OPA is excited to celebrate the Ontario winners of the CPA Awards!
Helen Johnson – Life Membership Award
This award is presented to current or former CPA members who have contributed to the growth of the profession through at least 25 years of service at local and/or national levels.
Helen Johnson has been an active volunteer with the Ontario Physiotherapy Association for many years. She was the District President for the Windsor District, was a volunteer, and has presented multiple times at our conference, InterACTION. She also volunteered on our committees and Board of Directors, and contributed her voice to OPA’s advocacy.
Helen is also the 2006 recipient of the Professional Contribution – External, OPA Award.
Parag Shah – Clinical Education Award
Congratulations to Parag Shah, an Ontario member, for winning the Clinical Education Award. This award is presented to a member who has made outstanding contributions to the clinical education of physiotherapy students.
Alyssa Benitez – H. S. Rahikka Student Leadership Award
Alyssa Benitez is the Co-President of the Central Toronto District of OPA. We are excited to see her recognized nationally for her leadership skills! Congratulations Alyssa!
Iris Wang – H. S. Rahikka Student Leadership Award
The Helen Saarinen Rahikka Student Leadership Award is presented to a student member who has demonstrated leadership and made outstanding contributions to the promotion of the profession. Iris has participated in Ontario activities including joining us at InterACTION 2024 and acting as a voting delegate for OPA’s Annual General Meeting in 2025. Congratulations Iris!
Sarah Arulchelvam is a new to practice physiotherapist making impactful strides in a unique and evolving role in an Emergency Department (ED). With a passion for acute care and a flexible, team-based approach, she is helping to push the boundaries of physiotherapy practice in Ontario.
“I graduated from McMaster University’s physiotherapy program in August 2024, so I still consider myself a relatively new graduate,” Sarah explains. “After completing the program, I was drawn to the acute care setting because of the fast-paced, collaborative nature of the hospital environment.”
Sarah began her career at Michael Garron Hospital, a community hospital in Toronto, where she primarily worked in oncology and geriatrics. Her interest, however, in exploring different practice areas and settings developed early on.
“During school, I became aware of physiotherapy in the Emergency Department as an emerging role, though full-time opportunities were quite limited at the time,” she says. “So, when a position opened in the ED at Markham Stouffville Hospital, I was excited to take the opportunity and make that transition. I’m still new in this position and continue to learn and grow within the role, but it’s been a rewarding experience so far.”
Pushing Scope and Supporting Flow
Working in the Emergency Department requires adaptability and interdisciplinary collaboration. “In the ED, the dynamic and resource-limited environment often calls for physiotherapists to extend their role beyond traditional boundaries, always within safe, ethical, and team-based frameworks,” says Sarah.
“As the consistent allied health provider on the floor, I frequently take on tasks that support patient care and flow.”
Sarah often assists with occupational therapy responsibilities, such as equipment recommendations, activities of daily living (ADL) assessments, and basic cognitive screenings. She also initiates referrals to community services and contributes to discharge planning, all of which are roles that are not traditionally part of physiotherapy but are essential in this setting.
“I believe this kind of interdisciplinary flexibility is necessary in today’s emergency care settings and reflects how the physiotherapy role is evolving in acute environments like the ED.”
A Generalist Approach for Complex Care
Rather than narrowing her focus early, Sarah chose a broad clinical approach to meet the unpredictable needs of the ED. “As a new graduate, I bring current, evidence-based knowledge across all major areas of physiotherapy, including musculoskeletal (MSK), neurological, and cardiorespiratory,” she says. “I’ve embraced a generalist approach, which has been a real strength in the ED.”
This approach allows her to perform MSK special tests, vertigo assessments like the Dix-Hallpike, and assist in patient flow coordination. While some of these assessments are atypical for a hospital setting, they are critical for providing thorough assessments and optimal care.
Sarah also works closely with geriatric nurse practitioners to create discharge plans for non-admit older adults. She balances short-term supports with long-term planning, such as initiating long-term care applications or retirement home referrals.
