College Blog
As another year comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my highlights from 2025 and to share a glimpse of what’s to come.
But before we jump in, I also want to express my gratitude for your continued engagement with the College and – more importantly – for all the help you’ve provided to patients across Ontario.
Here are some of my highlights from 2025.
Fostering New Connections and Community
I’ve said it before but it bears repeating. One of my favourite parts of this job is the opportunity to meet and build relationships with physiotherapists and system partners across the province.
This past year, I had the good fortune of being able to travel to Timmins to attend PhysioNorth, meet physiotherapy students at schools around Ontario, and connect with many of you at various conferences and events.
I want to give a special thank you to everyone who came out to our events in Ottawa and Brampton – The PT Exchange: In Conversation with the College and OPA.
These are valuable opportunities for us to share ideas, for the College to answer questions, and for us to support you in your work. It’s also wonderful to get back to in-person events after years of mostly meeting virtually. There is something different about talking face-to-face that helps build community and foster these important relationships.
This is summed up in a piece of feedback we received following our Ottawa event: “It means a lot to make personal connections while discussing the work undertaken by the organizations,” the participant said. This is exactly why we, along with the Ontario Physiotherapy Association, wanted to organize the PT Exchange.
If you attended an event and enjoyed it, please share it with your network so we can keep the momentum going.
In early 2026, we’ll be hosting a virtual session so anyone can attend – regardless of your location. Then we’re headed to Sudbury in April.
We’re already looking to schedule more in-person events after that – so please let us know if you have a suggestion of a town or city we should visit.
Supporting Responsible AI Use
When we began hearing from physiotherapists with questions about using artificial intelligence (AI) into their work, we recognized there was a need for additional support in this space.
In June of 2025 we released a new guidance document, Artificial Intelligence — Principles for Physiotherapists.
By identifying key requirements from existing standards and legislation and applying them in the context of emerging AI technologies, the guidance helps physiotherapists integrate AI tools while ensuring patient safety and autonomy.
We recognize that the AI landscape is changing quickly and we need to be agile and responsive in our approach.
Our goal is to continue to support you as we navigate the implications of this new technology together.
Bringing Our Standards into National Alignment
At their final meeting of 2025, the College’s Board of Directors approved the last of 16 new national standards.
This is a major milestone in a cross-country effort to standardize expectations for Canadian physiotherapists and support labour mobility between the provinces.
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on these national standards. Your input helped inform Ontario-specific modifications.
Our Board has now given us the direction to develop two new standards:
- Health Equity and Anti-Discrimination Standard
- Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility Standard
If you’ve been reading our EDI reports or my recent blog on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, you’ll know we’ve been working for some years to be in a place where we can start developing these standards.
As a health regulator, we know we have an important role to play in combatting discrimination, advancing reconciliation, and building a health-care system where all patients feel safe and welcomed. The creation of these standards represents concrete action toward these goals.
On a personal level, I’m very happy to be part of this important work.
We look forward to consulting and collaborating with you as we develop these new standards.
Preparing for Possible Scope of Practice Expansion
Also in the past year, we received exciting news about the potential expansion of the physiotherapy scope of practice – something we know you’ve been waiting a long time for.
The Ontario government is considering changes that would allow qualified physiotherapists to order certain diagnostic imaging procedures such as MRIs, ultrasounds, and X-rays once rostered with the College.
We know that enabling physiotherapists to order these diagnostics will improve access to care, reduce the burden on the health-care system, and allow you to work to the full extent of your knowledge, skills and training.
The government has not made any modifications to scope of practice yet, but we are committed to these changes and ready to take action to implement them. We are hopeful that we’ll hear more information about next steps soon.
Wishing you a safe and restful holiday season. Talk more in 2026.
Share Your Thoughts