2023

The Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR) is committed to ‘Reimaging the Future’ of entry to practice in physiotherapy with our partners across the country and for our clients around the world.

There’s no better evidence of that than looking back at 2023 to understand and appreciate where our staff, leaders and volunteers have taken the organization.

CAPR is committed to modernizing and revolutionizing how our clients enter the physiotherapy profession in Canada. While maintaining a focus on high quality care, we have made a commitment to use
technology and data to update and create pathways to licensure.

There is an increasing demand to address staff shortages in Canada’s healthcare system with professionals educated in Canada and internationally. We are working to address this need with a focus on removing barriers to ensure clients are moving through the process of credentialling in a timely fashion.
This means continuing to work on our processing times, which was reduced steadily in 2023. It also means a continued commitment to expand digital document handling to better service our internationally educated credentialling clients. CAPR now accepts degrees and marks digitally from digital document services based in India, Australia, New Zealand, U.S., U.K. and China.

CAPR is also working to increase capacity and improve the experience of the Written Component of the Physiotherapy Competency
Examination (PCE). Announced in 2023, CAPR established a partnership with a new exam vendor, risr/, which will provide a quality and
reliable examination experience for clients, either at in-person test centres or virtually through remote proctoring. In 2023, CAPR announced a
commitment to offer the Written Component 10 times per year, double the number of offerings provided in 2022. I would like to thank Brandi
Park National Director, Evaluation Services, and her team, for leading these changes.

In the past year, CAPR has moved into a stable financial position as recovery from the stress of the pandemic continues. I want to thank Bob
Haennel, CEO, and Monique Porlier, COO, for their leadership and the work of their teams to strengthen both CAPR’s financial position and
operational results. Further thank you needs to go to our regulator members. Their financial support over the past few years created a base to allow the stability we now have.

I need to acknowledge the dedication of our Board of Directors, who volunteer their time and effort to CAPR. The governance changes, that
are occurring in parallel with the credentialling and examination changes, have kept the Board extremely busy. This governance change has
been supported by Diana Sinnage, Lead Policy. Thank you for the support. The Boards passion for the physiotherapy profession and public
protection is tangible. Their insight and experience are invaluable as CAPR looks to the future to ensure continued provision of a high-quality service to its partners across the country.

As we look ahead and get excited about what the future holds for CAPR, it is important to take a moment and celebrate the accomplishments
of the past year. Thank you to everyone at CAPR for all they do for our clients and partners. Thank you to our clients and partners for your
continued engagement and support for CAPR.

I look forward to celebrating even more in the years ahead.

Dale A Pitura
President of CAPR Board of Directors

I am immensely proud of what our team at the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR) accomplished in 2023.

Our staff, leaders and Board of Directors have been focused on improving the path to licensure for physiotherapists in Canada.

The dedication of staff is on display each day at CAPR. Over the last year, change has been a constant as we evaluate our processes to ensure we are supporting the entry of qualified physiotherapists into the Canadian healthcare system in the most efficient and effective way possible.

Notably, CAPR is now in the process of implementing Evaluation Services Re-envisioned (ESR), a long-term project focused on modernizing CAPR processes, reducing timelines, and identifying unnecessary barriers
to licensure.

As part of the ESR project, CAPR has been reviewing current practices, policies, and procedures to remove any unnecessary barriers that might prevent clients from experiencing a timely and efficient entry-to-practice journey.
In October, CAPR launched a client portal, a web-based solution to support the electronic flow of information, documentation, and
communication between CAPR and credentialling and examination clients.

These are just two initiatives that support efficiently moving clients through the entry-to-practice processes and toward licensure. The work of ESR will continue in 2024 as we move toward the implementation of a full-length online practice exam to help clients assess their readiness as well as increase the number of Written Component examinations administered during a calendar year.

Aligning with our commitment to provide the best possible experience for our clients and partners, CAPR launched a new website in
October. Along with a fresh new look, the website offers accurate and streamlined information to clients and partners, while also adhering to accessibility standards. Since its launch, our staff have been adding content in the form of tip sheets, webinars, blogs, and new items to keep clients and partners informed of changes, updates and innovations related to credentialling and examinations.

As we close out 2023, I would like to thank everyone involved with CAPR for their efforts over the past year. Without a group of dedicated
professionals and volunteers passionate about the physical therapy profession, it would be difficult to reach these heights.


