Scope of Practice Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Ontario Physiotherapy Association

2025 Provincial Election – OPA’s Key Priorities

January 30, 2025

With the call for a provincial election and a date set for February 27, 2025, OPA recognizes the importance of the next four weeks in engaging candidates and prospective MPPs on the issues that matter. Watch Courtney Bean, OPA President, speak about the upcoming provincial election.

Polling data reinforces that health care and the state of our health system remains a priority for Ontarians. We know that this is a critical time to communicate the priorities of the physiotherapy profession with candidates so that we can continue to make progress and positive change. Ontarians face extraordinary barriers to needed care. This election we believe important issues must be tackled and responded to so that Ontarians have equitable, timely access to the essential services provided by physiotherapists, physiotherapy residents, and physiotherapist assistants.

Here are our four priorities that will contribute to building an effective Health Care system in Ontario:

1. INCREASE THE NUMBER OF PHYSIOTHERAPISTS IN ONTARIO

Growing the number of physiotherapists in Ontario is critical to meet the increasing demands on our system for rehabilitation care in private practice, primary care, hospital care, long-term care and home and community care

2. ADD PHYSIOTHERAPISTS TO MORE INTERPROFESSIONAL CARE TEAMS

Expanding the investment in primary health care organizations by adding physiotherapists is necessary to ensure that all Ontarians have access to primary health care with integrated physiotherapy services. All Ontarians should have the essential healthcare they need, including care by physiotherapists to promote well-being and injury prevention, recover from surgery or injury, and live optimally with chronic conditions in their homes and communities

3. FINALIZE IMPLEMENTATION OF SCOPE OF PRACTICE

It has taken too long! We call on candidates to increase health system capacity and efficiency by finalizing the regulations needed for physiotherapists to practise to their full competencies, including ordering diagnostic imaging and laboratory tests. These include changes that were enabled by the Ontario Legislature in 2009 but have not been implemented by the Ministry of Health. Get it done.

4. RESOLVE PROGRAM AND COMPENSATION RELATED CHALLENGES

There is a need to implement policies and funding increases that support fair, equitable compensation and are comparable to increases in other disciplines of the healthcare workforce (e.g., nurses, mid-wives, physicians). Underfunding physiotherapy leads to service scarcity, long wait times, and poorer health outcomes for Ontarians in publicly funded and insurance-based programs. The inconsistent funding of physiotherapy services severely impacts recruitment and retention with many physiotherapists withdrawing services because of the lack financial viability to deliver.

It is essential that physiotherapists are accessible to Ontarians of all ages and abilities. To support the wellbeing and prosperity of the province, the sustainability of the physiotherapy profession is critical, and to reduce professional attrition, it is imperative that underfunded physiotherapy programs are improved administratively and fiscally, including (1) Community Physiotherapy Program (CPC) (2) Auto Insurance Programs including the Minor Injury Guideline (MIG) and Professional Services Guideline (PSG) and (3) Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) Programs of Care.

Join us in any way you can!

At OPA, we will continue to advocate for the priorities of our members and profession overall and have prepared a candidate brief that we hope will be of value in your discussions.

Download Candidate Brief

Scope of Practice Submission to the Ministry of Health

December 18, 2024

OPA, in collaboration with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario (CPO), provided an update to our long-standing Scope of Practice submission to the Ministry of Health. It was important to incorporate the voice of the profession through the Scope Survey and the almost 1100 responses received.

The Ministry team has received the update with a few minor questions in follow up and we look forward to our next meeting early in 2025. OPA took the opportunity to update Dr. Karima Velji, Chief of Nursing & Professional Practice and Assistant Deputy Minister for the Province of Ontario, with this information as well.

Scope of Practice Information

OPA Meets with MPs & Sends Letter to the Minister of Health

May 28, 2024

During National Physiotherapy Month in May, OPA joined CPA and physiotherapists to meet with federal MPs from Ontario ridings. These meetings have highlighted the benefits of full implementation of physiotherapy scope of practice, and how enabling physiotherapists to order diagnostic imaging and lab tests will improve care for the people of Ontario while reducing costs.

Some of the meetings to date:

Pam Damoff, MP Oakville-North Burlington

Peter Fragiskatos, MP London North Centre

Lindsay Mathyssen, MP London-Fanshawe

Anthony Rota, MP Nipissing-Timiskaming

Valerie Bradford, MP Kitchener South-Hespeler

OPA President, Courtney Bean, and OPA CEO, Sarah Hutchison, have followed up with Ontario’s Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones, and requested a meeting with her and the Deputy Minister, to discuss the outstanding regulations needed.

