History of Wins

OPA sent letters of support for research grant applications which led to successful funding for physiotherapy research. OPA supports research by sharing calls for participants throughout the year by email and social media and disseminating results.  

In Ontario’s 2024 budget, the Government requested that Ontario’s Financial Services Regulator, FSRA, conduct a review of the health service provider guidelines and frameworks. OPA solicited member feedback on the following policies:  

1. Health Service Provider Framework Review 

2. Health Claims for Auto Insurance (HCAI) System Review 
3. Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS) Review 

OPA submitted a response which focused on key priorities including reducing red tape, advocating for fair compensation, and reducing redundancy in regulation. 

Read OPA’s Response 

OPA also contributed to a submission on behalf of the Coalition of Health Professions in Auto Insurance (“The Coalition”), which represents eight health professional associations in Ontario with members who work in the auto sector. This submission presents shared perspective and a unified voice, while also supporting the need for FSRA to engage directly with individual Associations to optimize auto sector policies for respective professions, including physiotherapy

Venkadesan Rajendran, President, and Andy Wang, Past-President of the Northern Ontario District of the Ontario Physiotherapy Association were featured in Sudbury Star article on their advocacy efforts. 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. 

OPA provided feedback on each of the standards that the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario posted for open consultation in 2024:  

• Code of Ethical Conduct  

• The new standard, Evidence-Informed Practice 

• Titles, Credentials, and Specialty Designations Standard 

• Collaborative Care Standard 

• Conflict of Interest Standard 

• Dual Practice Standard (NEW) 

• Infection Prevention and Control Standard 

• Advertising and Marketing, Documentation (would replace Record Keeping) 

• Funding, Fees and Billing 

OPA submitted to all four sets of consultations which are in response to the CPO’s process of adapting the revised Core Standards of Practice for Canadian Physiotherapists, developed in 2023 by the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators.  

OPA welcomed interested physiotherapists to an information session presented by the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP). Attendees learned from speaker Danny Kim, Business Development Manager, about how HOOPP’s pension plan can be a part of an overall compensation package for physiotherapist employees. 

OPA received over 1000 responses to our Physiotherapists’ Scope of Practice survey which informed our advocacy for the implementation of ordering diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing. In tandem with the survey results, OPA connected with physiotherapists in many practice settings, and both will inform updates of past submissions. 

OPA welcomed over 500 registrants to our 4 webinars for the physiotherapy community on various aspects of financial management with speaker Brian E. Shumak, B.Sc., CLU, CFP, CHS, CEA, EPC, CFDS, TEP. 

1. Cash Flow Management https://youtu.be/alVqyE4QdaQ  

2. Business Structures https://youtu.be/pYNcK3Qw1po  

3. Investment Planning https://youtu.be/wGrYEAgDT-c  

Insurance Planning https://youtu.be/1koFUNq4VZY 

The 2024 Fee Guideline is a significant advance in updating guidance on fair and reasonable billing for physiotherapists. This Fee Guideline is the foundation to support OPA’s ongoing advocacy for fair compensation. It serves as a guide to funders on the current market rates for coverage and reimbursement across Ontario. 

Read Fee Guideline 

Read Fee Guideline FAQs  

Our campaign saw 119,075 views (and it’s still increasing) of our value of OPA video and an increase in our member engagement in emails and in video views. We reached more stakeholders and Ontarians with our messages. By showcasing our new CEO, President and our Board of Directors, we communicated OPA’s evolving value proposition and the critical role that OPA plays on behalf of the broader physiotherapy community.   

In the Spring 2024 budget, the Government of Ontario proposed to remove extended health coverage as first payer on auto insurance claims. While this is a significant step forward, OPA is committed to stressing the importance of implementing this change. On September 5, 2024, the Government opened consultations on auto insurance reforms, which solicited feedback on the proposed first payer change. OPA submitted a response informed by feedback from the physiotherapy community which supported the proposal to move to auto insurance as first payer and highlighted the importance of implementing this change as soon as possible.  

Read our submission 

The Government of Ontario passed Bill 149 in 2024 which requires salary band publication in job postings which will lead to increased pay transparency. OPA engaged in an external assessment of compensation across all sectors of the physiotherapy profession. The results of the survey were published in Spring 2024 in the form of sector reports, cross-sector analyses, and visual summary graphics. 