I would also like to acknowledge CAPR President Dale Pitura and the entire Board of Directors for their leadership and support of our work.
There’s been great work completed and more to be done. With the people we have in place at CAPR the future appears bright as we set our
sights on furthering the path to licensure in the years to come.


R.G. (Bob) Haennel Ph.D. FACSM
Chief Executive Officer

In 2023, CAPR improved and modernized our credentialling and examination services. Initiatives included:

  • Launching the Client Portal to better serve clients engaged in the credentialling process as well as those preparing for the Written Component (WC) of the Physiotherapy Competency Exam (PCE). The Client Portal provides all clients with the ability to apply and manage their
    credentialling and PCE related applications. Clients can also submit testing accommodations requests, administrative reconsideration / appeal
    applications, etc. in a completely digital environment.
  • Delivering of the WC of the PCE supported by a new vendor, risr/, an assessment and learning platform specializing in the delivery of high stakes exams. This new partnership strengthens our ability to deliver high-quality examination services throughout 2024.
  • Adopting the use of several digital document services to better serve our internationally-educated credentialling clients. Using digital document services helps clients by:
    • Reducing costs related to mailing/couriering documents.
    • Ensuring CAPR receives authentic and accurate documentation directly from the authorized authority.
    • Shortening the transit time to send documents from the institution to CAPR for assessment.
  • Improving the credentialling program by reducing unnecessary barriers for internationally-educated physiotherapists (IEPTs). Program policies were reviewed for relevancy and currency by assessing and validating the need for requirements such as the notarization of documents,
    attestation formats, and mode of delivery (i.e., accepting documents digitally). Forms and submission requirements were streamlined or removed.
  • Updating the language proficiency policy, including accepting language tests that are approved under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Canada).
  • Partnering with the British Columbia Ministry of Health to implement a IEPT bursary program that provides financial supports to credentialling clients.
  • Developing a practice exam that is designed to familiarize candidates with the structure and format of the WC, as well as the types of questions that they will encounter on the exam. Upon completion of the practice exam, candidates will receive a score report to help them
    identify their strengths and weaknesses prior to taking the WC.
  • Conducting a linguistic bias and sensitivity review of the WC. Development of a Linguistic Review Tool to identify and modify language that may

CAPR is on a governance transition journey that commenced in 2022 with an external governance review completed by the Institute on
Governance. The review was conducted voluntarily, in keeping with Board evaluation best practice. In the spring of 2023, a Joint Working Group, consisting of a small group of CAPR Board Directors and representatives from its Regulator Members, considered the findings of this review.

The group made firm recommendations to the Board of Directors and CAPR Regulator Members at the June 2023 Annual General Meeting. Phase I of the Governance Transition, the move to a new competency-based Board, will be completed at our 2025 AGM and Phase II,
the reincorporation of CAPR, will be competed by the end of 2025. The main recommendation was that the Directors on CAPR’s Board should
be recruited based on competencies relating to its primary mandate of delivering evaluation services.

In the second half of 2023, the Board tasked its Governance and Nominations Committee with leading the governance transition in a smooth
and timely manner. A project manager was hired to map out the complex process of moving from a Board composed of Regulator Member
representatives, to a fully competency-based Board. A project plan was approved in late 2023. Work relating to the governance transition will
continue into 2024 and 2025, using a phased-in approach in order to maintain consistency, stability and corporate knowledge during this time of change.

In 2023, CAPR began building communications tools and modernizing its communications processes.

One significant achievement was the launch of the new CAPR website, which was launched in October after months of planning and development.

The new website provides CAPR with a Content Management System (CMS) that will promote content creation and add flexibility related to
website changes and updates. The website will also features friendly navigation with content that speaks to the needs of our clients.

To engage consistently with our clients and partners, CAPR has developed and implemented a social media strategy to enhance by the capabilities of its new website. Beginning last June, CAPR increased its content sharing with its social media followers with a measurement of success.

CAPR also committed to improving internal communications. In June, CAPR held its first post-pandemic all staff retreat. The day featured
opportunities for reflection, celebration and planning for the future.

Based on feedback from the all staff retreat, CAPR established a regular CEO Forum, where staff are provided with organizational updates and given the opportunity to ask questions and raise issues. Three CEO forums, which were well attended and met positively, were held in 2023,
with more planned throughout 2024.