Read the letter

OPA Sends Letter to the Minister of Health & Meets with MPP France Gélinas, PT

April 30, 2024

On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, OPA had the privilege of meeting virtually with MPP France Gélinas, PT, to discuss a letter OPA sent a few days prior to the Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones. Many thanks to Ms. Gélinas, who delivered the letter to Minister Jones that day, for her support for physiotherapists and her work to improve healthcare for Ontarians.

The letter calls for action by the provincial government to fully implement the scope of practice of physiotherapists already passed in legislation in Bill 179. The regulation changes needed for physiotherapists to order diagnostic imaging and lab tests have been outstanding for too long. With scope of practice as the focus for National Physiotherapy Month, it is a timely reminder of how full scope implementation will improve access to health care, cost-effectiveness, and health outcomes for the people of Ontario.

Read the letter

Scope of Practice Campaign

OPA Home Care Submission

March 26, 2024

OPA was invited to attend a webinar by the Ministry of Health to provide feedback on the process for developing new service provider organization contracts. The Home and Community Care Branch asked for input specifically related to the patient and family experience of care, staffing and workforce issues and service performance. Discussion included how there needs to be more transparency on how contracts work and how funds are distributed, more information on who works in the home care sector, reduced disparity in wages across professions and methods to increase hiring and retention.

OPA’s submission identified eight recommendations for service provider contracts based on the themes of enhancing equity and fairness across professions and contracts, working to full scope of practice, and increasing and ensuring access to home care for everyone.

Read OPA’s Submission

Pre-Budget Submission 2024

January 30, 2024

OPA recently filed our recommendations to Ontario’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. Pre-budget submissions are an opportunity to inform the Government of Ontario’s priorities, as addressed in the budget. Our submission focuses OPA’s continued advocacy on three main objectives, to:

Fully implement the legislated scope of practice for the physiotherapy profession;

Ensure a viable and sustainable publicly-funded community physiotherapy clinic program for vulnerable Ontarians, including seniors; and,

Reduce red tape in the automobile insurance sector that creates barriers to timely access to care for Ontarians and imposes costly and undue burden on health care businesses and address stagnant caps and fees.

OPA continues to advocate on each of these issues through 2024.

Read OPA’s Full Submission

Submission to Standing Committee for Finance and Economic Affairs Pre-Budget Consultations

February 14, 2023

The OPA pre-Budget submission highlighted four areas that would bring substantial returns through increasing capacity in Ontario’s health care system and achieving the government’s objectives.

Remove the barriers to physiotherapists working up to full scope;

Facilitate successful entry to independent practice for internationally educated PTs by reinstating funding for the Ontario Internationally Educated Physical Therapy Bridging Program;

Address program issues for community rehabilitation, including Community Physiotherapy Clinics and bundled care programs and resource appropriately to meet rehabilitation needs and help address surgical backlogs; and,

Reduce red tape that is a barrier to care and imposes undue burden on health care businesses by removing requirement to exhaust extended health care benefits before accessing auto insurance benefits.

Read our Submission

Advocacy in the Northern Ontario District

November 4, 2024

We are excited to share this Sudbury Star article on the recent advocacy efforts of our members, Venkadesan Rajendran, President, and Andy Wang, Past-President of the Northern Ontario District of the Ontario Physiotherapy Association. On Monday, October 28, 2024, they met with the Minister of Health and Deputy Premier, Sylvia Jones, to call for the full implementation of Bill 179, which was passed back in 2009 with all-party support.

Later that evening, Venkadesan and Andy attended a Leader’s Dinner with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his cabinet ministers, where they successfully brought this critical issue to the Premier’s attention.

The two “received heartening reassurances from the Minister of Health that “she would review and take the necessary steps to implement Bill 179.” In their meeting with the Minister, Venkadesan and Andy highlighted how important it is for the final regulations to be implemented so that physiotherapists in Ontario can order diagnostic and laboratory tests directly, and alleviate pressures on physicians, reduce red tape and help patients in Ontario.

Read Sudbury Start article

Presentation to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

May 27, 2025

On May 27, OPA’s CEO, Sarah Hutchison, presented to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs on Bill 2, Protect Ontario Through Free Trade Within Canada Act, 2025 which amends various acts.

While OPA supports labour mobility and the intent of Bill 2, we noted that outstanding regulations for Scope of Practice must be implemented to ensure that Ontario is harmonized to advances in other provinces. This will reduce barriers and enhance labour mobility and create a practice environment that will attract and retain physiotherapists in Ontario.