Working in Regulated Provinces

There are currently 5 regulated provinces in Canada - British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador.

Regulated provinces have put governance in place through the provincial government to ensure the standard of all practicing massage therapists. Each of these provinces have requirements for each massage therapist to pass in order to legally work as a massage therapist in that province.

If you are hoping to work in one of these provinces after graduating from Wellington College, please read the expectations below.

British Columbia

The College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia (CMTBC) requires registered massage therapists who are not a graduate of one of the colleges recognized by the CMTBC to apply for their registration examination after completing the Prior Learning Assessment or PLA.

The PLA determines if your knowledge, skills, and abilities are substantially equivalent to those of an applicant from one of the recognized programs or a regulated province.

You can watch a video and read more about the PLA by clicking here.

Ontario

The College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) Registration Committee has approved a policy that Massage Therapy programs outside Ontario that are accredited by the Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation (CMTCA) are deemed equivalent to a program recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities. 

 Wellington College is currently in the process of applying for accreditation through the CMTCA.

 Although Wellington College is not recognized by the CMTO as an approved program, as an individual, you may apply to have your credentials assessed using CMTO’s Massage Therapy Education and Credential Assessment (MTECA). 

 MTECA focuses on the individual’s Massage Therapy education, including any relevant professional development course(s) that may have been completed. More information, including a guide to the MTECA process, is available on their website.

New Brunswick

The College of Massage Therapists of New Brunswick has a great Certification Examination Candidate Handbook on their website https://www.cmtnb.ca/. Below are the criteria for the eligibility of candidates for the Certification Examination. Please note that as of 2025, Wellington College would be considered a non-approved program as we are currently in the process of applying for accreditation through the CMTCA.

For Canadian-Educated Applicants (Outside New Brunswick):

  • Must have graduated from a CMTCA-accredited program (list available here).

  • Eligible to apply directly.

For Internationally Educated Applicants & Graduates of Non-Approved Programs:

  • Must demonstrate qualifications equivalent to CMTCA-approved programs.

  • Required to undergo credential assessment to determine eligibility.

  • Must pass a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) before taking the certification exam.

  • Evaluations are conducted on a case-by-case basis.

For further details, applicants should contact CMTNB at examadmin@cmtnb.ca.

Newfoundland & Labrador

The College of Massage Therapists of Newfoundland and Labrador require therapists from non-regulated provinces to have their qualifications assessed on a case by case basis. Please see the eligibility below. For more information check out their website here https://www.cmtnl.ca/.

Applicants educated in Canada (outside Newfoundland and Labrador) must have qualifications equivalent to those offered by schools and colleges in Newfoundland and Labrador.

  1. Credential assessment is required to determine eligibility before taking the certification exam.

  2. All documents and payments must be submitted to the College.

  3. Once credentials are approved, the applicant can proceed to the certification exam.

  4. Each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Prince Edward Island

As the massage therapy profession is newly regulated on Prince Edward Island, the College of Massage Therapists of PEI does not offer entrance exams at present.  However, the Regulated Health Professions Act requires that candidates must write an exam from a regulated body approved by the College of Massage Therapists of PEI.  

 The CMTPEI asks all new graduates to challenge exams provided by those provinces who are regulated such as British Columbia, Ontario, New Brunswick or Newfoundland & Labrador. If it is possible for graduates from unregulated provinces to take their exam, the CMTPEI will accept their results to work on the island.