These compensation reports support physiotherapists in making informed decisions about published rates of pay.  

Read Compensation Reports 

Sarah Hutchison, OPA CEO, became a member of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) Auto Insurance Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) ensuring physiotherapists have a voice in auto insurance advocacy. Members serve a two-year term starting in September. 

Throughout 2024, the Ontario government announced funding for new primary care teams, or additional funding for existing teams, for a total of 78 different organizations. OPA has taken this opportunity to advocate directly to those teams to showcase the benefits of adding physiotherapists.  

OPA provides a number of supports that include guidance documents, access to job postings, access to educational modules on interdisciplinary care teams and a contact point to an expert network of physiotherapists in primary care.    

“It’s their fault”: How words hurt and how to see beyond the individual to improve physiotherapy practice was a free webinar for all members and non-members to attend. In this presentation, Dr. Ellen McGarity-Shipley (MScPT) delved into the fascinating world of psychophysiology, discussing how victim-blaming narratives often encountered in health rhetoric and healthcare settings may be harming patient’s bodies through an emotion: shame.  

Ontario Health initiated a Health Technology Assessment to review pelvic floor muscle training. OPA provided contacts to expert physiotherapists in this practice area to inform the assessment. The review concluded with Ontario Health’s draft recommendation on Pelvic Floor Muscle Training for Stress Urinary Incontinence, Fecal Incontinence, and Pelvic Organ Prolapse, which includes the importance of publicly funded access to pelvic floor muscle training due to improved patient outcomes and cost-effectiveness of this intervention.  

The results of this review are an achievement in recognizing the benefits of conservative management of pelvic floor conditions, an area where physiotherapists are often leading the way. OPA eagerly awaits updates on the outcome of these draft recommendations.  

Read the Submission 

Managing the Lower Functioning Individual, an NDT Workshop in the Management of Adults with Stroke, Brain Injury and Other Neuromotor Disorders welcomed 19 registrants in the Eastern Ontario District. 

All our social media channels saw a huge increase in engagement (comments, likes, shares) throughout May during our National Physiotherapy Month campaign. We highlighted how physiotherapists working up to their full scope of practice help people across Ontario, with posts on social media and four longer-format stories on our blog, Recent News.  We also posted about PTA Day and published one graphic from CPA’s toolkit for NPM as well as sharing their posts throughout the month. 

At Congress 2024, a resource for physiotherapy in primary care was launched! This resource helps prepare the physiotherapy workforce for expanded roles in team-based primary care. The resource includes defined competencies as well as educational modules on topics such as addressing the social determinants of health, service delivery models and leadership. The educational modules and competencies are open access through the  

CPA website  and are meant to be shared widely, among members and non-members. 

The development of these resources included consultation and knowledge exchange with many physiotherapists, other health professionals, educators and people who have accessed primary care. Part of the national team of physiotherapists who developed these resources presented at Congress to share this work. 

OPA worked continuously over the last two years to resolve issues facing clinics participating, through a Transfer Payment Agreement (TPA) with the Ministry of Health (MoH), in the Community Physiotherapy Clinic (CPC) program. OPA was pleased to see many of the recommendations we made to the Ministry of Health regarding the Community Physiotherapy Program were accepted.  

The following changes positively impact clinics’ costs and provide some flexibility to respond to changes in EOC allocations between contract periods: 

• An increase in fees: 3% in the first year of the TPA, and 2% in the second year 

• One diagnosis for one Episode of Care (EOC) rather than the current ‘whole body’ multiple diagnoses approach 

• Replacement of the annual Review Engagement Financial Statement with an annual attestation 

• Support access to virtual care as per College of Physiotherapists of Ontario guidelines 

• Enable reallocation of available EOCs when a clinic closes or identifies they are unable to fulfill all EOCs assigned, or when the Ministry chooses to allocate unused EOCs 

• Remove the requirement for referral from physicians or nurse practitioners 

OPA engaged intensively and continuously with the Ministry to advocate for these needed changes. We continue to be fully engaged in revising the Program’s Policies and Procedures, based on these changes. We are also pushing to initiate a more comprehensive and thorough review of the CPC program, including fees, so that it can be completed well in advance of the expiration of the next TPAs on March 31, 2026. With changes in eligibility criteria, a review is essential to evaluate the demand on the program and other impacts on resources.   

