Annual General Meeting 2013

Sunday, March 3rd, 2013
9:00AM
Galaxy Ballroom B - main floor, Saskatoon Travelodge Hotel, 106 Circle Drive West, Saskatoon, Sask. 

MISSION STATEMENT:
We exist to encourage and enhance the art, science and practice of massage therapy by maintaining a high standard of massage therapy; by establishing and maintaining the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan, Inc. as a leading health professional association; by promoting health profession through education, accountability, communication and advocacy, and financial stability.

Plan to make your voice count by attending the 47th AGM at 9:00am on Sunday, March 3rd at the Saskatoon Travelodge.  This is your opportunity to assist the Board of Directors in setting direction for the coming year.

RSVP is NOT required for this event - all members are welcome.

 

2013 AGM Agenda

MTAS - Annual General Meeting
March 3rd - 9:00 a.m.
Travelodge Hotel, Galaxy Ballroom B
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Agenda

Call to order (9:00 a.m.) – President Julianne Heagy

1.0 Housekeeping
2.0 Review/amend/adopt Agenda
3.0 Outline of Governance Procedures – Dr. Brent Thoma
4.0 Review/amend/adopt Minutes of AGM February 26th, 2012
5.0 Business arising from Minutes

Guest Speaker:  Joel Alleyne – Canadian Health and Life Anti-fraud Association

6.0 Director’s Reports:
     6.1 President – Julianne Heagy
     6.2 Treasurer – Kyla McDonald
     6.3 Education/Exam – Don Wickstrom
     6.4 Insurance – Julianne Heagy
     6.5 Complaints/Investigation – Gus Giannoutsos
     6.6 Membership/Public Relations – Darlene McCoshen/Darcel Kjelshus
     6.7 Competency – Aileen Tran Mapletoft
     6.8 Legislation – Garret Woynarski
     6.9 Executive Director – Lori Green

New Business:
7.0 Amendments to the Bylaws
8.0 Motions from the membership
9.0 Report of the Nominating Committee – Christina Battyanie
10.0 Elections
11.0 Date of next meeting: Regina - March 2nd, 2014
12.0 Adjournment

2012 AGM Minutes

Minutes of the 2012 Annual General Meeting
February 26th, 2012
Travelodge Hotel – Cumberland Hall
Regina, Saskatchewan

Call to order (9:28 a.m.) – President Julianne Heagy

1.0 Housekeeping:

• Introduction of Board of Directors and Staff and Parliamentarian – Dr. Brent Thoma.
• The AGM is being recorded - must come to the microphone to speak. For recording purposes, please identify yourself every time you speak.  Microphones are identified as opposed and in favour.
• Turn off all cell phones.
• Coffee will be served at 10:30am.
• Bathrooms are outside in the foyer.
• Please leave your voting cards on the tables for collection at the end of the meeting.

No quorum for the meeting.  Bylaws allow for adjournment and for a new meeting to be reconvened within 30 days, without quorum being necessary.
2012 AGM-1 Motion to adjourn the AGM.
W. Barry/L. Pluhowy       CARRIED

AGM adjourned at 9:35am.

Call to order (9:36am) of the Special Meeting of the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan – President Julianne Heagy.

2.0 Review/amend/adopt Agenda.
2012 AGM -2 Motion to adopt the Agenda.   
C. Martin/D. Fraser        CARRIED

3.0 Outline of Governance Procedures – Dr. Brent Thoma.

4.0 Review/amend/adopt Minutes of AGM March 6th, 2011.
  2012 AGM-3 Motion to review/amend/adopt the Minutes as presented.
H. Eby/L. Brierley       CARRIED

5.0 Business arising from Minutes.
In the minutes of the March 6th meeting, Motion #4 was tabled and a finance committee was struck.  The report was written and submitted to the membership requesting a $25.00 increase to the practicing membership fees, and a corresponding $12.50 increase to non-practicing fees.
2012 AGM-4 Motion to increase membership fees to $355.00 for practicing membership and to $177.50 for non-practicing membership.
K. McDonald/C. Exner-Williams     CARRIED

6.0  Director’s Reports.
6.1 President – Julianne Heagy - nothing to add.
6.2 Treasurer  - Kyla McDonald
2012 AGM-5  Motion to accept the Audited Statements of 2011 as presented.
K. McDonald/C. Martin       CARRIED

2012 AGM-6  Motion to appoint Stewart Gee and Associates as the Auditors for 2012.
K. McDonald/C. Battyanie      CARRIED

6.3 Education/Exam – Don Wickstrom.  Recognition of Cassandra Exner-Williams, Chief Examiner, for her extensive hours dedicated to the development of the MTAS Membership Qualifying Exams and the training of our examiners.
6.4 Insurance – Julianne Heagy – nothing to add.
6.5 Complaints/Discipline – Gus Giannoutsos – nothing to add.
6.6 Membership – Darlene McCoshen – nothing to add.
6.7 Public Relations – Darcel Kjelshus.  Would like some help from members. 
6.8 Continuing Education – as written.  Aileen Tran Mapletoft sent regrets for not being able to attend.
6.9 Legislation – Jessica Green/Garret Woynarski – nothing to add.
6.10 Executive Director – Lori Green – nothing to add. 

