SCPT Fee Bylaws Amendments

Downloadable PDF Document of Information Found Below

Member Feedback Requested
Overview and Summary
Rationale
Impact of Changes
Additional Information and Context
FAQs

Member Feedback Requested

As per the recently adopted bylaw change process, the SCPT Council is requesting membership feedback on proposed changes to the SCPT Fee Bylaws.

Full information about the proposed changes is included below. After review of the information, members are invited to complete a short survey to provide their feedback on the changes. The survey should take approximately 6 minutes to complete and participation is voluntary and anonymous.

The deadline to complete the survey is no later than August 16, 2024.

Survey results will be considered by the SCPT Council at its September meeting.

The survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/V6K6PB5

Overview and Summary

At its May 22, 2024, meeting the SCPT Council approved in principle amendments to the SCPT Fees Bylaws and is seeking feedback from membership on the changes to the Fees Bylaw.

The bylaw changes are provided in two formats:

1. A clean copy of the proposed new fees bylaw.
2. A track changes copy that highlights the changes proposed.

In summary the changes include:

A. Renewal Fees

1. An increase to the annual renewal fee to $575 (increase of $75) effective January 1, 2025.
2. An increase to the annual renewal fee to $650 (increase of $75) effective January 1, 2026.

B. Late Fees

1. Late Fee: First Day

- - change to $200 (from $100)

2. Late Fee: Subsequent Days

- - change to $20 per day (from $10 per day)

C. Administrative Fees

1. Initial Registration Fee

- - change to $100 (from $75)

2. Non-Practicing Annual Fee

- - change to $150 (from $125)

3. . Licence Monitoring Fee

- - change to $100 (from $75)

D. Inclusion to match practice

1. Change of Name

- - added to bylaws to codify practice. No change in the fee amount of $25.

2. Registration History

- - added to bylaws to codify practice of the fee for in-active members and to apply the fee to active members.

3. Practice Based Assessment

- - Added to bylaws to codify practice.
  - Change from $600 to $650.

4. Delete “consensual resolution” within 6(1)(c) to align to terminology within The Physical Therapists Act.

Rationale

Fees have remained unchanged for the past 4 years and inflationary pressures are increasing in many areas of expenses. In the past number of years, the operational deficit has been $70,000-$85,000 annually and is anticipated to be approximately $110,000 for the 2024-2025 budget year. These levels of deficits are unsustainable, even with past savings within reserve funds. Unrestricted reserves are nearing a point where increased fees are needed to ensure the fiscal viability of SCPT operations to meet our mandate.

The SCPT has not increased its fees since 2020. This was because prior to 2020 the organization had accumulated a significant reserve of money. This reserve is split between restricted reserves that can be used in only certain circumstances (ceasing operations, disaster, unexpected legal expenses, and unexpected discipline expenses) and unrestricted reserves that are held to fund yearly budgetary operating deficits (additional detail on reserve funds can be found in the FAQs).

Rather than considering increased fees, past Councils committed to draw down the unrestricted reserves to pay for strategic priorities for the organization and have done so. For example, in the past number of years, the organization has:

added a half time Practice Advisor to support members with their practice questions,
increased the Executive Director and Registrar role to full-time also to increase support to members and overall operations of the SCPT,
produced practice resources for members, and
successfully avoided increasing fees during the COVID-19 pandemic to avoid additional challenges during the pandemic.

At the same time, Council and staff have, and continue to, pursue cost savings. Examples of these have included:

eliminating the Administrative Assistant position within the office,
efficiencies in operations (telephone costs, bulk purchasing collaboration for credit card fees, printing costs),
closing the physical office and eliminating lease costs, and
continuing to encourage savings in relation to Council and Committee meetings.

Despite these efforts, the time to adjust fees is now to prevent the need for larger increases in future years.