On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, OPA hosted a webinar with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario. The physiotherapy community heard about the role of the Practice Advisors, the purpose of Practice Standards and the work CPO is doing to incorporate the national standards into practice in Ontario. 

Watch the recording now 

From March 22-23, 2024, over 300 physiotherapists, physiotherapy residents, students, sponsors and award winners joined us in Toronto for our annual conference. With over 32 speakers, an inspiring awards dinner and a chance for students to meet future colleagues, it was an event to remember! 

OPA filed recommendations to Ontario’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. Our submission focused OPA’s continued advocacy on three main objectives, to:  

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

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

3. 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.  

Read now: https://opa.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Pre-Budget-Consultations-Submission-to-Standing-Committee-2024-OPA.pdf  

OPA collaborated with our representatives on the WSIB working group to review the programs of care and on the development of a new, consolidated MSK POC. As a result of our recommendations as well as meetings with the WSIB, some changes were made to the POC and fees. The new WSIB POC was launched on April 3, 2023, and prior to this date OPA hosted webinars to communicate these changes and facilitate a smooth transition. 

Almost 1,000 people joined us for our webinars or watched the recording on the new MSK POC that was offered live twice in early 2023, to help them succeed within the new POC. OPA collaborated with the WSIB’s presenter to ensure members received key information on the new program structure, implementation and implications for physiotherapists’ practice. The presenter, Jessie Farran (she/her), OT Reg. (Ont.), provided an overview of the new harmonized musculoskeletal (MSK) program of care (POC), including what’s changing and what this means for physiotherapists.  

Launched in 2022, OPA shared Members in the News in 2023 with 7 stories. Tiffany Tiu, André Riopel, Charlotte Anderson, Kristen MacDonell, Sharon Switzer McIntyre, Raj Suppiah and Trent Health in Motion were all featured in Members in the News with 375 clicks from our member emails to their articles, over 6,000 views on Instagram and 8,613 views on Facebook. 

Our members know why #PhysiotherapyMatters. We celebrated the value members bring to their communities in May by sharing their stories about why physiotherapy matters during National Physiotherapy Month. On May 9, we celebrated Physiotherapist Assistant Day, with 100 shares on Facebook, a reach of 1,753 on Instagram, and 51 likes on LinkedIN, the highest results for the month on social media.  

Windsor District collected 95 pairs of shoes for the Donate Your Kicks Campaign. These were distributed to the clothing closet at Hotel Dieu Grace Healthcare, allowing patients to have access to good footwear during their hospital stay which significantly helps to mobilize these patients on their rehab journey. 

OPA was excited to welcome the physiotherapy community back in-person for two days of celebration, networking, and learning at our annual conference, InterACTION 2023! We had 30 speakers presenting plenary, research and education sessions, and a successful networking event. Themes for our education programming were health justice, innovation, and health system transformation. We connected students across the province at our Student Social on Friday Night. 

Toronto Rehab at UHN and OPA hosted two TBI webinars in November and December 2023. 

These webinars explored how you can get the most out of the living updates to the Canadian Clinical Practice Guideline for the Rehabilitation of Adults with Moderate to Severe TBI. 

In 2023, CPA and OPA facilitated and connected physiotherapists in the primary care sector in a submission to a major grant initiative ($150 000) from Team Primary Care, an initiative funded by the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, and the Canadian Health Workforce Initiative. The project team was awarded the grant to enhance team-based primary care by developing competencies for this sector, and creating educational modules based on those competencies.  

Preparing Physiotherapists for Team-Based Primary Care – Canadian Physiotherapy Association 

The Eastern Ontario District awarded student scholarships and bursaries: Motahareh Karimijashni was the 2022/23 University of Ottawa, PHD Scholarship winner, and the PTA Bursary was awarded to Aube Fournier-Morin from La Cité. 

OPA developed a resource to help provide clarity on roles and responsibilities for physiotherapists and kinesiologists. The resource aims to increase understanding of these two regulated professions in the physical rehabilitation sector in Ontario, with key differences in scope of practice, core educational requirements and complexity of conditions they assess, treat, and manage. The resource was reviewed and had input from physiotherapy academic leaders, the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario, the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, and the Ontario Kinesiology Association.  