New Business:
7.0  Amendments to the Bylaws.  See document attached (click here) for details of each amendment.
Motion numbers: 2012 AGM-7 to 2012 AGM-42

8.0 Report of the Nominating Committee – Christina Battyanie, Vice President - call for further nominations from the floor.
2012 AGM-43   Motion that nominations cease.
C. Battyanie/D. McCoshen      CARRIED

Since there has not been a full slate of Directors nominated, there is no need for an election.
2012 AGM-44   Motion that the Board of Directors be appointed as presented.
W. Barry/G. Woynarski      CARRIED

9.0  Other new business.
2012 AGM-45   Motion to add question period at this time.
C. Exner-Williams/C. Lapierre     CARRIED

Question from C. Exner-Williams: why do we not require that all members get a renewed Criminal Record Check once every 3 years?
Discussion.  It would be more efficient and cost effective to require that members sign an affidavit on the membership renewal form each year.  Office staff to review. 

10.0   Date of next meeting:
To be in compliance with the Non-Profit Corporations Act, we must hold the AGM within 120 days of year end (October 31st).
2012 AGM-46   Motion to hold the next AGM in Saskatoon on March 3rd, 2013.
D. Kjelshus/J. Green       CARRIED

Meeting adjourned at 11:38 a.m.

 

2012 AGM Attendance List

Travelodge Hotel, Regina - Sunday, February 26th

Susan Baiton
Duane Banman
Warren Barry
Carmen Bartko
Christina Battyanie
Albert Benoit
Kenneth Braun
Lara Brierley
Cecile Coppens
Lindsay Doig
Jolene Dusyk
Heather Eby
Cassandra Exner-Williams
Angela Finkbeiner
Michelle Franklin-Fiddler
Kim Frassetto
March Fuller
Amy Galiegue
Gus Giannoutsos
Kim Goldstone
Clodagh Gomes
Carrie Green
Jessica Green
JoAnne Hartney
Julianne Heagy
Leah Herzog
Raelynn Jaramillo-McKenzie
Carla Kelln
Marles Kerns
Jessica Kidd
Darcel Kjelshus
Camille Lapierre
Wilfred Linfield
Michael Litschko
Lenise Mang
Wendy Marklinger
Cynthia Martin
Darlene McCoshen
Kyla McDonald
Amanda McNaughton
Carolyn Morse
Wynne Nicholson
Rosanne Novak
Richard Pearson
Lisa Pluhowy
Sarah Jo Pocha
Wilma Poole
Janet Rissling Mitchell
William Schiffner
Emil Schmuck
Basil Schmuck
Kerri Schultz
Barbara Schultze
Karen Seitz
Jean Selinger
Anthony Senz
Laurie Thompson
Jolene Thompson
Marianne Vanderleest
Elma Vermeulen
YanJiao Wang
Wayne Wenaus
Don Wickstrom
Garret Woynarski

PROXY VOTES
Ken Ansell
Jay Fee
Dianne Fraser
Charity Lewis
Lyle Little
Mike Magnuson
Mandy McLachlan
 