Impact on Patient Outcomes and System Goals
The physiotherapy role in the ED is particularly impactful for non-admit patients such as those who receive care without being formally admitted. “A significant portion of these individuals are older adults who present with issues such as falls, pain, or difficulty coping at home,” Sarah explains.
“While they may not require hospital admission, their needs still warrant timely assessment and intervention.”
By optimizing mobility, supporting pain management, and contributing to discharge planning, Sarah helps prevent unnecessary admissions and ensures safe transitions back to the community.
“Although still early in my time in this role, I’ve seen firsthand how early physiotherapy involvement can support better patient flow and lead to more appropriate, timely discharges.”
She also emphasizes the importance of early mobilization in reducing deconditioning and contributing to shorter ED stays, especially for high-risk or geriatric patients.
Policy, Advocacy, and Education
Sarah believes that for system-level goals like reducing hallway medicine and readmissions, physiotherapists must be engaged from the outset. “Many government-funded clinical pathways are designed with the expectation of short hospital stays,” she explains. “To meet these timelines, system-level decision-makers must recognize that discharge planning begins the moment a patient is admitted.”
She urges policymakers to appreciate how early physiotherapy assessment can coordinate care and prevent complications.
“Early mobilization not only prevents deconditioning and reduces complications but also serves as a cost-saving strategy.”
More research is needed, particularly in Canada, to highlight the value of physiotherapy and early mobilization in EDs, she adds.
Sarah also wants fellow physiotherapists and health professionals to understand the unique demands of ED practice. “The ED is a dynamic and unpredictable environment. ED physiotherapists must be highly flexible. In addition to managing patients in the ED, we often function as float physiotherapists, assisting colleagues on inpatient units when needed.”
A Day in the Life
“A typical day for me as an emergency department (ED) physiotherapist runs from 9 am to 7 pm, and no two days are ever quite the same,” says Sarah. “The work is dynamic and often unpredictable. It requires flexibility, communication, and frequent coordination with various members of the healthcare team.”
Sarah begins by reviewing the ED patient count, focusing on non-admitted patients. She often collaborates with the geriatric emergency management (GEM) nurse practitioner and works with the Access and Flow team to identify patients who may benefit from physiotherapy.
After chart reviews, she typically sees patients in blocks of two or three, checking with bedside nurses first and often hunting down essential equipment. “ED mobility aids like two-wheeled walkers and canes tend to go missing due to fast patient turnover, so I frequently search the department or even other units,” she explains.
Assessments may require creativity and often involve adapting to the available physical environment and maintaining ongoing communication with physicians, occupational therapists, and flow coordinators to ensure a safe discharge.
“Since the ED is constantly evolving, I regularly check for PT referrals throughout the day. New patients are always arriving or being flagged for discharge, so it’s important to stay on top of the caseload daily.”
She also supports other departments when the ED is quieter. “Ultimately, working in the ED requires not only clinical expertise but also strong collaboration, creativity, and a proactive mindset to support patient flow, safety, and quality care under high-pressure conditions.”
Sarah’s experience highlights not only the evolving scope of physiotherapy but also the profession’s vital contribution to system-wide healthcare goals. Her story offers inspiration and insight for other physiotherapists, whether they are new graduates or seasoned clinicians. It’s a compelling case for why more ED-based physiotherapy roles are deserving of increased funding and support.
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!
The Government of Ontario invites workers, organizations, businesses and communities to share what matters most to inform the 2026 Ontario budget.
OPA submitted a response to the annual budget consultation. Our response illustrates how physiotherapists can contribute to building a ‘more competitive, resilient and self-reliant province”, part of the government’s plan to protect Ontario.
Our 2026-2027 pre-budget submission focusses on attainable, impactful investments that will support the government in achieving the goal to increase capacity in Ontario’s health care system. The priorities are:
Provide required resourcing of physiotherapy positions in primary care, home and community care, and long-term care to bring compensation in line with the hospital sector.
Strengthen the Community Physiotherapy Clinic program as a strategy to support primary care access and to support seniors living in the community.
