocacy wins, in the resources available to members, in the professional development opportunities offered, and in the trust that patients and policymakers place in physiotherapy across Ontario.

OPA Volunteers Gain Immeasurably

Volunteering with OPA impacts the lives of the volunteers. They often tell us they have:

Built meaningful connections with colleagues and partners from across the province

Grown as leaders, communicators, and strategic thinkers

Gained insight into the broader health system and the profession’s place within it

Found a deeper sense of purpose and connection to the work of physiotherapy

Inspired to Get Involved?

If you’re an OPA member who has been thinking about getting involved, there is a place for you. Apply to join the Board of Directors, join one of our eight committees or participate locally with our Districts. Learn more about volunteering or reach out to us at physiomail@opa.on.ca with any questions.

Learn about volunteering

Update on CPC TPA

OPA Meeting with Ministry of Health

OPA met with the Ministry of Health (MoH)on Friday, March 27, 2026.

At this time, OPA has been advised that the TPA for the CPC Program is not ready for distribution. We appreciate that this uncertainty and delay will be frustrating for you recognizing that as we approach April 1, we are not able to share any information about changes in either EOC compensation or volume. 

As you will be aware from our prior communications with you, we have strongly advocated for meaningful increases in both compensation for EOCs and the volume of EOCs that are allocated to the program given the demand for services in the community. 

In discussion with the Ministry they have confirmed the following:

The exact date for the distribution of the next TPA cannot be confirmed and may not occur before April 1.

If you continue to provide services AFTER April 1 and BEFORE you are able to sign a new TPA you will be paid for those services IF YOU SIGN and return the new TPA once it is available. Funds cannot be flowed to you before the TPA is fully executed.

Once you receive the TPA the expectation of return is approximately two weeks. You will have to sign and return the TPA in order to be paid for any services that you provide after April 1, 2026 . The services after April 1, 2026, will be paid at the rate in the new TPA Agreement.

If you sign and return the TPA and later find the terms unacceptable, you can withdraw from the CPC Program. You will then be paid for any services delivered from April 1 until your withdrawal.

We will continue to meet with the CPC Program Team at the Ministry of Health and provide you with any updates as they are available.

Advocating for Greater Sustainability in the CPC Program

About the Community Physiotherapy Clinic (CPC) Program

The CPC Program provides access to vital physiotherapy services throughout Ontario. Launched in 2013, the CPC Program has provided almost 10 million treatments. It successfully complements diverse primary care, home care, integration, and care-continuity government priorities.

Certain criteria apply for those who can seek treatment at a CPC. This includes seniors (65 and over), youth (under 19), people who have had an overnight hospital stay, or an outpatient/day surgery procedure and recipients of ODSP.

The CPC Program runs out of both hospital and community clinics across Ontario. Providers hold a Transfer Payment Agreement (TPA) with the Ministry of Health (MoH). The TPA is expected to be renewed in April 2026.

Program providers are allocated a certain number of Episodes of Care (EOCs) each year. The current EOC payment amount is $334.38

CPC Working Group Launched

OPA struck a CPC Working Group in 2025 to help prepare for the forthcoming Transfer Payment Agreement (TPA) renewal in April 2026. The TPA is a binding contract between the Ministry of Health and an external recipient such as a license holder of a Community Physiotherapy Clinic to fund public services. The TPA determines the conditions under which providers are compensated by the Government of Ontario.

What Are the Issues

Over successive consultations, OPA members have raised concerns about the CPC Program and its sustainability. Program participants, especially those based in the community, speak to growing challenges in the Program’s delivery and broader misunderstandings among system stakeholders.

Challenges include low compensation, too few EOCs to meet population needs, lack of transparency about the program’s allocation of EOCs and misunderstanding of the program’s goals among stakeholders.

CPC Program Users and EOCs

Seniors are the most frequent users of the Community Physiotherapy Clinic program. More than 80% of EOCs are utilized by individuals 65 and older.

