Alberta massage therapists fight to be recognized as regulated health profession

Local associations representing massage therapists in Alberta are fighting to have the industry regulated as a health profession.

They say regulation will not only protect the public interest, but also recognize the level of education therapists require.

"It's important for you to have the ability to govern its regulated members in a manner that protects and serves the public interest," said Christy Kasur, president of the Transitional Council for the College of Massage Therapists of Alberta.

The group is spearheading a campaign to regulate massage therapy in the province.

"It is important to have protected titles — such as registered massage therapist — [to] be held accountable for their knowledge and professional behaviour through a regulatory college," Kasur said.

Credentials not recognized elsewhere

Cara Jenner earned her 3,000-hour advanced clinical massage therapy diploma from Edmonton's MaKami College and worked as a massage therapist in Alberta for four years.

She then moved to British Columbia, where she hoped to keep working — but ran into a roadblock.

"B.C. won't even recognize my education. Even though I graduated with honours and have been practicing for years alongside numerous different practitioners in Alberta for years," she said.

"This lack of regulation means they will not recognize [the credentials of] any Alberta massage therapists, anywhere else in Canada."

While it's standard to use the title of registered massage therapist, Alberta has no such classification for massage therapists.

The "registered" title is protected under the province's Health Professions Act and can only be used by members of a regulated body like the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

While other provinces have a regulatory body for massage therapists, Alberta does not.

Massage therapy is governed by four main associations in the province: the Massage Therapists Association of Alberta (MTAA), the Canadian Massage Manual Osteopathic Therapists Association (CMMOTA) and the Natural Health Practitioners of Canada, and the Certified Registered Massage Therapist Association (CRMTA).

Kasur said by regulating massage therapy in Alberta, it will also give those with the appropriate education more labour mobility.

"When we're not regulated, other provinces don't recognize our training. By becoming regulated, that then allows massage therapists to freely move from our province to provinces that are regulated and then they won't have that restriction," Kasur said.

Jenner said in order to become a registered massage therapist in B.C. she would need to pay thousands of dollars to be assessed and tested to ultimately be told to return to a local school and be retrained.

"It's almost impossible for anyone from out of province to obtain a license to practice massage therapy in B.C.," she said.

"They pretty much say we have to go back to school, and I just can't afford to go back to school and pay another $35,000 when I already graduated with honours."

Pandemic highlighted issue

Kasur said the pandemic has also further highlighted the need for change.

"We've actually been categorized with personal services and had to shut down accordingly," she said.

Kasur said by regulating the massage profession and becoming part of the Health Profession Act, it would give massage therapists the recognition needed from government to be a regulated health profession.

"During the pandemic we have not been recognized as a regulated health profession, which has upset some massage therapists in Alberta because we do provide medical services to Albertans," she said. 

Kasur said that on Sept. 4, 2020, a joint proposal was submitted to Alberta Health by the Canadian Massage Therapy Association and CMMOTA, CRMTA, MTAA and the NHPC through the council, but no decision has been made.

"Now we're waiting for a meeting with the minister of health," she said.

An online petition seeking for the industry to be regulated has garnered more than 3,300 signatures.