Address the health human resource crisis and improve access to care by enabling physiotherapists in Ontario to practice to full scope of practice.
Part of Our Continued Advocacy
The priorities outlined are informed by conversations, meetings, and surveys across various sectors throughout the year. OPA consults with members and health care leaders, including our advisory committees, Board of Directors and Districts. These conversations and information have been critical to identify the priorities of OPA’s 2026 Pre-Budget Submission.
More About What OPA Wants on Behalf of PTs and Patients
PHYSIOTHERAPY COMPENSATION EQUALIZATION ACROSS PUBLIC SECTOR
Physiotherapists have an essential role in delivering care in the community whether as part of a primary care team, at a patient’s place of residence, or in a long-term care facility. Access to care in each of these settings is critical to keeping Ontarians healthy, mobile and contributing to their communities and the economy. The challenge is that recruitment and retention in these positions is near impossible when the compensation is well below that of hospitals. To offset more costly institutional care, sufficient funding in the primary care, home care, and long-term care is essential to support health human resource needs long term.
STRENGTHENING THE COMMUNITY PHYSIOTHERAPY (CPC) PROGRAM
The Community Physiotherapy Program (CPC) is a well-established program which has been providing access to essential physiotherapy care for over 10 years. This program partners with over 200 community clinics and outpatient hospital facilities to deliver physiotherapy services. Unfortunately, continuation of the CPC program is becoming increasingly precarious, as the funding model has not kept pace with increasing operating costs. Episode of Care (EOC) funding has increased by only 7% since inception of the program; from $312 in 2013 to $334.38 in 2025. Without access to this care, individuals are put at risk for chronic pain, limited function, and delayed return to work. This is not a risk we can afford. The bottom line is that insufficient government funding of the CPC program is creating a significant exposure of risk to Ontarians.
ENABLING PHYSIOTHERAPISTS’ SCOPE OF PRACTICE IMPLEMENTATION
For physiotherapists, expanding scope to include diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing was included in changes to the Physiotherapy Act in 2009, as approved by the legislature. However, still today, the Ministry has not yet implemented the regulatory changes required to enact these changes.
The result? Where once a leader, there are now four provinces who have surpassed Ontario with implementing scope changes, including Alberta, Quebec, PEI and Nova Scotia. Ontarians continue to deal with “circular referrals” where they must return to their family physician (or worse yet, the Emergency Department or Walk in Clinics) for referrals for diagnostic imaging, when it is already within scope of physiotherapists.
As the government looks to attach two million people to primary care by 2029, expanding the scope of physiotherapists to include diagnostic imaging, will not only relieve the burden on family doctors – it will promote earlier diagnosis, earlier intervention, reduced system costs and promote better health outcomes. Expansion of scope will optimize any current and future investments in the community. The province cannot afford to wait any longer to enact this opportunity.
OPA’s advocacy work is ongoing, and our Pre-Budget Submission is one example of what we continue to do to advocate for our members.
All Sectors are Affected
Our recommendations affect the physiotherapy community in all practice areas. Whether it’s increasing compensation in primary care, home care, and long-term care, increasing funding for the Community Physiotherapy Clinic program, or enabling the implementation of physiotherapists’ full scope of practice, all members are impacted and would benefit from our suggested solutions.
What’s Next
We look forward to working with the government to implement these solutions. We will be looking for these commitments in this year’s budget, which is usually released in March.
Why You Should Consider Applying for OPA’s Board of Directors
Board Directors’ contributions to OPA are invaluable. They devote time, passion, and energy to guide the Association and the members OPA serves. At least five times a year, they gather to consider what OPA has accomplished, what is happening in the environment, and where to go next. They are actively engaged with OPA’s districts and committees to understand the priorities and issues of the profession.
Benefits to Being on the Board
What may not be highlighted as often are the benefits to Board Directors personally and professionally in taking on this role. We see and hear every year how much Board members learn, grow, and get more connected by participating on the Board. Directors often run for additional terms, which means they can volunteer for a total of six years. And they choose to do so!