Access Resource: 

https://opa.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Physiotherapists-and-Kinesiologists-Education-and-Scope-Comparison.pdf open_in_new

The Community Physiotherapy Clinic program is one of the few publicly funded options for vulnerable Ontarians who need physiotherapy in the community. In response to the insufficient fee adjustment for the Community Physiotherapy Clinics, OPA wrote and continually advocated to the Minister and opposition health clinics about the program issues and sustainability of this valued program. We engaged with affected members to build the background of issues and changes needed. With this critical information, OPA advocated for and received written confirmation from the Ministry to a review of the CPC program and to engage OPA in that review. 

OPA ran a four-month campaign on Facebook and YouTube promoting patient video stories about the value of physiotherapy. The videos and ads resulted in close to 9 million impressions on Facebook and over 280,000 views on YouTube. 

2020- 2022: OPA advocated relentlessly for physiotherapy provisional practice registrants and students to be able to practice despite the lack of Practice Clinical Exam, previously administered by CAPR.   

The College of Physiotherapists of Ontario (CPO) updated the eligibility criteria for their Policy for Exempting Provisional Practice Registrants from the PCE-Clinical. This Policy provides guidance for the CPO’s Registration Committee to allow individuals under provisional practice to apply for an Independent Practice Certificate.  

Our members are our best stories. We celebrated the value members brought to their communities by sharing stories about why physiotherapy matters during Volunteer Week in April and National Physiotherapy Month in May.  

On October 18, the first in our series featuring members in the news was launched, with Robert Cusinato sharing his book that was published “Mending Nerves: An Empathetic Journey with Multiple Sclerosis”.  

Read Story 

We celebrated our OPA Award Winners and 50- and 60-year members with a digital campaign in 2022 from March 21-27. Each Award Winner was featured in a video, with the 50- and 60-year-old members together in one video. We promoted the videos on Facebook with ads resulting in 60,000 views and directed members via email to the landing page. There were 1,017 unique views of our Awards landing page. 

Watch OPA Campaign videos Highlighting Award Winners 

OPA gathered critical data and information to influence issues impacting the physiotherapy workforce. Over 170 organizations responded to our Health Human Resources in Physiotherapy survey and helped quantify and qualify issues of recruitment and retention across all sectors.  These webinars explored how you can get the most out of the living updates to the Canadian Clinical Practice Guideline for the Rehabilitation of Adults with Moderate to Severe TBI. 

Our consistent investment in relationship building with the WSIB allowed us to advocate for a review of fees. We were also successful in having three member experts accepted as part of the working group reviewing the Programs of Care. The WSIB has committed to reviewing our fee for service rates in 2023.  

OPA facilitated targeted communications on behalf of Ontario universities to help secure more offers for clinical placements. Members took on these requests and supported students, despite challenges for organizations and clinics during the pandemic. 

OPA’s joint advocacy with CPA, alongside grassroots member action called for the reversal of a policy change with Manulife’s FollowMe Plan that removed physiotherapy coverage for seniors. OPA and CPA wrote a letter and met with the national senior leadership at Manulife. We were informed that our feedback was received and influenced Manulife’s decision not to proceed with the policy changes maintaining access for affected Ontarians.  

In addition, the new requirement for a referral to access physiotherapy for policyholders across Canada was cancelled. 

OPA advocated to the Ministry of Health for needed supports to address unique pressures faced in this funding model due to the shutdowns and restrictions impacting service delivery during the pandemic. OPA was successful in achieving up to 25% of EOC allocations to be retained without claw back in the 2020-21 fiscal year. OPA continued to advocate in 2021 for urgent changes to the program and additional supports for CPCs including writing to the Premier, other Cabinet Ministers and the Health Critics of the Opposition parties.  

Grey Bruce District hosted two webinars:  

• Sharmila Earnest, OT discussed the growing mental health crisis during COVID-19, practical ways to help clients, and local resources that are available.  

• Sandra Mohr and Chelsea Mott, Respiratory Therapists presented on ‘Respiratory Care: a COVID-19 perspective’. Attendees learned about post-COVID syndrome and the role of the physiotherapist in assisting clients with post-COVID respiratory difficulties.  