STUDENTS – GUESTS (no vote)
Justine Heagy
Janna Holtz
Ryan Kerr
Carly Tuer
 

Board of Directors' Reports

President’s Report - Julianne Heagy
It has been a very busy and productive year. Again I marvel at all that Lori and Jayne are able to accomplish in the office and all that the MTAS board contributes. As a member of this organization, I am so grateful for all their hard work.
Our board met 5 times since the last AGM (1 face-to-face strategic planning meeting, 2 face-to-face board meetings and 2 board meetings via videoconference). Our Executive Committee met 6 times this year (2 face-to-face meetings and 4 videoconferences). Lori Green, our Executive Director, and I meet almost weekly via videoconferencing. As one of our representatives on the Canadian Massage Therapy Alliance of Canada (CMTA), I participated in 4 teleconferences.
In reviewing all my notes of the past year it's very apparent that MTAS is being recognized more and more for the association of Health Professionals that we are.
- as in the past, the media have contacted our MTAS office for TV and radio interviews Thank you to Donelda Gowan-Moody and Garret Woynarski who made themselves available for two of the TV interviews. Lori always does a wonderful job at representing our association with most media requests.
- In October I attended the Neuropathic Pain Conference put on by the University of Saskatchewan. We were invited to participate by conference co-ordinators --their goal was to bring together all Health Professionals who would be effectively included in a clients' Care Plan.
- MTAS has been invited to join SHIRP (Sask. Health Information Resources Partnership), a "Saskatchewan On-line Library for Health Professionals"
- Lori and I have met with Brenda Locke and Bodhi Haraldsson from the BC Massage Association. MTABC has requested that MTAS join them as a founding member of the new National Massage Research Foundation
- in January of this year the Canadian Health and Life Insurance Association (CHLIA) submitted a letter of support for regulation to our Health Minister . This is HUGE! We have worked closely with CHLIA over the past several years, making ourselves available to all insurance companies at the CHLIA conferences for any questions or concerns they have about the massage industry in Canada. I am so pleased that CHLIA felt confident enough in our high standards to make such a strong recommendation.
We have a very capable board that is moving our association forward. Regulation is really starting to pick up momentum again. We've had to say goodbye to Jessica Green, our Legislation Chairperson, earlier this year and Garret Woynarski has stepped up from Legislation Committee Member to Chairperson. Thank you Jessica for all your help in the past and thank you Garret for keeping the momentum going. To all the MTAS board, it has been a real pleasure working with you this year. Your commitment and sacrifice to our organization hasn't gone unnoticed.
I would like to wish Darcel Kjelshus all the best in her future endeavours. She will be stepping down as her term is now complete.
Membership, please mark your calendars for National Massage Therapy Awareness Week, October 14 - 18, 2013. We have so much to be proud of. Let's take the time to share with our communities the high standards all MTAS members adhere to. We will be increasing the number of radio commercials around that week. The CMTA will make available packages of information to help you promote National Massage Therapy Awareness Week. Please contact the office as the time draws nearer to request your package and to let us know how you plan to promote National Massage Therapy Awareness week in your community.
I look forward to seeing you in Saskatoon at the AGM.

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Education Report -  Don Wickstrom
The past year for Education Chair has been great.
We now have the new exam running smoothly thanks to the Chief Examiner, Cassandra Exner-Williams, and all the examiners for their commitment and dedication.
We have continued to promote MTAS and the benefits they provide to the massage students at the massage therapy schools within the city.
As the host and an MTAS representative at the Cadaver labs, I would like to thank Dr. Mohamed as well as the U of S for allowing us the privilege of using their facility to be able to continue to offer this valuable teaching method. I am pleased to say we always have full attendance and we do appreciate all the feedback. To the members we are always listening and always striving to make the experience better to continue to support your knowledge and keep your practice strong.
I would like to thank the members for all the support and faith they have shown in allowing me to hold this chair as their representative for the past six years.  It is now time to let someone else take over the Education chair as I will be stepping down at the next AGM 2014.  I am looking forward to having someone to mentor over the next year to maintain the growth we all want to have and the smooth transition as we get there.

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Competency/Continuing Education Report - Aileen Tran-Mapletoft
I hope everyone has had a good start to the year so far. My life has been quite busy now that I have a little one – and I love every minute of it. Seriously!
To all new members of MTAS, welcome! And to all members who have returned, thank you for your continual support as we work towards aligning our standards to that of the National Competency Standards as determined by the Consortium of Massage Therapy Regulators. For more information on this, download the PDF file titled Inter-Jurisdictional Entry-to-Practice Competency Profile for Massage Therapists which can be found on the MTAS website under the “Links” category.
So, a quick overview of MTAS’ Con-Ed credit requirements for this new window: 40 total credits, comprised of 28 primary credits, 7 business credits and 5 CPR/SFA credits
I definitely encourage all members to review the newly revised Con-Ed Policy Handbook that was sent out around October of last year. For the tech-savvy, please read our Con-Ed Credit Guidelines found at http://www.saskmassagetherapy.com/?page=1077 .
Here are a few stats of interest:
• Number of member-exclusive workshops we held in 2012 = 12.
• Number of members currently using TouchU = 362.
• Total approved con-ed courses in the MTAS database = 704.
• Total number of newly approved courses in 2012 = 116.
I look forward to seeing everyone, hearing your new ideas, and answering your concerns at our upcoming AGM on March 3, 2013!

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Membership Report - Darlene McCoshen
Hello to all!! I can honestly say it has been a great 2012 year. We have been promoting massage therapy through the high schools and look forward to career days for new students to join our very professional team of therapists. It is still very much an issue with the membership to promote the professionals that we are. Please try and keep up with con-ed credits and fee's for our association. It looks very professional when all our I's are dotted and T's are crossed . We still strive towards legislation and need all of you to help keep with the professionalism of our practices. I am proud to be on the membership board and hope to continue to promote our therapy as best as I can. If any of you would like to help promote our therapy in your city/ town, please do not hesitate to contact myself. I look forward to another great year with MTAS and wish you all the best in your paths.
Here are some statistics you may find interesting:
• We had 794 members as of October 31st, 2012
• We removed 2 members for non-compliance with con-ed policy and removed 14 members for non-payment of membership fees.
• 29 members chose not to renew for a variety of reasons, mostly retirement, changing careers or moving out of province.