Board Directors’ Impact
Collectively, the Board takes a global approach to planning, ensuring that all sectors and areas of the province across physiotherapists’ career span are included. They also evaluate environmental factors and consider both long-term and short-term planning. For example, advocacy for full scope of practice implementation has been relentless and ongoing for years. However, the pandemic led to a shift in priorities so that members had the support and advocacy they needed at that time.
Every Director Brings an Important Perspective
Every Board member’s contributions as individual PTs benefits all members. From highlighting nuances in rural and remote areas, to considering the different experiences of internationally educated PTs, the diversity of our Board members is critical for leading and shaping a well-rounded plan each year. Every year, new perspectives are incorporated from new Directors, and the Association grows in their collective knowledge! Maybe there’s an issue that only you have thought about that might impact physiotherapists in the future?
Reach out to Current Directors and OPA Staff
Past and current Directors may have initially doubted their qualifications or readiness. Or they may have wondered about the benefits of taking on this role. Some spoke to existing Board members or reached out to OPA staff to find out more before applying. These options exist for you as well!
We want you to consider how you would make a difference and what you would gain from the experience. We know that each and every one of you has something to contribute.
About Board Nominations for 2026
In keeping with our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, the Ontario Physiotherapy Association strives for a Board of Directors representative of its membership across the province and inclusive of diverse voices, practice experiences, and perspectives.
All interested candidates are encouraged to apply. OPA is seeking individuals who bring their experience in rural and remote communities and/or work in public sector roles (hospital, primary care, home & community).
More about the Role of the OPA Board of Directors
The Board serves as the decision-making body providing strategic direction and oversight for the Association. Board meetings are held both in-person and virtually.
Four Director Positions Open for Election in 2026
The OPA Governance Committee is seeking candidates for four Directors. The election will be held at the 2026 Ontario Physiotherapy Association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on April 30, 2026 virtually.
As per OPA Bylaws, no nominations from the floor at the AGM can be accepted. Therefore, those interested in being on the Board must submit their completed applications by Friday, February 27, 2026.
Only OPA physiotherapist members are eligible to serve on the Board of Directors.
Help Shape Fair Compensation for Ontario Physiotherapists
The Ontario Physiotherapy Association is launching our 2026 compensation and fee surveys to ensure physiotherapist earnings across all sectors reflect the true value and scope of the profession. Our last comprehensive surveys were conducted in 2022, and a lot has changed in healthcare and the broader business landscape since then.
Your input directly impacts fee negotiations with the Ministry of Health, private insurers, WSIB, and auto sector stakeholders. The more responses we receive, the stronger and more representative our market research becomes. It takes just a few minutes of your time.
Why Your Input is Critical
These surveys gather an accurate picture of what physiotherapists earn and charge across hospital, private practice, home care, primary care, and long-term care sectors. This data informs our Fee Guidelines and strengthens our advocacy with government and industry partners. It is the foundation for demonstrating the real value physiotherapists bring to Ontario’s healthcare system.
Bonus: Your Feedback on the Ontario Physiotherapy Association
We have also included questions about OPA membership in these surveys, open to OPA members and non-members. With this feedback, we ensure that the Association delivers real value to all physiotherapy professionals in Ontario.
This survey is now closed. Thank you to all who participated.
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!
OPA’s President, Courtney Bean, reflects on key wins for 2025.
He celebrates the strength of Ontario’s physiotherapy community, thanks volunteers, and all the physiotherapists, physiotherapist assistants and student members for their contributions. Courtney also acknowledges the many connections OPA maintains with health care leadership, other associations and organizations that help drive our advocacy initiatives forward.
Watch his video now!
Happy Holidays to all and we look forward to an exciting 2026!
When Natasha Bhesania graduated from the University of Toronto with a Master of Physical Therapy in 2007, she was immediately drawn to the intensity and complexity of acute care. She took on several roles across intensive care, neurotrauma, orthopedics, and general internal medicine units. A permanent role on Mount Sinai’s geriatric consult team eventually opened the door to a new opportunity that would push the boundaries of traditional physiotherapy practice.
