By-law changes lower potential for large increases
CNO’s Council approved a new approach for setting all fees in the Fees By-law, at their quarterly meeting in June. Council oversees CNO’s financial health by approving by-laws that govern fee structures and CNO’s annual budget.
The approach ensures that CNO, a non-profit organization, collects only sufficient fees to maintain its financial health, while still providing flexibility if needed, to respond to urgent regulatory changes.
Nurses and applicants will benefit from the change because it makes predicting the cost of fees easier. The new approach, which is based on CNO’s annual financial needs, greatly reduces the potential for large fee increases occurring every few years, and some years will have no changes.
Using this approach, CNO is announcing that 2027 fees will increase by 5%. This takes advantage of the new approach in the amended by-law that allows for approval of a lower amount based on a needs assessment and reflects the latest financial results available. The fee for annual renewal for 2027 will be $386 (plus HST).
At CNO, costs are carefully managed. Costs are affected by inflation and other economic impacts, as well as evolving expectations of CNO as a regulator. Fees are only increased if there is financial need to provide the support and services that the public, nurses and applicants rely on.
In March, Council approved proposed by-law changes, which would enable the new approach for setting fees, for public consultation. During the consultation, many nurses and organizations shared their concerns about the cost of living including inflation, personal expenses, wages and the impact of fee increases. Some questioned how fees are used and why fee increases are necessary. Others appreciated the predictability and stability that the new approach would provide, and acknowledged that CNO needs to collect fees that will cover operational expenses.
Council members reviewed the consultation feedback and compared CNO’s annual fees with other Ontario health care regulators, as well as nursing regulators in Canada. They noted that CNO’s annual registration fees are comparable to, but still lower than, the annual fee that most other Canadian nursing regulators currently charge. Council also considered how to support nurses with a fee structure that is predictable and stable.
CNO remains committed to being transparent about fee changes. Moving forward, we will communicate the amount for annual fees by July, so nurses can plan to pay for annual renewal by Dec. 31.
Annual renewal will open in the fall. Check back here for more information.