NO. It does not.
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| Athletic Therapist is NOT a protected health profession title. The profession of Athletic Therapy is NOT regulated anywhere in Canada. The OSTA, Ontario Sports and Athletic Therapist Association, is in active pursuit of statutory regulation for ATs registered with the Association adhering to the OSTA professional code of conduct, and in compliance with RHPA-aligned provincial standards of practice. There is an OSTA official registry of these professionals, called the AT-CRED Registry. EHB insurers check for registration of OSTA members under the AT-CRED registry to validate Good Standing and to verify the practitioner has been granted a Verifiable Practice Credential as a REG.AT-ON Athletic Therapist. The REG.AT-ON Verifiable Digital Credential has been issued by an authorized credentialing platform that complies with ISO 17024 standards for professional designations. The public and employers can count on the REG.AT-ON credential as a symbol of trust and reliability, namely that the practitioner meets competency and professional conduct standards. The REG.AT-ON Athletic Therapist credential provided to OSTA members has been verified by AT-REG: the Athletic Therapy Regulation Advisory Group. AT-REG, incorporated in 2019, accredited the REG.AT-ON practice credential in 2023 against the validated practice competencies and skills defined in the copyrighted official AT Practice Analysis. |
The Practice Credential is not in conflict or competition with entry-to-practice certification. It is issued to qualified practitioners against the established and validated provincial practice standards. Major EHB Insurers turn to OSTA for its AT-CRED credential verification to confirm that your treating Athletic Therapist is in full compliance with OSTA's standards and defined AT scope of practice as a Reg. AT-ON in good standing. If you are not sure of their "good standing" and wish to confirm the practitioner's compliance with OSTA's professional and ethical conduct requirements, please contact the Association. If you have a complaint about treatment, please see the arms-length, independent review process, and the complaint form available. |
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DIGITAL CREDENTIALS WALLET The Ontario Sports & Athletic Therapist Association (OSTA) has partnered with Credivera to offer members a secure Digital Credential Wallet. This innovative tool allows Athletic Therapists to easily store, manage, and share their professional credentials in real-time, enhancing trust, transparency, and efficiency across the industry. Watch for an email from Credivera coming soon with an invitation to accept your personal digital wallet. The email will be send to Certified Members in good standing with OSTA. |
| PROFESSIONAL LICENCE CREDENTIAL |
MEMBER CREDENTIALS
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DID YOU MISS OUR TOWN HALL ON NOVEMBER 24, 2025? Click Here for Content & Check the Q&A Below |
CREDENTIALS TOWN HALL Q&A
The national professional association is not a regulatory body. What the federal, provincial and territorial governments require is statutory regulation i.e. the regulation of a profession by virtue of provincial or territorial legislation.
REG. AT-ON is the Ontario Association's professional practice credential. It indicates the holder is in good standing with the provincial association and thereby possesses the skills and competencies of the provincial Practice Analysis, the provincial standards of practice, and the professional code of conduct aligned with the RHPA. The Ontario membership has all earned the entry-to-practice certification. The Association uses the verifiable digital credential as a trust symbol indicating the holder is regulation-ready.
You have to start somewhere and given that Ontario is the largest province with the largest number of practising ATs, Ontario is a good place to start. We've heard consistently that Québec is working towards statutory regulation so the achievement of regulation in Ontario could mean that Québec would follow very quickly.
No, is not a risk. Under the Canada-US-Mexico Free Trade Agreement (CUSMA), members of approximately 60 Canadian occupations, including nearly 20 regulated healthcare occupations are granted the right to facilitated permits to work in the United States. Athletic Therapy is not a regulated health profession. It is not listed. The MRA for ATs has no impact on the CUSMA provisions.
The labour mobility legislation establishes only that the federal government will recognize professional practice licences issued by provincial and territorial government bodies. The regulation of professions is almost exclusively within provincial and territorial jurisdiction. The federal government has no constitutional jurisdiction nor does it regulate any health care profession, including Athletic Therapists.
It is well underway. Upon completion of negotiations, we will engage and update Members. The national organization's declaration of no legal relationship ends the relevance of its opposition. The continued national veto of WFATT Associate membership was problematic.Changes in labour mobility law ends the barrier to internationally-trained access.
That has already been announced. The Association has had ongoing relations with all major EHB insurers and for over 2 years has been updating insurers through the 24/7ndedicated insurers portal. Majority of insurers accepted the REG.AT-ON with its R-Code some time ago. The verifiable digital credential will further that trust/proof.
Each current member of the Association will be issued a designation and will retain that designation as long as they are members in good standing of the Association. The Association aims to extend the credentialing to any other regional AT association that is committed to pursuing statutory regulation and also has in place the necessary infrastructure, standards of practice, etc. to preserve the integrity of the designation.
The Association has shared the credentials with Telus Health and with the other insurers through the Association's dedicated insurers' portal. It may take time, but most insurers are already aware of and accepting the R-Code.
NO. The Association membership database has not been provided to Credivera for the purpose of inviting the new VDC and credential wallet. Your name and email were shared in accordance with relevant data protection laws such as GDPR, CCPA and PIPEDA and only for this specific purpose under a legal agreement to protect Member privacy. Credivera ‘s platform includes built-in security features like encryption, access controls, and audit logs. The agreement requirements include access controls, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong password requirements, to ensure only verified individuals can access the data. Credivera does not keep any of the names, emails or your registration numbers. Members may recall the notification following the CLHIA anti-fraud conference in June, 2025, when the Association removed the Find an AT function on the website. That public directory revealed more member information than what was provided to this ISO-compliant, digital security organization.
No, this is a Member benefit aligned with OSTA Member regulation readiness and Member advanced compliance with emerging labour mobility legislation and the need for verifiable credentials.
CONTACT US |
OSTA Registered Office 7800 Kennedy Road, Suite 101 Markham, ON, L3R 2C7 Tel: (905) 946-8080 Telephone Support Hours: Monday - Friday 10:30 am to 3:30 pm. E-mail: info@ontarioathletictherapists.com Follow Us | The Association owns OATA (Reg. 1975), AT-ON (Reg. 2022) and OSTA (Reg. 2025). As well as the protected intellectual property (IP) with AT-REG, AT-CRED and AT-COMMIT.
 
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