Proposed By-law Changes: Collection of Additional Demographic and Practice-Related Information

Background

The College of Physiotherapists of Ontario is seeking comments on a proposed amendment to section 8.2 of the By-laws: Information to be Provided by Members.

The addition of two new provisions under section 8.2 would grant the College the flexibility to collect additional practice and demographic information from registrants, as deemed necessary by the Registrar and in consultation with the Executive Committee.

On September 29, 2023, Council approved the two By-law additions in principle. The proposed amendments are now being circulated to our partners for 60 days, after which Council will revisit the provisions for final approval alongside any feedback received.

What do the proposed By-law changes mean?

The College is not collecting any new information from its registrants at this time.

The College is instead seeking the flexibility to collect data to support future strategic objectives, such as those related to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives. Flexibility in the By-laws would also allow the College to respond to information requests from health system partners such as the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) at a later time.

In the future, the College may consider collecting new data points to align with its strategic objectives and public interest mandate. These could include, among others:

• Practice information, including:
  • Whether registrants practice through an Agency Health Care Provider
  • Whether registrants provide virtual care, and
  • The different modes of service delivery they employ.
• Demographic information regarding:
  • The registrant’s indigenous or racial identity, and
  • The registrant’s sex assigned at birth.

The College has not yet made a decision as to whether to collect some or all of these data points on a mandatory basis going forward. Should any decisions to collect this type of information on a mandatory basis be made, registrants would be given advanced notice and the data collection would be conducted in accordance with best practices, including with a clearly defined purpose regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of that information. In this case, a “prefer not to answer” option will be made available for individuals to opt out if they choose.

It is important to note that data shared with external organizations such as CIHI is shared anonymously, and that any demographic data collected will not appear on the Public Register.

A copy of the proposed amendments to the By-law is shown below. Additions to this section are outlined in green.

INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED BY MEMBERS

8.2.    (1)    A Member shall provide the following to the College when requested to do so by the Registrar:

(t) Practice information considered necessary by the Registrar, in consultation with the Executive Committee; and

(u) Demographic information considered necessary by the Registrar, in consultation with the Executive Committee.