50 members from the London District attended the Virtual Panel ‘Post-COVID-19 Condition’ focused on the effects of Post-COVID-19 condition or long COVID. Speakers Shannon McGuire, PT, and Allison Francis, PT shared how clients/patients are presenting and how physiotherapists can adapt to this population.  

The Northern Ontario District hosted ‘Mindfulness Practices For Stress Management and Resilience During COVID-19 Pandemic Times’ and ‘Caring for Patients with Mental Health Issues – Stress Management for the Health Care Professional’ to address growing mental health concerns for health care practitioners and their patients during the pandemic. 

OPA developed and disseminated a resource to help the more than 30 Public Health Units understand the practice of home and community care physiotherapists and physiotherapist assistants. In our outreach, we helped them in their local priority planning with vaccine distribution so that PTs and PTAs had access to the COVID-19 vaccine based on their appropriate risk level.  

https://opa.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Information-PHU-Vaccinations-Physiotherapy.pdf open_in_new

We conducted the Health Human Resources in the Physiotherapy Profession survey to understand the current pressures within the profession in Ontario to determine if/what gaps and needs exist and to inform strategy and advocacy. The survey ran from May 12-31, 2021, and had 87 respondents from 63 sites and/or organizations (with multiple sites). Key findings illuminated barriers for recruitment and retention of staff, the impact of the delays in the national examination and vacancies on operations. This data informed OPA’s next steps in developing a health human resource strategy for the physiotherapy profession in Ontario. 

We supported the recruitment of participants in over 15 studies on topics that impact the physiotherapy profession, some of which include:  

• What should students learn about LGBTQ2I+ health in entry-to-practice Physical Therapy programs in Canada?  

• Lessons Learned: Telerehabilitation Experiences of Ontario Physiotherapists in Outpatient and Community Settings during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic  

• Understanding the Impact of the Pandemic on Physiotherapists working in Ontario Hospitals  

• National Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) Project Strategies for increasing accessibility and equity in health and human service educational programs: national perspective 

Legislative Barriers and Legislative Changes for Physical Therapy during the Opioid Crisis in the US and Canada. 

Our 2021 ‘Here When You Need Us’ public campaign reached over 1 million Ontarians with over 9.5 million impressions. Ads on Facebook generated 42,000 visits to our landing pages where they could learn more about safe in-person care and virtual physiotherapy offered throughout the province by PTs, PT Residents, and PTAs. The campaign ran in January, March-April and again from June-December. Members submitted pictures and joined us for a day of filming to ensure accurate and timely representation of the profession during the pandemic – with appropriate PPE.  

We welcomed almost 400 registrants to our first-ever virtual InterACTION conference on April 17. With 30 speakers, 3 keynotes, 2 PT panels and a celebration of Award winners, it was an energizing day full of connection and learning! OPA proudly supported student attendance by offering a discounted rate of $10 and two University programs paid for their students to attend.  

We updated members on the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the year by hosting four webinars:  

We updated members on the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the year by hosting four webinars:  

• Understanding the COVID-19 patient – acute to long term recovery 

• • Webinar 1 Recording 

• • Webinar 1 Slide Deck open_in_new 

• Trailblazing during a Pandemic: The Role of Community Based PT in COVID-19 recovery 

• • Webinar 2 Recording 

• • Webinar 2 Slide Deck open_in_new 

• • Q&A for both webinars open_in_new 

• Wave 3 & Redeployment of Physiotherapists 

• • Webinar 3 Recording 

• Implementing COVID-19 Vaccine Policies in the Workplace 

1. • Webinar 4 Recording 

We also communicated: 

• Changes to COVID-19 public health guidance and directives to make sure that members stayed informed and were aware of the implications of these changes on physiotherapy practice and service deliver across various sectors  

• Extensions and changes to government financial supports for business and individuals  

• Opportunities and processes on how to become vaccinated when eligibility expanded to physiotherapists across various public health units and regions  

• Resources on virtual care delivery, redeployment, and mental health supports for health care professionals 

OPA, as part of the Interdisciplinary Long COVID Advisory Panel, contributed to the development of a resource on the role of rehabilitation in addressing long COVID, called Rehabilitation for Clients with Post COVID-19 Condition (Long COVID): Guidance for Canadian Rehabilitation and Exercise Professionals. This living document consolidates the best available evidence and resources to help inform safe clinical decision making for those who are providing services to people with Long COVID. 

