On January 31, 2025, the Board of the College of Health and Care Professionals of BC approved fee increases for seven professions: audiologists, dietitians, hearing instrument practitioners, occupational therapists, opticians, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists. The following are questions and answers about the fee increases:
Q: Why are the fees increasing?
A: Costs have increased significantly for all of us, personally and professionally due to inflation. The costs of regulation also continue to rise with increasing public expectations and additional regulatory requirements.
In the Board’s role as financial stewards of the College of Health and Care Professionals of BC (CHCPBC), it is taking the necessary action to ensure our financial position is sustainable so that we can deliver on our legislated mandate of public protection. Fees for all professions were reviewed by the Board to determine what increases to registrant fees are required to maintain our ability to deliver good regulation to the public that we serve.
Q: Why are the fees increasing at this time?
A: Fee increases are always considered as part of the budgeting process and those increases typically align with registration renewal cycles. Our fiscal year is April 1-March 31. The 2025-2026 budget is in development, and we need to communicate to registrants about their upcoming renewal dates and fees shortly. The budget cycle and the timing of each profession’s renewal date means that we need to confirm fee increases now for the 2025-2026 renewal year.
Q: Why doesn’t the College consult registrants about fee increases?
A: Fees are determined and approved by the Board based on analysis of the needs of the College to fulfill our mandate to regulate in the public interest. As oversight for the College, the Board is in the best position to make these decisions to maintain good regulation for the public.
Q: Does the College get revenue from sources other than registrants?
A: Yes, however the primary source of revenue is from applicants (registration fees) and registrants (renewal fees). This revenue accounts for over 90% of the College’s income. Other limited revenue sources are interest on investments, health profession corporation fees, and fines or other tariffs applied to registrants.
Q: How were the new fees determined?
A: At this time in the evolution of the College, there is no perfect approach for determining fees. We need more time to understand the true costs involved in regulating a multi-disciplinary regulator, however we can estimate revenue and expenses based on historical data and identifying the important initiatives to be undertaken in the next fiscal year.
We retained external expertise to develop several fee models. Principles that guided the fee modeling include fairness, equity, data-informed, acceptability, impact, feasibility, risk and regulatory burden. Various models were reviewed by the Finance and Audit Committee, then refined. The Board reviewed options and made a final decision.
The fee model chosen applied a general percentage increase that was then normalized for the size of the profession. This model was chosen because it accounts for benefits of the economies of scale that were available to larger legacy colleges but not smaller legacy colleges. The model reflects that legacy colleges with smaller registrant numbers were raising their fees in recent years while larger colleges did not. Legacy colleges on average were 14.3% the size of CHCPBC. If a profession formerly regulated by a legacy college was bigger than the average, an additional percentage (equal to the difference between its size and the average) was added to the general percentage. If the number of registrants was smaller than the average, the opposite was applied (a reduction from the general percentage). This is why the percentage increase for each profession varies and is believed to be the most equitable.
Q: Can I pay the fee in installments?
A: No, fee payment in full is a requirement of renewal.
Q: Will the fee increase apply to other fees?
A: Yes, the increase will apply to all fees related to licensing. It is not being applied to ancillary or to health profession corporation fees currently.
Q: Have the fees for all professions been increased by CHCPBC?
A: Fees for all nine professions have been reviewed by CHCPBC for the 2025-2026 year. Fee increases for audiologists, dietitians, hearing instrument practitioners, occupational therapists, opticians, physical therapists and speech language pathologists were approved on January 31, 2025. Fees for psychologists and optometrists, the two remaining professions regulated by CHCPBC, were considered in 2024 in advance of their profession specific renewals December 31, 2024. Psychologist fees increased by 15% for the 2025-2026 year. Optometrist fees were not increased.
Q: What are the fees for all professions regulated by CHCPBC?