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Legislation Report - Garret Woynarski, RMT D.Ac
I would like to start this report by sincerely thanking Jessica Green for her wisdom and assistance in her role as the previous Legislation Chair.  Jessica stepped off the Board of Directors in 2012 and I have assumed the role of Legislation Chair, in which I am very thankful, excited and passionately striving to make progress for MTAS!

In early 2012 we had a few meetings with a Policy Analyst for the Ministry of Health.  This Analyst was responsible for our portfolio regarding our Legislation proposal of the last 2 years.  We met, discussed and gave many case examples to her and her superior on why Massage Therapy needs to be regulated in Saskatchewan.  In August 2012 she handed us a potentially defeating decision that there was not enough evidence based research and documentation supporting the risk of harm potential for Massage Therapists in Saskatchewan to be legislated.  Therefore, our proposal was denied.

After a brief time to reflect and lick our wounds, the Board decided to strategically target the MLAs in Saskatchewan with breakfast or lunch meetings to get a more personal approach to our proposal, instead of climbing through bureaucracy as we had been doing.  We have met with 8 Sask Party MLAs from Regina, Prince Albert and Saskatoon with all very positive and forward thinking recommendations.  Lori Green and I also met with MLA Cam Broten of the NDP who is the Health Critic.  I was able to secure a meeting with the Health Minster, Dustin Duncan with a little help from a couple meeting requests via Twitter.  Lori Green and I met with Mr. Duncan in the Legislature for a remarkably welcomed and respected meeting.  Mr. Duncan referred our case to the Human Services Committee which is a committee of 7 MLAs that are not in cabinet.  The Human Services Committee valued Lori and my presentation and informed reasoning as to why Massage Therapy needs to be legislated.  We are now waiting to hear back from the Health Minister’s office on whether the Human Services Committee gave our proposal the green light to proceed through government.

I also had the chance to speak one on one with Premier Brad Wall.  I informed Mr. Wall of the unregulated situation we currently have in Saskatchewan as Massage Therapists and the hurdles we have encountered.  He was unaware that we are not legislated and was in agreement that our rationale made sense as to why we should be a legislated profession.  He asked if I had spoken to the Health Minister as that is the route we should be taking.  I assured the Premier we were meeting with the Health Minister, and now waiting on a positive reply regarding our proposal. 

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Complaints and Investigation Report - Gus Giannoutsos
Greetings members!!
My first term as chairperson has been quite a learning experience. While the first part of my term had been fairly quiet, the second half was just the opposite. This can be attributed to the great job of marketing of our profession and Association.
The majority of these complaints were minor and handled quite easily. There was only one complaint of a serious nature where a meeting took place and the issue was resolved. Although some of the complaints did not involve our members, it was astounding to hear them.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Lori and Jayne for all their help. It’s greatly appreciated!

Also, I would like to remind our members to review our CODE OF CONDUCT and BYLAWS. I hope everyone has a healthy, complaint free and prosperous year.

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Insurance Report: Julianne Heagy
I must admit this has been a frustrating year on the insurance front. In April, 2012, we had negotiated new rates with WCB. To date, those rates have not been put into effect. We have followed up several times over the past year but it's been one delay after another.

SGI has notified us, that they are waiting to see the completed rates negotiated with WCB. Since there has been no activity from WCB there has been no activity with SGI either.  My hope is that by the AGM we will have some positive news to report. Please stay tuned.

In May, Lori Green attended the CHLIA (Canadian Health and Life Insurance Association) Conference on MTAS' behalf.
In July, there was quite a stir when another massage association was giving insurance companies some misinformation. Both Lori and Brenda Locke, from BC, flew to Toronto to meet with CHLIA to lobby on our behalf. These meetings were very well received and CMTA (Canadian Massage Therapy Alliance) member provinces continue to be held in high regard within the insurance industry.

In September, both Lori and I attended the Anti-Fraud Conference.

I feel that all our work with CHLIA and the Anti-Fraud Association was validated when we received a strong letter of support for regulation from CHLIA  to the Saskatchewan Minister of Health.

We had a few cases to deal with this year. One resulted in an MTAS member having her provider number removed.  We also had some concerns up in the Prince Albert area that continue to be monitored. 

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Chief Examiner Report - Cassandra Exner-Williams
Well it has been a year of change. The new format has been rolled out for the practical portion of the board exam.

We held a retraining session for the current examiners and a training session for new examiners.

I would like to thank the examiners who came out to the referencing weekend. It was a huge help. I have been working with Aileen Tran Mapletoft on the question bank for the written portion of the board exam, sorting, organizing and making sure the questions comply with the competency document.  If any examiners would like to help with this please let myself or Jayne know.
If any members would like to submit new questions for the question bank, MTAS would greatly appreciate it. All the questions are in multiple choice format, with four possible answers. Please include 2 references for each question. There is a list of reference texts available at the MTAS office.

There are four sittings of the exam this year - the first in March 2013 in Saskatoon; the second and third are in June 2013 in Saskatoon and Regina; the fourth is in August 2013 in Saskatoon.

