Regulatory College Updates

What does this mean for radiation therapists practicing in BC?

Once the new regulations come into effect in 2027, all radiation therapists in BC will be required to register with a regulatory college to legally practice. This means:

• You must hold an active license to work as a radiation therapist.
• You must meet the registration requirements set by the college.
• New bylaws, practice standards, and policies will be developed and enforced by the regulatory college.

Who will regulate radiation therapists?

Radiation Therapists will be regulated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (CPSBC) under the Medical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Professionals Regulation.

Under the HPOA, health profession regulations are organized by regulatory college, rather than by individual profession. The profession regulations should be viewed alongside the Regulated Health Practitioners Regulation as this regulation contains a restricted activities table, as well as information on orders, authorizations, and exemptions.

Who made this decision?

The decision to assign radiation therapists to the CPSBC was made by the BC government.

The government had to do legal work to carry over previous regulatory plans from the Health Professions Act into the new HPOA. During this process, they included regulations for radiation therapy and chose to assign the profession to the CPSBC.

CAMRT-BC was informed of this decision only when the Ministerial Orders were publicly posted.

The government has indicated two main reasons for placing radiation therapists under CPSBC:

• The close working relationship between radiation therapists and physicians
• The capacity of CPSBC to take on this regulatory responsibility

Why is the timeline so long?

The two-year transition period is intended to give regulatory colleges time to adapt to the new HPOA framework, including the development of new bylaws, standards, and regulatory structures. All colleges in BC are required to align their operations with the HPOA, and this includes updating their bylaws. Many colleges have already begun this work over the summer and are currently holding public consultations on the draft bylaws that will take effect once the HPOA is implemented.

For radiation therapy, this timeline provides advanced notice and allows for a gradual, well-supported transition. It ensures there is time to collaborate with the CPSBC. As part of the transition, CPSBC will be responsible for developing bylaws and standards that address key regulatory components such as education requirements, license classes, registration fees, and other matters necessary for professional regulation.

In parallel, the government has established a new Superintendent Office, which will oversee health profession regulatory colleges and manage a Discipline Tribunal. This independent body will be responsible for determining disciplinary actions when a complaint and investigation involve a regulated health professional. The office is currently being set up and will be ready to fulfill its mandate once the HPOA comes into force.

Where did regulations for radiation therapy come from?

Over a decade ago, multiple professional associations submitted a joint application to regulate diagnostic and therapeutic professionals — including all medical radiation technologists (MRTs) — under a new umbrella college. The government conducted a risk assessment of these professions and determined that radiation therapy, clinical perfusion, respiratory therapy, and medical laboratory technology would be included in the first phase of regulation. Radiation therapists were officially designated for regulation on April 4, 2017, through amendments to the Health Professions Designation Regulation (now the Health Professions Designation and Amalgamation Regulation).

At that time, the other MRT specialties—radiological technology, nuclear medicine, and MRI—were not designated for regulation but were identified for inclusion in a future phase.

A working group of diagnostic and therapeutic professionals (including CAMRT-BC) collaborated with government to develop draft regulations. This work paused in 2019 when government shifted focus to modernizing the entire regulatory system. Since then, CAMRT-BC has participated in the relevant public consultations, while waiting for the government to restart work on radiation therapy regulation.

What about medical imaging technologists?

We were advised that, starting April 1, 2026, the Superintendent Office established under the HPOA will assume responsibility for designation assessments related to the regulation of new professions. You can learn more at hporoo.ca.

We remain fully committed to strong advocacy for all MRTs as we continue engaging with government on regulation under the HPOA.

You can read more about CAMRT-BC’s involvement in the regulatory modernization work below.

• MOH Newsletter Update on Health Profession Regulation Modernization December 2023
• Patients the focus of new health legislation October 2022
• Putting patients first: Parties take next steps to modernize health professions regulation August 2020
• Steering Committee Report: Recommendations to modernize the provincial health profession regulatory framework August 2020
• Modernizing the provincial health profession regulatory framework: A paper for consultation November 2019
• An Inquiry into the performance of the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia and the Health Professions Act (Harry Cayton Report) December 2018
• Next steps taken to establish college of diagnostic and therapeutic health professions April 2017
• Province proposes new college of diagnostic and therapeutic health professions December 2016
• Proposed amendment to Health Professions designation Regulation

• CAMRT-BC Response to CPSBC Public Consultation on Draft Bylaws – Part 10 Delegation   August 2025
• Diagnostic and Therapeutic Working Group Response to Modernization of Health Regulation in BC January 2020
• College of Medical Radiation and Imaging Technologists of Ontario Letter to BC Ministry of Health January 2020
• Alliance of Medical Radiation and Imaging Technologists Regulators of Canada Letter to BC Ministry of Health January 2020
• Diagnostic and Therapeutic Working Group and CAMRT-BC Response to Part 2 of the Harry Cayton Report June 2019
• CAMRT Response to Part 2 of the Harry Cayton Report June 2019
• Alliance of Medical Radiation Technologists Regulators of Canada Letter to BC Ministry of Health March 2017
• Letter from BCAMRT member to Ministry of Health Shared Services BC March 2017

• Regulatory College Update July 2025
• Regulatory College Update October 2022
• Regulatory College Update September 2020
• Regulatory College Update December 2019
• Regulatory College Update and Summary of Harry Cayton Report May 2019
• Regulatory College Update Radiaction Winter 2018
• Self Regulation for MRTs in BC (PowerPoint) August 2018
• Regulatory College Update June 2018