The subcommittee of the Primary Care Advisory Committee published the fourth edition of the Community Based Physiotherapy During the COVID-19 pandemic resource to reflect emerging evidence. The resource also helps to educate system planners and organizations to understand the evolving role of physiotherapy to address the rehabilitation needs of patients who are experiencing residual health issues due to COVID-19. 

In 2021, 9 individuals completed the Introduction to Wound Care Management online course, and 2 individuals challenged and passed the quiz. Since the program began, 43 physiotherapists have completed the quiz increasing our capacity to meet health care needs in this area. 

• Quinte-St. Lawrence District hosted a webinar, ‘How I Ran Away with the Circus’ with Vincent Turpin, PT. 

• Central Toronto District welcomed 18 attendees for their ‘Virtual Course- Persistent Low Back Pain’ with Dr. Bahram Jam.  

• The Northern Ontario District welcomed attendees virtually to ‘Oxygen Administration and Titration: Practice Guidelines for Physiotherapists’ twice in 2021 due to its popularity.  

• The Northern Ontario District also hosted Physio North, a virtual half day conference with presentations: o ‘Movement System Diagnosis in Physical Therapy’ with speakers Dr. Kathleen Gill-Body, PT; Dr. Laura Plummer, PT o ‘Evidence Based PT Clinical Practice Guidelines for Hip Fracture’ with speaker Andre Riopel, PT o ‘The Words We Use’, a session on how the language we use and the stories we share can explain complex problems to patients without eliciting fear and anxiety. 

47 librarian curated “Study of the Day” posts were shared on Facebook and Twitter about the latest and most relevant research and physiotherapy news with 67,482 impressions on Facebook and 22,163 impressions on Twitter. 

The Eastern Ontario District awarded Musanda Mandefu from Cité Collégiale, a PTA-OTA bursary and awarded Leyla Sefiddashti the University of Ottawa PhD Scholarship.  

The London District OPA-CPA Book Prize Literary Achievement Award for excellence in student research was awarded to the study ‘Knowledge Dissemination in Upper Extremity Fractures and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Education, Activity Advice, and Referral Infographics.’ The award winners are Estee Black, Jenna Crocker, Moriah Thorpe, Felix Drechsler, Sasja Drechsler, Lesley Kukoly with supervisors Prof. Jackie Sadi, Prof. Cathy Pasternak, Dr. Laura Churchill, Dr. Kenneth Faber. Each award winner received a PDF certificate, letter of congratulations, and a $25 Amazon gift card.  

The Central Toronto District awarded their University of Toronto MScPT Student Research Grant 2021- 2022 to student researchers Dayna Bercovitch, Sarah Mulvihill, Hillary Ng, Sajan Patel, Andi Reppas Rindlisbacher, and Brandon Sum with advisors Gayatri Aravind, Nancy Salbach, Lyndsay Aitken, and Meagan O’Neill. The research was titled ‘The Impact of COVID-19 Social Restrictions on Exercise Participation, Physical Activity, and Health of Older Adults with Balance and Mobility Limitations Attending Community- Based Exercise Programs’.  

The Eastern Ontario District sponsored the University of Ottawa second year student graduation ball.  

First year Queen’s University physiotherapy students attended the ‘Diversity of Practice Panel’ offered by the Quinte-St. Lawrence District. The district also supported students and physiotherapy residents with a virtual town hall on the Clinical PCE and surveyed the district to learn more about the impact of clinical PCE delays.  

The York Region & Scarborough District and the Central Toronto District co-hosted ‘PT Panel Night’ welcoming all first- and second-year PT students. With approximately 40-55 students in attendance, speakers, Lisa Whiler, Christina Samy, Natasha Lohues and Arjun Patel focused on a range of topics: paediatric, neurological, orthopaedic and pelvic focused physiotherapy as well as private practice.  

The Windsor District hosted a New to Practice Meet & Greet in February and a PCE Town Hall in December. 