2012 Examiners:
Duane Banman, Deveny Braun, Lara Brierley, Erin Butler-Marshall, Monty Churchman, Briana Descalchuk, Angela  Finkbeiner, Kyle Flaman, Kim Frassetto, Amy  Galiegue, Brenda Hourie, Theresa Hurst-Exner, Marles Kerns, Lenise Mang, Judy Osmachenko, Wilma  Poole, Kendra Pottage, Shalla Riemer, Pamela Schepp, William Schiffner, Kerri Schultz, Elma Vermeulen and Dani Winstanley.

Referencing Committee:
Deveny Braun, Amy Galiegue, Marles Kerns, Camille Lapierre, Aileen Tran Mapletoft and Wilma Poole.

Exam statistics:
• Jan 2012 (rewrite): 6 candidates - 3 passed both written and practical; 2 failed both, 1 failed written only.
• June – Saskatoon: 18 candidates – 5 passed both written and practical; 4 failed both, 4 failed written only and 5 failed practical only.
• June – Regina: 17 candidates – 10 passed both written and practical; 3 failed both, 3 failed written only and 1 failed practical only.
• August – Saskatoon (rewrite): 8 candidates – 5 passed both written and practical; 1 failed both; 1 failed practical only, 1 failed written only.
We gained 23 new members as a result of the 2012 exams. 

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CMTA Report - Lori Green
The current goals of the CMTA are:
• To advance the profession of Massage Therapy in Canada
• To collaborate with industry partners to better the health care of Canadians
• To encourage regulation for Massage Therapist in every province and Territory

The 2012 year saw the following items on the table at the CMTA meetings:
The development and distribution of the CMTA brochures.
The CMTA would like to develop a standard for all member Associations to ensure the national standards for the profession are adhered to from coast to coast. The three jurisdictions currently regulated – British Columbia, Ontario, and Newfoundland/Labrador have Regulatory Colleges to enforce these standards, however there is nothing similar in place for the currently unregulated jurisdictions. Adherence to these minimum standards ensures that each member Association meets the minimum standards for education, practice and care that are consistent with the accepted national standards for the profession.  This then provides consistency for government and the members of the public as to the expectations for the profession across the country, which in turn provides a higher level of validity for the profession of massage therapy as a viable health care option for Canadians.

The following minimum standards must be maintained by all CMTA members:
• Be registered with the Societies Act in their provincial jurisdiction.
• Maintain current and effective by-laws for their Association.
• Maintain a formal Code of Ethics that is publicly available on the Association website.
• Maintain a formal Scope of Practice that is publicly available on the Association website.
• Maintain formal Standards of Practice which describe the outcomes of the various tasks a massage therapist is required to perform within the Scope of Practice. The Standards of Practice describe how well a therapist is expected to perform.  This document must be publicly available on the Association website.
• Adhere to federal and/or provincial privacy regulation requirements.
• Completion of a diploma/credential in massage therapy from an educational institution teaching a minimum of 2,200 hours of education.
• Mandatory continuing education/professional development completion and submission of documentation to substantiate completion.
• Minimum of $3 million professional and general liability insurance coverage for all members.
• Require a criminal records check, including vulnerable persons, for the jurisdiction in which an applicant to a member
Association has resided for the past five (5) years.  Upon renewal, all members must sign a statement indicating that they have not been found guilty, or having pleaded not guilty, to a felony or crime punishable by imprisonment of 1 year or more under the laws of Canada or the United States, or any of the Provinces, Territories or States thereof, which involves moral turpitude, without regard to whether a judgment of conviction has been entered by the Court having jurisdiction of such cases.

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Executive Director Report - Lori Green
It has been an extremely busy and rewarding year for the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan (MTAS).
The Board kicked off the year with a Strategic Planning session evaluating past accomplishments while looking forward to the immediate, short and long term goals of the Association.

Legislation, membership communications & engagement, and public education were deemed to be the priority directives in 2012. As determined by the membership finance committee at the 2012 AGM, the Board looked towards budgetary increases for research, marketing and legislation.

Marketing:
MTAS entered into trade shows this year to promote the need for regulation in the Province.  Garret Woynarski, Brenda Locke, and I were thrilled to receive such a positive response in Regina at the SUMA convention in support of legislation for massage therapy.  Petitions were signed by over 240 delegates, many of these Mayors and Counsellors from around the province; also, we attracted the attention of ‘apprenticing student politicians’ to hear our legislation story, agree with and sign our petition.  Equally impressive were the tweets being sent to BC and Canada in general, on how supportive the Province is to Massage Therapy in Saskatchewan.
We also sent out our promotional banner and brochures several times to members of  MTAS who had the opportunity to promote our Association as well as their own businesses in the community.
MTAS continues to participate in school career days, SIAST wellness expos and presentations to the massage therapy schools across this province.