Impact of Changes

Budgetary Projections: Without Fee Adjustments

	2022-2023	2023-2024 (est.)	2024-2025	2025-2026	2026-2027	2027-2028
Unrestricted Reserves (start of year)	$366,662	$293,597	$234,425	$109,404	-$34,333	-$190,531
Revenue	$492,207	$497,828	$485,800	$479,300	$479,300	$479,300
Expenses	$565,272	$557,000	$610,821	$623,037	$635,498	$648,208
Surplus/Deficit	-$73,065	-$59,172	-$125,021	-$143,737	-$156,198	-$168,908
Unrestricted Reserves (end of year)	$293,597	$234,425	$109,404	-$34,333	-$190,531	-$359,439

Assumptions: 1% increase in member numbers; 2-3% increase in expenses

Without any adjustments in fees:

Expenditures outgrow revenue and deficits become larger
Unrestricted reserves are fully depleted within the 2025-2026 fiscal year.

Budgetary Projections: With Proposed Fee Adjustments

	2022-2023	2023-2024 (est.)	2024-2025	2025-2026	2026-2027	2027-2028
Unrestricted Reserves (start of year)	$366,662	$293,597	$234,425	$121,222	$74,276	$84,010
Revenue	$492,207	$497,828	$497,618	$567,018	$636,941	$697,267
Expenses	$565,272	$557,000	$610,821	$613,964	$627,206	$640,749
Surplus/Deficit	-$73,065	-$59,172	-$113,203	-$46,946	$9,735	$56,517
Unrestricted Reserves (end of year)	$293,597	$234,425	$121,222	$74,276	$84,010	$140,528

Assumptions: 1% increase in member numbers; 2-3% increase in expenses

With the proposed fee adjustments:

Administrative fees will increase revenue by approximately $8,000.
Renewal fees will increase revenue by approximately $131,000 in the long run
- $62,000 from the first increase of $75
- An additional $69,000 from the second increase of $75
The adjustments lessens the deficit in the first year and eliminates it in the second while keeping the unrestricted reserves at an appropriate level (~$100,000) for unforeseen operational events.

Additional Information and Context

Composition of Expenditures (2022-2023 actual expenditures)

Expenditure Category	% of Total
Salary and Benefits	50.32%
General Operating	15.85%
Committee Expenses (PCC & DC)	10.61%*
Software and IT	5.93%
Strategic Objectives	4.57%
Council and Committee Stipends	4.02%
Practice Based Assessment (PBA)	2.41%
Legal (non-PCC/DC)	2.34%
Council and Committee Honourarium	2.25%
Committee Expenses	1.54%
Council Expenses	0.16%
Total Expenses	100%

* does not include hearing expenses as a hearing did not occur in 2022-2023

SCPT Past Fee Changes

Past Renewal Fees:

2013: $375	2017: $470	2021: $500 (no change)
2014: $450	2018: $480	2022: $500 (no change)
2015: $450	2019: $490	2023: $500 (no change)
2016: $460	2020: $500	2024: $500 (no change)

Other Canadian Physical Therapy Colleges Comparison

Regulator	Annual Renewal
British Columbia	$500
Alberta	$805
Manitoba	$861
Ontario	$661
Quebec	$754
Newfoundland and Labrador	$325
New Brunswick	$550
Nova Scotia	$480
PEI	$400
Yukon	$200

Other Health Professions within Saskatchewan Comparison

Regulator	Annual Renewal
Chiropractors’ Association of Saskatchewan	$3,198
College of Paramedics of Saskatchewan	$520
College of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists of Saskatchewan (CSASK)	2024: $850 2025: $900 2026: $950
Saskatchewan Association of Medical Radiation Technologies (SAMRT)	$425
Saskatchewan Association of Social Workers	$456
Saskatchewan Dental Hygienists’ Association	$600
Saskatchewan College of Occupational Therapists (SCOT)	$565
Saskatchewan College of Opticians:
Licenced Optician	$598.20
Licensed Optician & Contact Lens Practitioner	$884.40
Saskatchewan Dental Therapists Association	$500
Saskatchewan Society of Medical Laboratory Technologists	$300

FAQs

1. Why were fees not increased in the past 4 years?

Fees have not increased in the past 4 years because prior to 2020 the organization had accumulated a significant reserve of money. This reserve is split between restricted reserves that can be used in only certain circumstances (ceasing operations, disaster, unexpected legal expenses, and unexpected discipline expenses) and unrestricted reserves that are held to fund yearly budgetary operating deficits.

