Illegal Practitioners

What is Illegal Practice?

Under provisions of the Massage Therapy Act, 1991, only individuals who are registered with CMTO are permitted to:

• Use the protected title of “Registered Massage Therapist” or “Massage Therapist” (the two terms are equivalent);
• Use any variation of these two titles or abbreviations, including but not limited to “RMT” and “MT”; and/or
• Claim they provide “Massage Therapy.”

CMTO has also secured the following protected titles under the Federal Trade-marks Act: Registered Massage Therapist, Massage Therapist, RMT, MT, Massage Therapy, Therapeutic Massage, Massothérapie, Massage thérapeutique, Massothérapeute.

Sometimes individuals may have taken courses in Massage Therapy within Ontario, other provinces or internationally. Taking courses in Massage Therapy does not permit individuals to refer to themselves as a Massage Therapist or permit them to refer to their care or services as the practice of Massage Therapy in Ontario. Individuals may have membership in various associations and/or organizations in other provinces in Canada that grant them a registration number and allow their members to use of one of the protected titles listed above. These titles and registration numbers do not apply in Ontario and any person found using any protected title within the province of Ontario, regardless of their membership in an association or organization, are considered illegal practitioners engaged in unauthorized practice.

To verify that someone is a Massage Therapist, you can search CMTO’s public register.

Reporting Illegal Practice

When information is received that suggests an individual is engaging in a form of illegal practice, the College will take steps to address the concern.

The College relies on the both the public and registrants to report concerns. For further information, or if you are aware of any individuals using a protected title of this College, please contact professionalconduct@cmto.com.

List of Illegal Practitioners

The individuals listed below have been, or are in the process of being, prosecuted under the Massage Therapy Act, 1991 and the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. These individuals are not registered with CMTO and are not permitted to practise Massage Therapy in Ontario or hold themselves out as a “Massage Therapist,” “Registered Massage Therapist,” “MT” or “RMT.”

List of Individuals Who Have Entered Into an Undertaking to Resign and Never Reapply

The following individuals resigned from the College while involved in an investigation or disciplinary proceeding and have agreed to never re-apply for registration.