Media campaign:
Radio ads were placed throughout the year on Rawlco Talk Radio, Power 99 FM, Z99 FM and C95.
Printed articles on MTAS included:  Fitness Experts, Massage Therapy Today, and Massage Matters Canada.
Printed advertisements: Urban Voice, Saskatchewan Sports, SUN Nurses Planner.
Research:
Massage Therapy continues to grow into a mainstream primary health service.   We are pleased to continue to have the privilege of access to the SHIRP resource (Saskatchewan Health Information Resource Partnership).  Members receive free access to information that will be helpful to their practice, which is usually reserved for regulated health professionals.

The Board met with Donelda Gowan-Moody to explore a Journal Club which will be an educational group to learn how to read and interpret current and leading edge research in massage therapy.  We are still looking at this to launch in this competency window as a continuing education opportunity for our members.
We are also currently in talks about sharing research information and papers with the Registered Massage Therapists’ Association of British Columbia.
The Association also was a proud sponsor the 3rd International Fascia Research Congress held in Vancouver, April 2012.  See report.

Legislation:
We continue to strive for regulation in the Province of Saskatchewan. I would like to thank Jessica Green and Garret Woynarski for their expertise and relentless pursuit of achieving this goal.  2011-2012 was an extremely busy year for this committee:  two proposals were submitted and several meetings were held with Workforce Planning and Members of the Legislature.  We have met with hurdles along the way, regrouped and carried on.  The hard work and dedication of this committee leaves me extremely optimistic that soon MTAS members will be regulated and legislation will be announced.

I would like to thank all of the members with whom I have spoken this year.  Your insight, concerns and accolades have assisted the Board in moving forward and revisiting areas to make change and continue to evolve in the world of health care. I would like to publicly acknowledge the countless hours of meetings, emails, committee work, preparation and support that your Board of Directors has given to this Association. Garret and Jessica your enthusiasm and expertise has certainly brought MTAS legislation to the table in the Government; Julianne the hours of work and meetings that you have dedicated to the Association has been greatly appreciated.  Although we say goodbye this year to Darcel Kjelshus and Jessica Green, I look forward to working with new and returning Board members in developing new opportunities for the membership and advancing the profession of Massage Therapy.

Jayne Little has continued to assist, consult, and ensure that the Association office runs smoothly and her efficiency cannot be matched.  I am constantly in awe of her multi-tasking abilities, and her dedication to the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan.  I look forward to continuing to work with the Board and to move into the 2012-2013 year with more exciting partnerships and growth for this profession.
Well done MTAS!

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Nominations Committee Report
The 2011-2012 consisted of 12 members.  The board regretfully accepted Jessica Green’s resignation in September. Not seeking re-election this term is Darcel Kjelshus.

Nominations received at the printing of this report:
Kendra Pottage: I was born and raised in Regina, SK.  I've been happily married for over 7 years to my wonderful husband, James.  We are homebodies who enjoy watching movies and hanging out with our two cats - Toby & Roxy.  We very much enjoy travelling and especially love hiking and outdoor activities.  I graduated from the Western School of Remedial Massage Therapies in Regina in June 2007.  I worked out of two chiropractic offices and am now working out of a clinic in Regina's east end which my colleagues and I opened in October of 2010 - Healthy Roots Massage & Wellness Centre.  I have been interested in acupuncture since the modality helped heal an injury of mine, so I decided I wanted to practice that as well.  I graduated from the Contemporary Medical Acupuncture course at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON in June of 2011.  I enjoy my chosen career immensely and I'm very thankful that I get to have one of those jobs that I get excited to go to work every day.

Dawn Mitchell:  Dawn was born in Kincaid, Sask in March of 1964.  She grew up on a mixed farming operation where she learned the love of the land and animals.  During her growing years Dawn’s family were patients of Abe Reimer so Dawn’s interest in massage began at a very early age.
Dawn graduated from basic massage therapy in 1985 and began practicing immediately following her graduation.  Then in 1986 Dawn completed and graduated from her advanced massage therapy.   Massage has been a lifelong interest and a way of life that has twined around being a ranch hand, bus driver, wife and mother of three (now grown) children.  In the last 27 years Dawn has treated numerous patients and has completed many continued education seminars and classes.  Among her favorites are NMT – St John’s and APHY 1 – 2 – SIAST.

Camille Lapierre: I am Camille Lapierre, a Registered Massage Therapist residing and practising in Saskatoon.  I graduated from PIMT in 1997 and have had a home-based business for the past 11 years. Previously, my practice was with a chiropractic clinic.
My interests have grown over the years with adding different modalities to my practice.  The therapeutic aspect of massage therapy as well as a prevention approach has served my clients well.  I have particularly enjoyed integrating Muscle Energy Technique as well as advanced TMJ assessments and applications to my various individualized treatments.
Massage therapy is and continues to be my passion.  I feel it is my time to come forward to serve the membership of MTAS which has supported myself and the profession tremendously over the years.  My particular interests are pulic relations, dealing with the membership and continuing education.

