Do you have questions about the proposed changes to fees and amendments to By-law 19? Have a look at our frequently asked questions, below. If you still have questions, contact us at finance@coko.ca
Although CKO regulates the profession in the public interest, regulatory colleges do not receive any government funding. They are funded entirely through their fees (e.g., registrations, applications, etc.)
The College’s fees have not increased in 10 years. Yet the human and financial resources needed for the College’s regulatory activities related to registration, quality assurance, investigations and hearings, and public outreach have increased. As a result, fee increases are needed to support the College’s initiatives and ongoing costs. And, although the fees have not increased in 10 years, the proposed fee increases are still lower than the rate of inflation over the past decade.
The public has a right to safe and effective care. This means that the College has to be financially stable to fulfill its public protection mandate. The College also has to meet all expectations of the Ministry of Health and various government agencies including the Office of the Fairness Commissioner, the Privacy Commissioner, and the Health Professions Review and Appeal Board.
With a fee increase, the College can have the tools in place to fulfill its public protection mandate. The proposed fee increases will allow the College to:
- Build and maintain Council competencies to support an active and educated Council.
- Support member participation on committees and Council.
- Move forward with projects that will streamline processes, including:
- better database and enhance public register with more information.
- improved IT infrastructure
- governance reform
- review of core competency profile
- educational tools review and updates
- review of item writing and examination items for the item bank for the exams
- continuing with online exams and their maintenance
- implementing government changes.
- Retain and attract talented staff in a competitive market. To do this, we must have a competitive compensation package.
- Offer ongoing training to staff and Council to provide them with the tools they need to be successful.
Regulation defines the profession. It controls who can enter the profession and offers title protection. Only a registered kinesiologist with the College can be called a kinesiologist. This builds public confidence and trust in the profession.
You may be asking yourself “what’s in it for me?”
Registration with the College indicates that you are qualified, competent and accountable. Being registered provides you with access to professional and rewarding jobs. It also gives you an opportunity to shape the future of the profession by getting involved. You can share your knowledge and experience and learn more about how your profession is regulated in the process.
At the same time, the College recognises that registering with a regulatory body is an added cost to working as a registered kinesiologist, so we work hard to ensure fiscal responsibility for your membership fees.
Registrants’ fees cover the work that the College is mandated to do under legislation. This includes administering the entry-to-practice exam, registering new members and renewing existing ones, managing complaints and discipline cases, setting standards, handling the quality assurance program and public outreach.
View the breakdown of where your fees go.
The following information is available for review:
- Business case and decision note presented to Council in December 2022 with rationale for proposed increases.
- Annual budget 2022-2023 showing how funds will be spent this year
- Audited financial statements 2021-2022 and Annual Report 2021-2022 showing how funds were spent last year.
Regulatory college fees vary for several reasons, including the number of registrants, and complaints volume and types. While CKO is considered a small sized regulator with approximately 2,960 registrants, it still has the same regulatory obligations and statutory functions as the other health colleges in Ontario.
Some colleges are gradually increasing fees every year, while others are aligning annual fee increases with various indices of inflation.
To help control costs, the College has been operating with a lean staff. Steps to reduce overhead include shifting to online service delivery where possible, shortening program administration timelines to lower on-line hosting costs, shortening the year-long self-assessment each year to a three-month self-assessment cycle every two years, moving to online examinations, and collaborating with other colleges to decrease costs by sharing resources. Council and committee meetings have also shifted to an online platform for cost savings from travel and accommodation.
The College has noted an ongoing trend where expenses are exceeding revenues, leading the College to anticipate a deficit budget for 2023 based on quotes for projects to help enhance public safety. Initiatives to further reduce costs to balance expenses and revenue may require that planned projects are not completed.
The College is looking at reducing costs by not renewing its office lease, which expires in spring 2024. One option under investigation is to share space with another college. The College has also moved to a hybrid work strategy, reducing its space requirements.
The College operates with as lean a staff as is reasonably possible. Part-time staff are hired, when possible, to fill any gaps. The College constantly reviews its priorities to ensure the size of staffing remains consistent with other small regulators and works to ensure a lean but effective team.
As with any non-profit organization, the College needs to have adequate cash balances to support expenses, payroll and unanticipated costs or cost increases. The recommendation is for the College to have a reserve fund to operate for a minimum of 12 months. Since its current reserves are lower than the 12-month minimum, the recommendation is to increase them.