Under provisions of the Massage Therapy Act, 1991, only individuals who are registrants of the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario are permitted to:
- Use the protected title of and/or “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”;
- Claim they provide “Massage Therapy.”
The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario has 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 or in other provinces. In taking these courses, these individuals may be aware of some aspects of the profession but they cannot refer to themselves as a Massage Therapist nor are they permitted to refer to their care or services provided as the practice of Massage Therapy in Ontario. To verify that someone is a Massage Therapist, you can search the Register of College registrants.
In addition, some individuals may hold membership in any one of the various associations or organizations within Canada that provide them with use of one of the protected titles listed above and a registration number. These titles and registration numbers do not apply within Ontario and any person found using any protected title within the province, regardless of the membership in an association or education, are considered illegal practitioners engaged in unauthorized practice.
Those who engage with or make allowances for illegal practitioners place the public in harm’s way. The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario is committed to protection of the public interest in these circumstances.