Donelda Gowan-Moody: A position serving on the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan (MTAS) suitably extends my previous and ongoing experience in Massage Therapy (MT) research, practice and education.  My background as a practitioner-educator-researcher provides rich experience and capacity to aid the Board of Directors in its work.  I support the mission of the MTAS and feel privileged to contribute further as a good team member. 
As a practicing therapist and MTAS member in good standing for over 20 years I have had opportunity to witness the tremendous advancements in the field of massage therapy.  I feel strongly that the best is yet to come as MTAS members provide increasingly valued work in contributing to the health care needs of Saskatchewan people. 
As a graduate student I have had opportunity in both the Master’s and the PhD programs to develop skills in research literary (finding and understanding research), research capacity (conducting original research), and in research dissemination (presenting and publishing new knowledge).  Presently in my doctoral studies I am developing expertise in interprofessional collaboration including RMTs in health care research, practice, education and policy. I also bring an understanding of MT in the national and international context and I feel this will be helpful to the Board’s work. 
I currently serve as a volunteer with the Massage Therapy Foundation on the Scientific Advisory and Best Practices Committees and in national working groups of the MT Research Summit and the MT Special Interest Group.  I have previously enjoyed serving as an MTAS Board Director and as a teacher in MT training and education. My husband, our son and I enjoy a fulfilling family life in Saskatoon and feel blessed in our communities. 
In summary, I have the capacity and motivation to participate meaningfully within this Board and am delighted to have this expanded opportunity to support the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan.

Current Board members who will be returning: Julianne Heagy, Darlene McCoshen, Kyla McDonald, and Don Wickstrom.
Current Board members who will be seeking reelection: Marles Kerns, Garret Woynarski, Gus Giannoutsos, Aileen Tran Mapletoft, Christina Battyanie.

Bylaw 3.1 Number and Term of Board Members
The Board shall consist of not less than nine (9) Board members, five (5) of whom shall also be the officers of the Association and no more than fourteen (14) Board members. Subject to the Act and the Articles, the Members may, by ordinary resolution passed at an annual general meeting, increase the number of Board members. Each Board Member or Officer (herein collectively referred to as “Board Members”) shall hold office for a term of two (2) years commencing on the date of election. The offices of the Association shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Past-President. The Board of Board members at the first meeting of the Board shall choose the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. The first board meeting will occur after the Annual General Meeting.
Notwithstanding Section 3.3, the Member who held the office of President of the Association for the term of office immediately prior to an annual general meeting at which a new President is elected shall, if willing to do so, continue to act as a Director/Officer of the Association, without election by the Members, for the next ensuing term of office and shall hold the office of Past-President.

Bylaw 3.2 Eligibility for Election
Any practicing Member or Non-resident Practicing Member with voting rights, in good standing, with the exception of an owner or operator of a massage therapy training school, that is qualified to act as a director pursuant to the Act shall be eligible for election to the Board. A retiring Board Member shall be eligible for re-election.

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Note review from the Fascia Research Congress
March 27-30 2012   Vancouver, BC
Garret Woynarski

The Fascia Congress was a tremendously well-organized event that was the epitome of conferences that I have attended in my career.  The presenters were never 2 minutes off the itinerary and the house-keeping rules were well defined and imposed.  I met many people from a variety of countries.  I have business cards from other manual therapist in Japan, Germany, South Africa, Australia and the USA.  I have listened to their stories about therapy in their countries and I educated them about the cutting-edge techniques and collaboration we have in Saskatchewan and Canada.

Here is a brief summary of the Fascia Congress highlights:
• Dr. Mary Francis Barbe from Temple University.  Her research paper can be found under Barr and Barbe 2004 and Coq and Barbe 2008.  She did an interesting study on rats with repetitive strain injuries.

• Dr. Michael Kjaer is from Denmark and spoke about the Adaptation of Tendinous Connective Tissue.  His research has found that when an injury in the body happens there is a significant amount of tissue degradation.  Once the healing mechanisms happen, there is a measurable amount of tissue synthesis to promote stronger tissue.  Dr. Kjaer said that in the event of injury, doing nothing is the worst thing one can do as there will be “a serious decrease in tissue synthesis”.  Dr. Kjaer is doing experiments in vitro to grow new tendons outside the human body.

• Dr. Helen Langevin is from the University of Vermont and the research study that she presented was the use of a robotic arm to insert an acupuncture needled into the tissue while using real-time ultrasound and elastrography for calculable shear strain in the fascia of low back pain and non-low back pain people.

• Dr. Albert Banes discussed various topics, one being the fact that our backs are not completely elastic. Once you apply a load then remove it, your back will not completely return to its origin starting point.  Obese individuals have an Achilles tendon that is 12% thicker than normal individuals.  ATP is released in the cells when Massage Therapy is performed.  Ultrasound showed high evidence of post-surgery fascial adhesion of the ovary to the abdominal wall.  Adhesions in the fascia can be vascular and non-vascular. 