Natasha initially began offering physiotherapy services in the emergency department for non-admitted patients. The goal was simple but powerful: to help avoid unnecessary hospital admissions. Recognizing the need for additional preparation, she completed several weekend courses on allied health in the emergency department to strengthen her skill set for this unique environment.
What started as a small 0.2 FTE addition to her full-time role quickly revealed its potential.
“I recognized the value of physiotherapy in the ED, particularly in preventing non-medical admissions, reducing length of stay through early mobilization, and facilitating discharge planning,” Natasha explains.
Inspired by this insight, she partnered with an occupational therapist colleague to launch a Science of Care quality improvement (QI) project. Together, they set out to demonstrate the impact of having full-time physiotherapy and occupational therapy coverage in the ED over a two week pilot as compared to baseline data of 0.2 PT/OT compliment over 2 years.
Their data told a compelling story: patients moved through the system more efficiently, hospital length of stay decreased, and satisfaction among physicians improved. The results were later presented at the International Learning Collaborative Conference in Portland, Maine in 2023. Natasha and her OT colleague’s quality improvement work was well-received by the ED staff. Earlier this year, Mount Sinai received funding from Ontario Health to support full-time PT and OT coverage in the emergency department. As of March 2025, the hospital now benefits from 12-hour physiotherapy and occupational therapy coverage on weekdays and 8-hour coverage on weekends from 2020 to 2022.
Natasha’s work extends well beyond mobility management. Physiotherapy assessments often provide valuable complementary insights that support the overall clinical picture. “Our functional assessments can sometimes highlight neurological changes—such as signs consistent with stroke or early Parkinson’s Disease—that may not yet be evident on initial imaging,” she explains. These observations often lead to collaborative discussions with physicians and other team members, helping guide further assessment and contributing to diagnosis. It’s a strong example of how physiotherapists play an integral role in enhancing patient care through interprofessional teamwork.
Innovative Care
Innovation is central to Natasha’s approach. As part of the rehab team at Mount Sinai, she recently began integrating the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) into initial assessments for patients over 65, which helps guide discharge pathways with the goal of ensuring that both admitted and non-admitted patients receive the most appropriate care trajectory. It’s a data-informed strategy that enhances efficiency and targets resources where they’re needed most.
The impact is especially clear in key populations. “Our assessments are critical in the non-operative management of fractures following falls, particularly in older adults,” Natasha says. From prescribing gait aids and connecting patients to community resources and facilitating inpatient rehab applications directly from the emergency department, her interventions often help prevent avoidable hospital admissions. She also plays a pivotal role in managing pain for patients with musculoskeletal injuries, which is an area where early education and treatment can significantly affect outcomes.
Health System Impacts
Importantly, Natasha’s work supports broader system goals. By conducting early functional assessments, she helps minimize patient deconditioning, enables direct transfers to rehab, and contributes to smoother patient flow through the ED. “We are key contributors to disposition planning from the emergency department” she says. It’s a role that combines clinical skill with system thinking and it’s making a measurable difference.
To decision-makers across the health system, Natasha offers a clear message: “As our population ages and community resources remain limited, physiotherapists in the emergency department are essential for early assessment, mobilization, and discharge planning. We have the expertise to optimize function and facilitate safe transitions, whether back home or into rehab, directly from the emergency department.”
And while she’s passionate about advocacy, Natasha emphasizes that it must be grounded in evidence. The QI project she helped co-lead serves as a model not just for funding conversations, but for demonstrating the cost-effectiveness and value of physiotherapy in emergency care.
“Advocacy should be grounded in research and data,” she says. “By highlighting existing evidence, including our own QI project, we can demonstrate the value and cost-effectiveness of physiotherapists in emergency care.”
A Day in the Life
A day in Natasha’s life is fast-paced and ever-changing, which is exactly how she likes it. She starts by scanning the emergency department census to identify patients who could benefit from physiotherapy. These patients might be older adults recovering from a fall, individuals with musculoskeletal injuries, or those with mobility challenges or complex discharge needs. From there, she collaborates with the broader care team to determine who is medically stable and appropriate for physiotherapy intervention. Her work includes bedside assessments, gait aid prescriptions, education on safe mobility, and input on discharge planning, all of which is aimed at avoiding unnecessary admissions and ensuring safe, timely transitions of care.