“Congratulations to Uriel Pierre”

The CAPR Award of Distinction is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to a regulatory organization or to physiotherapy regulation in general.

The recipient is someone who represents the following characteristics:

  • exemplification of professionalism;
  • commitment to promoting public interest values and ethical conduct;
  • commitment to best practice in conducting regulatory affairs;
  • ethical problem solving and decision making;
  • commitment to mentoring, guidance and sharing with colleagues.

Dr. Mark Hall

At our Annual General Meeting on June 20, 2023 Dale Pitura, President of our Board of
Directors, presented the CAPR Award of Distinction for 2022 to Dr. Mark Hall.

The award honours an individual who has embedded ethical problem solving and decision making skills into their day-to-day lives while remaining steadfast in continuing to provide
guidance and mentorship to colleagues.

Nominated by the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta, Mark has dedicated over 17 years to
the CAPR Evaluation Services Committee. His commitment to the Expert Advisory Panel over the past year has demonstrated his dedication to promoting best practices in conducting regulatory affairs.

He currently serves as Chair of the Evaluation Services Committee, Chair of the Expert
Advisory Panel, and as a CAPR Board of Director.
Beyond CAPR, he is a registered physiotherapist, a member of Alberta’s Professional Conduct Committee and Associate Teaching Professor
and Associate Chair, Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Alberta where he aligns
education of future registrants with regulation.

The Registrars Committee serves as a pan-Canadian forum for knowledge exchange and cooperation among the 11 Canadian physiotherapy regulators. It supports policy development on issues of national importance, and serves as an advisory committee to the CEO, providing regional and regulatory expertise on evaluation services issues being considered by the Board of Directors.

In 2023, the committee brought two major projects to completion. Working in cooperation with the Canadian Physiotherapy Association,
the Code of Ethical Conduct was updated to include core values for the profession. Additionally, the 2023 Core Practice Standards for Physiotherapists in Canada went through a validation process that engaged almost 2,000 physiotherapists from across the country.

The committee served as a single point of contact when collaborating with external stakeholders such as the Canadian Health Workforce Network, Physiotherapy Education Accreditation Canada, the Canadian Physiotherapy Association and Canadian researchers. Their efforts included the exploration of a national unique identification number for physiotherapists in Canada, work towards a national minimum data
standard relating to health workforce data, and the exploration of a single scope of practice for physiotherapists in Canada.

CAPR is grateful to the Registrars Committee for their input, advice and collaboration as the organization moves ahead with its Evaluation
Services Re-envisioned project. Their continued support is invaluable to us.

Government of Yukon, Professional Licensing and Regulatory Affairs
Stephanie Connolly
College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia
Dianne Millette
College of Physical Therapists of Alberta
Jody Prohar (Chair)
Saskatchewan College of Physical Therapists
Jason Vogelsang
College of Physiotherapists of Manitoba
Jennifer Billeck
College of Physiotherapists of Ontario
Anita Ashton (until May)
Craig Roxborough (from June)
Ordre professionnel de la physiothérapie du Québec
Daphné Thériault
Marie-France Salvas
College of Physiotherapists of New Brunswick/Collège des
physiothérapeutes du Nouveau-Brunswick

Ellen Snider
Nova Scotia College of Physiotherapists
Joan Ross (until March)
Mark Williams (from April)
Prince Edward Island College of Physiotherapy
Jennifer Kelly
Newfoundland and Labrador College of Physiotherapists
Michael Kay

In 2023, CAPR continued on the path to financial stability after emerging from the impact of the pandemic with a modest surplus in 2022. This
year’s $1.5 million surplus has provided the funds required to support operations, invest in our strategic priorities, and begin to replenish our contingency reserve.

We continued to provide services to an unprecedented number of credentialling and examination clients, which increased by 42% and 26% compared to 2022, respectively. In acknowledgement of difficult economic times, we did not increase our fees for these services. Expenses
increased by a modest 2% as a result of reorganization and staff changes while managing operating costs, realizing efficiencies and beginning the investment in Evaluation Services Re-envisioned.

At the end of the year, we have a strong position of cash and investments and have confirmed initiating the repayment of Regulator loans over
the next two years, while deferring the contribution of one forgiven loan to support the completion of Evaluation Services Re-envisioned.