Investments in EOCs, which promote early upstream access to care in the community, mean a decreased need for much more expensive institutional care. OPA is advocating for an increase in the number of EOCs to effectively address the growing health needs of seniors in Ontario. See the chart below.

year	senior population	eoc volume
2013	~ 2,000,000	125,000
2025	~ 2,940,000 + 940,000 (+ 47 %)	142,000 + *17,000 (~ +14%)*
2028	~ 3,600,000 + 1,600,000 (+80%) (2013) + 660,000 (+23%) (2025)	Proposed: 195,000 70,000 (+56% – 2013) 53,000 (+37% – 2025)

CPC Survey Results

OPA launched a survey in November 2025 directed to CPC Program TPA holders. The survey highlights four themes that emerged from the respondents:

EOC Compensation

EOC Volume

CPC Program allocation and service transparency

CPC Program awareness among system stakeholders

Recommendations to the Ministry of Health (MoH)

OPA completed additional research which supported survey respondents’ concerns and interests. Survey results were discussed with the MoH in December 2025. In January 2026, a meeting summary was sent to the MoH with the following recommendations: 

EOC Payment: Increasing the rate from $334.38 to a range between $487.50 to $617.50 based on an average of 6.5 treatment sessions per EOC.

EOC Volume: Increasing the total volume of EOCs to 195,000 per year from 142,000 per year.

Improving CPC Program Activity Communication: Developing a report on EOC allocation and utilization, diagnostic codes, and Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROM) data.

Improving CPC Program Awareness among Stakeholders: Co-developing a visual aide for system stakeholders to clarify the CPC Program’s purpose, use, and criteria.

Among these four recommendations, EOC payment increases are the most critical part of the TPA. Increasing EOC volume alone requires clinics to provide more units of care that must be subsidized by other programs, such as WSIB or private insurance.

Recent Meeting with the MoH

OPA met with the MoH and CPC survey respondents on February 11, 2026, to share survey results and explore concerns raised by CPC providers. The MoH appreciated the program feedback and survey results and has committed to providing bi-weekly feedback with the proposals OPA made.

What’s Next

OPA will continue to communicate with CPC Program providers and advocate with the Ministry of Health prior to the TPA renewal in April 2026.

Brian Pearce: Optimizing Impact in Primary Care

Physiotherapist Brian Pearce in a primary care team setting

Brian Pearce is a Registered Physiotherapist at Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre in downtown Toronto. With 11 years of experience as a physiotherapist, Brian has worked in private outpatient orthopedics and hospital settings, with the most recent seven years spent working in primary care.

Team-Based Care and Scope Optimization

Brian’s move into primary care was motivated by a desire to practice within a more integrated model of care. In private practice settings, he notes, physiotherapists often work with limited clinical information about the patient. Working within a primary care team enables shared access to medical records, including medical histories, medication lists, diagnostic imaging and laboratory reports, and hospital and specialist consult notes. All of these medical reports help to inform assessment, diagnosis and management.

“You’re not privy to a lot of information when you see a patient in private practice,” Brian explains. “It’s really interesting to have the opportunity to work within a primary care team where you have all this information at your disposal.”

This access promotes real collaboration within the team and enables a broader role for physiotherapists who contribute to comprehensive care planning and management of patients.

Brian says that working in the same location as other primary care providers has allowed him to develop a strong sense of trust with his team members. “A lot of times it’s just having those informal water cooler conversations about a patient that we’re co-managing. Often it’s through those informal discussions that other providers really understand your thought processes and competencies as a clinician.

Those conversations have led to the creation of a medical directive for Brian to order x-rays and ultrasounds which has been in place for three years. Brian’s physician colleagues would like to see an even broader scope of practice for physiotherapy, including joint injections. Brian notes that having medical directives in place promotes all around efficiency – for both the patient and providers.

Musculoskeletal Care and First Contact

Brian indicates that most of the care he provides is orthopedics, however, he identifies the common overlap with chronic disease management. He identifies, for example, the connection between metabolic diseases including obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and osteoarthritis and tendinopathy. In his role he works to support the client holistically.

When a client accesses physiotherapy directly (ie. a first contact role), Brian observes that patients don’t see their family physician or nurse practitioner as often for that condition. He notes about his physician colleagues: “A lot of times in one visit they’re dealing with five or more different problems that their patients are coming in for. They have a chronic COPD exacerbation and then they’re talking about their diabetes and then somewhere during their visit they bring up their back pain and knee pain or maybe they’ve got polyarthritis in their hands. So, if I’m able to take on a more central role in managing our client’s MSK concerns, I’m pleased to help take that burden off the shoulders of our GP and NP colleagues.”