A: The 2025-2026 registration renewal fees (full practising registration) for all nine professions regulated by CHCPBC are as follows:
| Profession | Increase | 2024 Fee | 2025 Fee | Renewal Deadline |
| Audiologists | +13% | $950 | $1,075 | March 31, 2025 |
| Dietitians | +12% | $630 | $705 | March 31, 2025 |
| Hearing Instrument Practitioners | +13% | $950 | $1,075 | March 31, 2025 |
| Occupational Therapists | +16% | $525 | $610 | June 30, 2025 |
| Opticians | +10% | $675 | $745 | March 31, 2025 |
| Optometrists | +0% | $1,390 | $1,390 | November 30, 2024 |
| Psychologists | +15% | $1200 | $1,380 | December 31, 2024 |
| Physical Therapists | +22% | $500 | $610 | May 31, 2025 |
| Speech–Language Pathologists | +13% | $950 | $1,075 | March 31, 2025 |
The table does not include fees for certifications. A complete list of 2025-2026 fees are included in the CHCPBC Bylaws, Schedule 1: Fees.
Q: Can the College make fees the same for all the professions it regulates?
A: Colleges in BC that regulate multiple professions typically assess different fees for each of the professions they regulate. Fees are based on a variety of factors including cost to regulate and risk to the public.
Q: What specific improvements will I see from this increase?
A: The fee increases will support:
- Process improvements to provide more efficient and timely services including licensing and complaints management;
- Continued practice support and resources for the public and registrants,
- Adequate staffing to support the College functions;
- Technology improvements including an integrated registrant management software system (a single database for all registrants);
- Meeting our commitments to Indigenous cultural safety and humility, and Indigenous specific anti-racism; and,
- Planning for the implementation of the Health Professions and Occupations Act.
Q: Where can I review the financial statements for the College?
A: The audited financial statements of the seven Legacy Colleges are published for your information. These statements reflect the financial positions and results as of this date for the Legacy Colleges, which amalgamated to form CHCPBC as at June 28, 2024. Please note that these financial statements do not represent a full fiscal year and have been audited, which serves the purpose of ensuring opening financial transparency (i.e., providing an accurate view of the financial performance and positions of the entities prior to amalgamation).
The audited financial statements for CHCPBC (June 28, 2024 – March 31, 2025) will be published on the website after an audit is conducted after the fiscal year end and the statements are approved by the Board.
Q: How does this compare to fees in other jurisdictions?
A: Pan-Canadian fees for each profession were reviewed however, there are no comparable multi-disciplinary regulators in Canada regulating the same group of professions. Comparisons to our context and budget needs were not meaningful.
Q: Will there be more increases in the future?
A: We are committed to completing a fee re-structuring project prior to the 2026-2027 renewal year. Project planning is underway to ensure this work is complete prior to the next fiscal year budgeting cycle. We are working towards a fee structure that better reflects the true costs of regulatory oversight, support, and administration. This will ensure a more equitable and sustainable model where each profession’s fees accurately match the cost to regulate the professions. Any future adjustments will be communicated to registrants well in advance.
Q: Why are the fees higher for CHCPBC than they were for my legacy College?
A: We are not able to comment on fee decisions made by legacy Colleges in the past. We recognize that fee structures varied widely based on economies of scale, risk, regulatory burden, acceptability, fee philosophies and available assets. Today we are focused on the financial resources required to operate CHCPBC.
For the 2025-2026 fiscal year the fees were determined by identifying the resources to operate the College this year. We suspected prior to amalgamation that while there can be efficiencies, the costs associated with greater efficiency are significant. For example, the efforts and infrastructure required to harmonize processes and procedures is significant. Other multi-disciplinary regulators (none as diverse as CHCPBC) have found this to be the case.
Q: How can I provide feedback about these changes?
A: We welcome your feedback and constructive suggestions. Please send any comments or concerns through CHCPBC’s Contact form by selecting “Fees” in the Subject of Enquiry section.
