Fee By-law Changed to Support New Class of License

A physician speaking to a patient

Council approved a fee by-law amendment that supports the implementation of a new temporary independent class of license.

The by-law amendment, which circulated after September Council, sets out the fee for the new certificate of registration. Reflecting the three-month term of the new registration class, the application fees are 25 percent of the annual fee.

In September, Council approved a regulation to add a new certificate of registration authorizing independent practice. The regulation’s intent is to provide a more flexible option that supports potential applicants who wish to assist with system needs on a temporary basis, enabling them to practise at full scope and reducing the administrative burden for all involved. 

The government enacted the regulation implementing this new registration class on October 27, 2022.      

This new class offers benefits over CPSO’s 30-day license — the Supervised Practice of Short Duration certificate — in important ways:

  • Not requiring supervision, enabling physicians to practise independently;
  • Extending the duration of a license (three months), enabling greater flexibility;
  • Allowing a broader range of system sponsors, including community-based settings; and
  • Reducing administrative burden on the sponsor, the physician and CPSO.

The ongoing health care system crisis, health human resource shortages and emergency department closures have garnered significant attention. In early August, the Ontario Minister of Health issued a letter directing CPSO to “make every effort to register out of province and internationally educated physicians to the College as expeditiously as possible.”

The College, in response, noted the medical regulator was but one part of the broader solution, and put forward a range of options to address the current crisis and underlying issues, including this new temporary class of registration.