Mandatory reports
RMTs, employers and facility operators have a legal duty to report certain conduct to the College.
File a mandatory reportConcerns & Complaints
When something goes wrong, we act.
CMTO reviews every complaint it receives — impartially, and fairly to everyone involved. Here is how to raise a concern, and exactly what happens after you do.
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File a complaint
Raising a concern about an RMT.
You can file a complaint about a Registered Massage Therapist directly with the College. A complaint cannot be anonymous, and it must be made in a permanent form — in writing, or as an audio or video recording, or another medium.
To help the College act, include the therapist’s name, the time, place and date(s), and a description of what happened. There is no time limit for filing a complaint.
What to include
The RMT’s name · the time, place and date(s) · what happened, in your own words. Your complaint in writing, audio or video — not anonymous.
The process
What happens after you file.
The complaints process is set by law and applies to every Ontario health regulator. These are the steps and the timelines you can expect.
14 days
Your complaint is acknowledged in writing, and the RMT is notified — within 14 days.
30 days
The RMT has 30 days to respond to the complaint.
150 days
The Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee must reach its decision within 150 days.
Acknowledgement
You receive written acknowledgement that your complaint has been received.
Assessment
Staff assess the concern — the nature of the allegations, the RMT’s history, whether there was deliberate harm or deceptive conduct, and the RMT’s own reflection.
The RMT responds
The RMT is notified within 14 days and has 30 days to reply.
ICRC review
A panel of the Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) reviews the matter, and may appoint an investigator.
Decision (within 150 days)
The ICRC decides — which may mean a referral to the Ontario Massage Therapists Discipline Tribunal, a fitness-to-practise (incapacity) review, a caution, education and remediation, or no further action.
Appeal
Either party may appeal an ICRC decision to the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB) within 30 days.
Appeals are handled by HPARB ↗, an independent body.
In your language
The complaints process, explained in seven languages.
Audio and written guides walk you through every step
So language is never a barrier to raising a concern, CMTO offers the complaints process as an audio recording and a written guide in each of these languages:
ArabicCantoneseFrenchMandarinPunjabiSpanishTagalog
Find the audio and written guides on the File a Complaint page →
Hearings & discipline
Open, and on the public record.
When a matter is referred to discipline, it is heard by the Ontario Massage Therapists Discipline Tribunal. Hearings are open to the public, and decisions are published — on CanLII and in the College’s own summaries — so accountability is visible to everyone.
Other reports & concerns
Not every concern is a complaint.
Sexual abuse complaints
Specific information and support for making a complaint about sexual abuse.
Sexual abuse complaintsIllegal practitioners
Report anyone using the protected titles, or offering massage therapy, without being registered.
Illegal practitionersRegistrar’s report
How the Registrar may initiate a report where there are grounds for concern.
Registrar reportMedia — RMT conduct
Information for media on matters of RMT conduct.
Media — RMT conductThe full process
Read the complete File a Complaint guide, including fact sheets.
File a complaintSupport
You don’t have to navigate this alone.
Zero tolerance for sexual abuse
CMTO has zero tolerance for sexual abuse by RMTs. Funding for therapy and counselling is available to clients who have been sexually abused by a registrant.
Professional Conduct
professionalconduct@cmto.comTel: 416-489-2626 ext. 4149
Toll-free: 1-800-465-1933 ext. 4149
Fact sheets available on the File a Complaint page: the Role of the Investigator, an Investigation Fact Sheet for Facility Owners, and Information for Witnesses.
Ready to raise a concern?
File a complaint.
Every complaint is reviewed impartially, and fairly to everyone involved.