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Dear RMTAO Members,

As we begin a new membership year, I want to start with a simple message: thank you.

Thank you for choosing to be part of the Registered Massage Therapists’ Association of Ontario, for investing in the profession, and for lending your voice to the work we do together.

Your membership makes it possible for the RMTAO to be at the table, advocating for RMTs, building relationships across Ontario’s health system, providing professional resources and education, and working to create a stronger future for massage therapy.

But membership is about more than what RMTAO provides to you. It is the collective strength that allows us to work on your behalf. The more connected we are to our members, the better we can understand what is happening across Ontario, identify where change is needed, and make the case for our profession with government, health system partners and the public.

That is the standard we are working toward.

Advocacy that works for you

Advocacy remains at the heart of what we do.

This past year, we saw the power of a coordinated profession in action. Together with the Canadian Massage Therapist Association (CMTA) and our colleagues across the country, we have been making the case for the removal of GST/HST from massage therapy.

More than 10,000 letters have now been sent to elected representatives, surpassing the campaign’s original goal. What is particularly encouraging is the breadth of participation: a much larger share of campaign participants than we would typically see in a professional advocacy campaign has come from the general public.

That matters. It demonstrates that this is not simply an issue for massage therapists. It matters to the people who seek and pay for massage therapy as part of their health care. We will continue working with the CMTA and our partners to build on this momentum and make the case for tax-exempt massage therapy.

We are also rebuilding and strengthening our provincial advocacy work.

We are re-engaging with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) and the Ministry of Finance on long-standing compensation issues affecting RMTs. We are participating in the Coalition of Ontario Regulated Health Professional Associations (CORPHA), where we can learn from other professional associations, share best practices and advance issues where our interests overlap.

We are also re-engaging in the WSIB Health Professional Forum, bringing the RMT perspective back into conversations about WSIB programs, policies, forms, fee structures and how health professionals can be better supported within the system.

These relationships matter. Effective advocacy is about being present, building credibility, understanding how decisions are made, and making sure RMTs are part of the conversation.

A stronger association, built around your needs

This year will also be about changing how we work.

Some of the most important work ahead will happen behind the scenes. We know that some of our systems and processes have not kept pace with what our members need from a modern professional association. Our operational plan therefore focuses on modernizing our infrastructure, improving our association management system, reducing manual administrative work, strengthening our use of data, and evaluating our programs and services.

Why does that matter to you?

Because better systems should mean a better Association.

They should make it easier for you to access resources, find information, participate in your Association and tell us what matters to you. They should also give our team more capacity to focus on the work that matters most, including advocacy, member support and professional initiatives.

This is foundational work, and it will take time. But we are committed to building an Association that is more responsive, more efficient and better equipped to work for RMTs.

Professional growth, connection and support

Advocacy is only one part of our responsibility to members.

Throughout the year, we will continue to invest in practical professional development and resources that help you build your practice and career.

Our plans include expanding our professional development offering, with a strong focus on relevant, practice-ready education; strengthening opportunities for members to connect; and developing resources that are easier to navigate and more useful at different stages of an RMT’s career.

We are also looking at how we can better support members around issues that affect professional well-being, including burnout prevention, professional safety and sexual violence in the profession.

Listening to our members

The best Association is one that listens.

This year, we are putting greater emphasis on understanding what members actually need, using member feedback and better data to evaluate our programs, services and priorities. We want to ask not simply whether a program was delivered, but whether it made a meaningful difference for members.

You will have more opportunities throughout the year to tell us what matters to you, including opportunities to help shape our advocacy priorities.

Your perspective is essential to our work, and we want the Association to reflect the needs and experiences of RMTs across Ontario.

Moving forward, together

There is a great deal of work ahead of us. Some of it will be highly visible: advocacy campaigns, government relationships, professional development, events and new resources. Some of it will be less visible: modernizing systems, strengthening our processes and building the organizational capacity we need to do more of the work that matters to members.

All of it has the same purpose: to build a stronger RMTAO that works for you.

We cannot do this work alone. The profession is strongest when RMTs are engaged — when members share their experiences, participate in advocacy, join conversations, attend events and tell us where the Association should focus.

We will continue to keep you informed about what we are working on and where there is still work to do. We will celebrate progress with you, be honest about the challenges ahead, and create opportunities for you to shape the direction of your Association.

Thank you for your membership, your trust and your commitment to massage therapy in Ontario.

I am proud to be working alongside you, and I look forward to what we can accomplish together in the year ahead.

Warmly,

Kat Orr
Executive Director and CEO
Registered Massage Therapists’ Association of Ontario