“No two days in the ED are ever the same, and that’s part of what makes this role so dynamic and rewarding,” she reflects. It’s a role that blends clinical expertise, system navigation, and patient advocacy, and it shows just how far physiotherapy can go when professionals like Natasha are empowered to work to their full scope of practice.
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!
We are excited by all that OPA has accomplished this year on behalf of our members and the profession overall. While advocacy never really stops, we are taking a moment to reflect on our successes.
1. Significant Progress on Scope of Practice Implementation
The Government of Ontario announced plans to implement regulations allowing physiotherapists to order diagnostic imaging (X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and diagnostic ultrasounds). OPA’s relentlessly advocated through:
Ongoing meetings with the Ministry of Health
Meetings with the Premier, Minister of Health and MPPs across the province with our members
Submitting detailed scope of practice submissions
OPA’s CEO presenting to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs on Bill 2, showing the importance of scope implementation to keep pace with other provinces and increase labour mobility.
Building relationships at Queen’s Park, including meeting with Premier Doug Ford and Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones. We also met with MPP France Gélinas, Physiotherapist, who spoke about scope of practice implementation in the legislature.
Writing letters for member’s meetings with Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones
We hope to see movement on the scope of practice implementation in 2026!
2. Advancing Physiotherapists’ Role in Primary Care: OPA successfully advocated for physiotherapists to be recognized in Ontario’s Primary Care Action Plan. We:
Received a letter from the Deputy Premier & Minister of Health and Dr. Jane Philpott as the Chair of the Primary Care Action Team. We were pleased to see the recognition that Primary Care Teams should be made up of family physicians or nurse practitioners along with nurses, physician assistants, social workers, physiotherapists and other health care professions.
Presented at multiple primary care conferences. OPA staff shared the evidence that PTs on interprofessional teams can increase patient attachment rates by approximately 425 rostered patients (24%), particularly important since 20-30% of primary care visits involve musculoskeletal conditions.
3. Strong Member Engagement, Education & Resources: OPA hosted successful events and provided members with helpful resources. This included:
OPA’s InterACTION conference with over 300 attendees
Northern Ontario District’s conference Physio North 2025, inspiring attendees and providing them the opportunity to network
4. Recognition and Award-Winning Communications: OPA’s communications and marketing continue to expand and reach new audiences with effective strategies.
Our “New Voices, New Ideas & New Opportunities” campaign won multiple prestigious awards including a Silver Telly Award and three gold Healthcare Digital Marketing Awards. We effectively showcased the association’s evolving leadership and value to members.
We also launched a bold new website which is easier to navigate and is a reflection of OPA’s commitment to transparency and accountability. OPA’s new website and its key features were driven by members’ feedback and drove every decision.
5. Equity, Inclusion and Diversity Commitment: OPA continues its commitment to have equity, inclusion and diversity embedded into everything we do.
OPA developed a position statement advocating for improved Jordan’s Principle processes. With Indigenous Services Canada committed to reforming the administration, OPA is pushing for:
Reduced systemic barriers that prevent access to physiotherapy services
Culturally safe service delivery with collaborative community co-design
Continuity of care through longer-term contracts with trusted partners
Increased administrative capacity with transparency to address backlogs
Recognition of physiotherapy as essential preventive and early intervention care
Support the advocacy work we do on behalf of the physiotherapy community in Ontario. Join OPA/CPA!
The Hospital Advisory Committee is made up of volunteer members who advise OPA staff and the Board of Directors on issues affecting physiotherapy practice in hospitals and rehabilitation centres across Ontario.
This committee ensures that the interests and concerns of physiotherapists in these settings are heard and considered in policy decisions.
Interested in joining? We welcome new volunteer members who want to help shape the future of hospital and rehabilitation physiotherapy in Ontario. Contact us at physiomail@opa.on.ca.
