Joint Press Release – Back to Work

December 22, 2020

A screenshot of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney giving an update on COVID-19 in a press conference on December 22, 2020
On December 22, 2020 Alberta Premier Jason Kenney provided an update to Albertans on Covid 19, including an update on massage therapists returning to work during the current lockdown.

Today, during our second day of joint meetings between the Transitional Council for the College of Massage Therapists of Alberta, and the four Massage Therapist Associations in the province we were excited to hear the announcement of a pending limited return of Massage Therapy by Health Minister Shandro (https://youtu.be/_vctftbhQ1A?list=PLvrD8tiHIX1L5LKwB0kl-4aJjkK4OuE-l). 

We are waiting to hear specific details from the province and will be providing those to our members as they become available. 

We are pleased to announce that today we have finalized a joint draft “COVID-19 Pandemic Practice Guidelines, Protocols and Best Practices for Massage Therapists in Alberta” that will go back to the Canadian Massage and Manual Osteopathic Therapists Association (CMMOTA), the Certified Registered Massage Therapist Association (CRMTA), the Massage Therapist Association of Alberta (MTAA), and the Natural Health Practitioners of Canada Association (NHPC) for Board approvals and will be released as quickly as possible. These jointly developed protocols will ensure that all Alberta Health Services and Association guidelines and policies are followed by all members in good standing with one of these Associations. This will ensure the protection of the public and provide clarity for our fellow health care professionals.

We thank all those who have spent time over the past weeks advocating on behalf of the massage therapy profession. We hope that the collective advocacy will move the Government of Alberta towards regulating our profession.  We will continue to advocate collectively to have the province allow the full return of Massage Therapy practice and to bring regulation to fruition.

All associations are experiencing a high volume of calls, emails, and inquiries.  We would appreciate your patience and understanding as it will take time to respond. Please refrain from contacting our offices for information as we will release information as soon as it becomes available.

Wishing you continued Health and Safety.