• Dr. Rolf Reed had a fascinating presentation that earned him a standing ovation upon completion.  He spoke about the fluid dynamics he and his student study at the University of Bergen.  In a 70Kg human, there will be 40L of fluid; 27L will be intracellular with 13L being extracellular.  5L of that overall fluid will consist of blood.  We need pressure in order to drive fluid.  Collagen is normal in tendons, with collagen being thinner and scarcer in tumors. 

• Dr. Carla Stecco is from Italy as she spoke about some of the fascial experiments she has concluded on cadavers.  There is a 48% difference in superficial fascia between normal and obese tissue.  There is no superficial fascia in the feet and hands, as the superficial and deep fascia layers combine into plantar and palmar fascia.  The health of fascia is dependent on the health of the vasculature because they are intertwined. 

• Dr. Jay P. Shah is from Baltimore, Maryland and he spoke extensively about the research he is doing on trigger points.  He has found that trigger points have decreased blood flow through them while under Doppler scanning.  Trigger points can affect you physically and bio-chemically.  Trigger points can increase the diastolic blood flow. 

• Dr. Lisa M. Hodge is doing research where they are causing rats to have the equivalent of breast cancer.  7 days after inducing the breast cancer they began the Lymphatic pump technique using the pedal, liver, spleen, abdominal and thoracic pumps at a rate of one pump per second.  They found that there were more immune cells, mainly T-helper cells present in the lymph in the subjects that had the lymphatic pump treatment compared to those that did not. 

Poster sessions
The hallway adjacent to the buffet lunch line had a plethora of 40-50 stand-up full size posters available for viewing and querying.  These posters were all depicting the various research projects manual therapists are performing regarding TMJ, Club foot, potassium/calcium channels, MRI results from a fibroma in the plantar fascia of a diabetic foot patient and the effect of topical application of Aloe Vera extract on an Achilles tendon transection, to name a few.  One could stand and read, photo, iPad download or verbally ask questions about each research poster. 

There is a newly created Fascia Research Society that is offering memberships for $100.  More info can be received via email, info@fasciaresearchsociety.org as their website is under development www.fasciaresearchsociety.org
 
The next Fascia Congress is in 2015 in Orlando, Florida. 

Garret Woynarski
(For the complete report please look under links in the MTAS website).
 

Financial Statements

Please click here to open the audited financial statements for 2011-2012.
Note that for security reasons, this document is only available as a .pdf file.  You require Adobe Reader to open and view the document.

Bylaw Amendments

Proposed Amendments to the Bylaws:

3.2 Eligibility for Election
Any practicing Member or Non-resident Practicing Member with voting rights, in good standing, with the exception of an owner or operator of a massage therapy training school or director of another massage therapy association, that is qualified to act as a director pursuant to the Act shall be eligible for election to the Board. A retiring Board Member shall be eligible for re-election.

Motion wording:
To insert “or director of another massage therapy association” between “with the exception of an owner or operator of a massage therapy training school” and “, that is qualified to act as a director pursuant to the Act.”

Moved by:  Gus Giannoutsos
Seconded by:  Marles Kerns

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To strike 5.25 Quorum
No business shall be transacted at a meeting of the Members unless a quorum is present at the time the meeting begins. Unless otherwise provided by this Bylaw, Members personally present and representing in person or by proxy not less than ten (10%) percent of the Members of the Association entitled to vote at a meeting shall be a quorum.

And replace with:
5.25 Quorum shall consist of the practicing members that are present at a duly called meeting of the Members.

Moved by:  Marles Kerns
Seconded by: Don Wickstrom
 

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To amend 11.2 (a)
All practicing and non-practicing Members must obtain a minimum number of forty (40) competency credits, at least twenty-eight (28) of which shall be primary credits, 7 credits to be business credits and a mandatory 5 credits for CPR/First Aid.

Rationale: To comply with the National Competency Standards as determined by the National Consortium of Regulated Massage Therapists.

Moved by:  Aileen Tran Mapletoft
Seconded by:  Don Wickstrom

11.2 Competency of Members 
(a) All practicing and non-practicing Members must obtain a minimum number of forty (40) competency credits, at least twenty-eight (28) of which shall be primary credits, over a three-year period to maintain registration and/or license with the Association.

To strike: 11.2(a)  non practicing members.

Moved by:  Aileen Tran Mapletoft
Seconded by: Don Wickstrom

Motions from Members

Motion #1
I move that extended health care, life insurance, AD/D short and long term disability and critical illness and dental coverage be provided for all office staff, current and future, at the expense of the Association.

Moved by:  Diane Townsend
Seconded by:  Stan Hingston

AGM Forms

Here are the forms you may need for the AGM:

1. Motions form - click here.
2. Nominations form - click here. 
3. Proxy voting form - click here.