Four mentorship coaching sessions and additional resources included: 

• Value for membership Professional Development: Mapping Your Road Trip to Success Coach: Jasdeep Dhir, BSc(PT), MClSc (MT), TDPT, FCAMPT, Assistant Professor, McMaster University  

• Understanding Contracts in Private Practice – Compensation & Negotiations Coach: Daryl Yardley, PT, MClSc (Manip)  

• Virtual Practice 101 – Conducting Virtual Sessions Successfully Coach: Amy Hondronicols, PT  

• Private Practice Contracts – A Legal Perspective Coach: Marty Rabinovitch, B.A.H., LL.B. Lawyer 

Community Physiotherapy Clinic (CPC) members engaged through virtual town halls and surveys sharing their experiences and challenges implementing the CPC program during the COVID-19 pandemic. This information informed our advocacy with the Ministry of Health.  

Directors attended more than 12 outreach events at district and other stakeholder meetings around Ontario. Members and stakeholders engaged in critical conversations about the role and value of physiotherapists during health system transformation and the COVID-19 pandemic, along with opportunities to mobilize and amplify the PT voice within their communities.  

In addition to providing two clinical placement opportunities, OPA facilitated targeted communications from Ontario’s universities to all catchment areas promoting the need for clinical placements. Despite challenges for organizations and clinics during the pandemic, many members took on these requests and supported our students.

Kitchener-Waterloo District members participated in the Virtual MS Walk. Their team, along with family and friends, raised $1000 for MS Society of Canada and walked 5km in their own neighbourhoods. 

Grey Bruce District held eight meetings on a biweekly basis during the first few months of the pandemic, which focused on navigating the state of lockdown and the re-opening of health care services, in order to support members.  

• York Region Scarborough District collected information on demographics, practice settings, and engagement of the district with its members through their COVID-19 crisis survey.  

 Windsor District held feedback meetings virtually with members that addressed the re-opening of health care services and the second wave of the pandemic to provide member support. 

In April and May, OPA wrote and advocated to the Co-Chairs of the Emergency Operations Committee Command Table and others urging the re-opening of physiotherapy services in the community to ensure full access to essential health services by Ontarians. Services in the community re-opened by the end of May. 

n September, OPA sent a letter and advocated to the Premier and the Chief Medical Officer of Health that services by physiotherapists and physiotherapist assistants working in all sectors are essential and should remain open. Services were not ordered to close or restrict beyond public health measures in the second wave or province-wide shutdown. 

OPA wrote, advocated and launched a public campaign including media stories to secure Pandemic Pay for physiotherapy front line providers. OPA received confirmation from the Ministry of Long-Term Care that physiotherapists and physiotherapist assistants (either employed by the home or contracted) who work onsite in LTC homes (not virtual) are eligible for the pandemic pay program.

OPA advocated to the Deputy Minister of Health and Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) for access to the appropriate PPE for cardiorespiratory physiotherapy. A position statement and an educational document were developed and picked up by Physiotherapy New Zealand cardiorespiratory special interest group who adapted it to meet their advocacy goals in this same area. The CMOH updated directives to allow for professionals to make point of care decisions on their own PPE needs. 

OPA advocated with all funders and was successful in ensuring that virtual visits were compensated at the same levels as in-person visits in many areas including WSIB, Auto Insurance, many extended health benefit providers, in home care and through the Community Physiotherapy Clinic program. 

Advocacy to the Ministry of Health to address issues within the CPC program, especially during the pandemic, resulting in the introduction of some measures to help mitigate the challenges experienced by CPCs during the pandemic. 

The Telerehabilitation During the COVID-19 Pandemic survey captured the experience of implementing telerehab during the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on activities immediately following the emergency order to reduce in-person services in the community. Over 360 members participated and provided key information that formed a summary report that led to critical conversations and informed advocacy about virtual care with all stakeholders. 

PTs and PTAs used #WeArePT to share their stories on social media showing the difference they were making for Ontarians every day. OPA promoted, shared and “boosted” their posts to amplify the value of physiotherapy including to the Premier and the Minister of Health who were tagged in the OPA posts. In total, 298, 623 people saw the posts in the one-month campaign in June and July.  

OPA launched a marketing campaign to promote the safe opening of in-person and virtual physiotherapy services during the pandemic. The campaign ran from October to December and spoke to the essentiality of physiotherapy for Ontarians. The public was directed to resources about all the ways that physiotherapy can help, including new and innovative ways that PTs and PTAs are adapting to provide safe and effective care, including providing virtual care.