Rather than considering increased fees, past Councils committed to draw down the unrestricted reserves to pay for strategic priorities for the organization and have done so. At the same time Councils and staff have committed to ensure expenditures were reasonable and cost savings were implemented where appropriate.

2. What expenses does the SCPT have?

The Saskatchewan College of Physical Therapists is the organization that regulates physical therapists in Saskatchewan. All physical therapists practicing in Saskatchewan must be licensed to do so by the SCPT.

The SCPT mandate is rooted in The Physical Therapists Act, 1998 that provides the legislative authority for the SCPT to regulate and license physical therapists and describes the manner in which complaints against licensed physical therapists are managed.

The mandate of the SCPT is to protect the public by ensuring competent, safe and ethical practice by physical therapists in Saskatchewan. In doing so the SCPT is responsible for:

Setting entry to practice and ongoing registration requirements.
Setting bylaws, standards of practice and ethical conduct expectations for physical therapy practice.
Setting ongoing competency requirements to ensure quality care throughout the career-span.
Managing complaints about physical therapists in Saskatchewan.
Providing physical therapists with resources to support their ability to practice competently, safely and ethically.

The chart below outlines types of expenditures and how much each comprises total expenditures.

Composition of Expenditures (2022-2023 actual expenditures)

Expenditure Category	% of Total
Salary and Benefits	50.32%
General Operating	15.85%
Committee Expenses (PCC & DC)	10.61%*
Software and IT	5.93%
Strategic Objectives	4.57%
Council and Committee Stipends	4.02%
Practice Based Assessment (PBA)	2.41%
Legal (non-PCC/DC)	2.34%
Council and Committee Honourarium	2.25%
Committee Expenses	1.54%
Council Expenses	0.16%
Total Expenses	100%

* does not include hearing expenses as a hearing did not occur in 2022-2023

3. Does the SCPT have savings or reserve funds?

The SCPT has two types of reserve funds, restricted reserves and unrestricted reserves.

Restricted reserves are money that the organization must have on hand to manage risk related to certain circumstances and can be used in only certain circumstances (ceasing operations, disaster, unexpected legal expenses, and unexpected discipline expenses). Unrestricted reserves are money that the organization can use to cover any deficit spending in any given year or to fund special projects.

SCPT Restricted Reserves (as of June 2023)

Operating	$240,676*
Legal	$50,000 (stipulated in SCPT policy)
Discipline	$50,000 (stipulated in SCPT policy)
Disaster	$20,000 (stipulated in SCPT policy)
Total	$360,676

*should the organization need to cease operations this money allows for expenses to close while revenue has ceased; 6 months of operating expenses based on 5 year average

Unrestricted Reservices (at the end of 2022-2023 fiscal year)

Unrestricted Reserves: $293,597

4. What about the loan to CAPR?

The SCPT, along with other PT regulatory colleges, provided the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR) a loan in 2022. This was to assist CAPR with challenges during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of the loan agreement was a full repayment by the end of December 2025. CAPR has committed to repayment in four installments: June 2024, December 2024, June 2025, and December 2025. The amount of the loan is included in the unrestricted reserve calculations for the SCPT.

5. The SCPT closed its physical office space recently. How much will be saved by not paying lease costs?

The SCPT closed its physical office space on June 1, 2024. As part of leaving its lease agreement early, there will be some lease expenses incurred in the 2024-2025 fiscal year along with some transitional costs to close the office and move to a fully virtual office. The SCPT lease costs had been approximately $20,000 per year. This saving has been calculated into the budgetary projections presented.

6. Who decides the SCPT Budget and Fee Adjustments?

The SCPT Council is responsible for the fiscal performance and health of the organization, including approving its budget. They are assisted in this by the Finance Committee and staff. Council approves a budget annually for the operations of the organization.

As part of the annual budget process the SCPT Finance Committee reviews a draft budget prepared by staff and recommends approval of a budget to Council. This process includes monitoring revenue and expenditure levels for general trends to ensure the fiscal health and viability of the organization. When necessary, the Finance Committee will signal Council to the need for fee adjustments.

The SCPT Fee Bylaws are part of Administrative Bylaws. As per the recently adopted approval process for SCPT Bylaws, membership is asked for feedback as part of Council’s consideration and final approval of any bylaw changes.