Much of the work the College has done in response to Bill 46 so far has been focused on the mandated separation of colleges and association functions. Over the last few months, however, we have started to prepare for the next phase of Bill 46’s implementation, which will require the development of new or amended college regulations, standards of practice, and bylaws.

In February, Council approved the College’s new Bylaws. This revised document follows a template that was created by a group of regulatory colleges with the aim of making college bylaws more standardized across the health professions. Having these new bylaws already in place will make it easier to adapt them as necessary as we continue to receive direction from the government about the implementation of Bill 46.

Work has also begun on a new standard area that will need to be added to the Standards of Practice once the Medical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technologists Profession Regulation (the Regulation) has been amended in response to Bill 46. The basic framework for the College’s Continuing Competence Program (CCP) is currently set out in the Regulation, and once this phase of Bill 46 comes into force, that framework will be removed from the Regulation and added to our Standards of Practice. The first draft of the new CCP standard has been approved by Council, and the College will soon be sharing the draft standard with regulated members to gather feedback and make any necessary adjustments.

The College announced over the summer that our bylaws have been updated to reflect that branches will be dissolved on July 1, 2022. In the meantime, branches will continue to operate as they always have. The College has been working with the branch chairs to provide guidance on the transition and answer any questions they have. We have encouraged branches to plan more events for their members between now and June and we will continue to provide support for the digital delivery of these events.

All branches continue to operate under the same set of policies and procedures that have been in place since 2011. Detailed information can be found on the Branches page of the College website. Any funds remaining in the branches’ accounts upon their dissolution will be returned to the College. Decisions regarding these funds will be made by Council and published in our annual report.

In addition to making decisions regarding the College’s finances, Council is responsible for making decisions regarding the College’s strategic direction and updates to our foundational documents. In September, Council passed a motion to amend the College’s mission statement and Code of Ethics.

The mission statement was amended to remove the reference to “continually advancing professions.” Advancement of the professions alludes to the professional development of members, which falls within the scope of an association. The new mission statement is as follows:

The Alberta College of Medical Diagnostic and Therapeutic Technologists exists so that the public is assured of receiving safe, competent and ethical diagnostic and therapeutic care by regulated professionals.

A similar reference in the College’s Code of Ethics (“Advancing the profession: A regulated member advances the profession through the development and sharing of new and emerging professional knowledge”) was also removed. While the document was being updated, we also removed the reference to “self-regulation” (“A regulated member recognizes that the self-regulation of the profession is a privilege”) to reflect the changes introduced by Bill 30 that mean regulation of the professions is now a responsibility shared equally by members of the profession and members of the public.

Council plans to review the College’s mandate policy and other documents as necessary in the new year to ensure our compliance with Bill 46.

The College is continuing to review our operations and implement changes related to Bill 46. The HPA does not require the College to hold an annual membership meeting, while the Alberta Societies Act, which governs professional associations in the province, does require these types of meetings. This can create confusion about the regulatory role of the College, so Council has determined that membership meetings are an association activity and removed the requirement that the College hold a membership meeting every year from the bylaws.

Based on a careful review of these changes and legal advice, Council has made the following decisions and updated the College bylaws where applicable:

• Branches will be dissolved as of July 1, 2022.
• The College will no longer host an annual conference.
• Associate membership will be discontinued as of January 1, 2022. This membership category also includes honorary life membership.

The bylaws state that the object of branches is to “provide members with a forum for discussion, professional development and networking.” While we recognize that these activities can ultimately benefit the public, they fall within the scope of a professional association. Based on timelines provided by the Alberta government and input from the branch executives, Council has decided to allow branches to continue to operate for more than a year, which will give them time to plan more events for their members if they choose to do so. The annual conference is another activity that falls clearly within the realm of a professional association, so the College is looking forward to exploring new ways to provide learning opportunities for members while remaining compliant with legislation.

The issues surrounding associate membership were not as straightforward, but in the end Council determined that this category of registration does not make a clear contribution to public protection and should therefore not continue beyond this year. While this decision will no doubt have an impact on some of our members, associates make up a small percentage of our membership and the majority of the benefits associates currently receive (e.g., newsletter, e-blasts, invitations to College events) are available to anyone interested in them through the College website. Members can still choose to resign their registration if they will not be working for an extended period of time, and registration requirements have always been and will continue to be the same for new members and former members returning to practice. It is now much simpler to resign and apply for other register changes, including new applications for general registration for former members, as these processes have all moved online.

We understand that these are big changes that will affect many of our members; however, we feel that the overall impact on our membership as we make this transition will be positive. Given the trend towards virtual events and online learning opportunities that was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, moving away from the geographical constraints of branches and in-person conferences will benefit regulated members by allowing us to offer equal opportunities to technologists in all specialties and all locations across the province. Removing the associate membership category will also allow the College to focus our attention and resources on regulated members, which will benefit regulated members as well as the public.

The College is committed to supporting our members as much as we can while respecting our mandate of protecting the public — after all, it is only through our members’ hard work and dedication that we can fulfill our mission of ensuring that Albertans receive safe, competent and ethical diagnostic and therapeutic care. Plans are already underway for a virtual regulatory education event this fall, which will take place over two days and offer members the opportunity to earn up to 7 hours toward their CCP. Topics for the event’s presentations will be mapped to the Standards of Practice and other regulatory documents to ensure our compliance with Bill 46 while making a meaningful contribution to the continuing education of our members. The event is scheduled for October 16 and 23; more details to follow this summer.

To learn more about these changes, please see the College website:

• Branches
• Associates
• Discontinuation of associate membership: FAQs
• Regulatory education
• Registration pathways (register changes, including resignation, now available online)
• Bylaws

We will continue to update these and other pages on our website as more information becomes available. Thank you for your understanding as we navigate these changes and please feel welcome to contact us at communications@acmdtt.com if you have any questions, concerns or comments.