Brian has expanded his role in primary care even further by completing his training with the Advanced Clinical Practitioner in Arthritis Care (ACPAC) program. The ACPAC program provides post-licensure training for health care professionals to independently assess, diagnose, triage, and manage rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. Brian tells the story of a patient who he suspected had rheumatoid arthritis. “Through the training I received with the ACPAC program we were able to order the appropriate blood work and diagnostic imaging studies which indicated that inflammatory arthritis was high on the list of differential diagnoses. As a result, this client was seen by the Rheumatology team at St. Michael’s Hospital within 3 weeks where he was formally diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Care Across the Lifespan

Primary care is fundamentally oriented toward continuity says Brian “I think of what primary care is, and its longitudinal care over the lifespan,” he says. Patients may be followed for extended periods, particularly those managing chronic pain, functional decline, or complex health conditions which provides a unique opportunity for patient support.

This long-term focus helps redefine expectations around physiotherapy outcomes. “Any real physical change someone would demonstrate through exercise or other interventions…you’re going to appreciate that more over a longer time frame,” Brian notes. He explains that for chronic disease management, a consultative model, with check ins every 2 to 3 months, can be helpful for longer term support.

Physiotherapy Service Model

Brian reports that he typically sees 7 to 10 patients in a day, depending on the number of assessments and follow ups in a day. Although there is no set number of sessions per patient, Brian must balance the demand for service. He accomplishes this by focusing on active rehabilitation strategies, with a strong focus on patient education and self-management. This model allows for the right amount of care to be provided according to the presenting problem. Some patients require more, some less, but on average patients are seen for 4 to 5 physiotherapy sessions in Toronto area Community Health Centres. For Brian, impact is measured by whether physiotherapy supports his patients in managing their health more effectively over time.

The Time is Now

The Ontario government is currently making significant investments in expanding team-based primary care through the Primary Care Action Team. Brian’s work illustrates how physiotherapists are essential to promote access to effective and efficient primary care for the management of musculoskeletal conditions. Full implementation of physiotherapy scope will only contribute to improved patient access, faster diagnosis and improved health outcomes.

For more information about physiotherapy in primary care, please see:

Physiotherapists in Primary Care Teams: Optimizing Attachment, Access & Outcomes

Are You our Next Member Spotlight?

Do you want to be featured? Are you in an innovative role? Spoken about physiotherapy in a podcast or the news? Published an article? Or represented the physiotherapy profession through advocacy?

We want to celebrate you as a physiotherapist, PT or PTA student or PTA!

Submit your story

OPA 2026 Vision: The Future of Physiotherapy in Ontario

As we move into 2026, we share an extraordinary degree of optimism for the physiotherapy profession. We believe it will be recognized and valued even more for the impact we have on function, health, and well-being.

Physiotherapy helps people across their lifespan, wherever they access health care in the system.

Our mission at OPA is clear. We are here to Support our members through advocacy, professional development, and career support. We Influence and shape decisions that affect the profession. We Empower our members to provide the utmost in safe and high-quality care to all people and communities we serve.  

As your provincial professional association, we recognize both the honour and the importance of representing your voice. Working with the Ontario government and key decision-makers, we represent you on the issues that matter most to you. Our focus is on the policies, funding decisions, and structures that affect your work every day and your patients.

As we head into the New Year, we are set on achieving progress in the following areas:

A Thriving Workforce and Practice Settings
Our priorities include:

Continuing our efforts to advance scope implementation

Supporting the development and appropriate funding of physiotherapists in first contact primary care roles

Advancing the Community Physiotherapy Clinic program in 2026 with a focus on program awareness, expansion and appropriate compensation

Refining our 2026 OPA Fee Guideline with sector-specific information

Working with FRSA (Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario) and the Ministry of Finance to make long-overdue compensation changes

Health System Transformation

We are supporting physiotherapists and their teams by:

Promoting interprofessional team-based care

Advancing physiotherapists’ participation in health system transformation with a focus on Home and Community Care and Long-Term Care

Making it easier to deliver informed patient care by gaining access to provincial digital assets (Diagnostic Imaging Repository, OLIS – Ontario Laboratories Information Systems)

Our Membership

We are most successful with your involvement and partnership. This is why OPA listens to and engages students, new graduates, PTAs, and physiotherapists throughout their careers. Our volunteers on committees, district executives and our Board of Directors make sure our work is relevant and positively impactful. We couldn’t do this without you.

Transparent and Inclusive

The processes and supports we develop matter. We continue to make them more accessible, inclusive, and transparent. We celebrate our wins, share progress with our members regularly and invite you to participate at any time.

As we move into 2026 and our bold initiatives, reflecting on the successes of 2025 provides us with confidence and a roadmap for moving forward. Thank you for your support and confidence in us – together, we can accomplish so much more!

Sincerely,

Sarah Hutchison, CEO & Courtney Bean, President