Hello NSCMIRTP Registrants and Colleagues,

I hope everyone had a happy holiday season and New Year. For those of you who were working through the holidays, I hope you’ve had a chance to rest in the weeks since. The new year is always a time of reflection, new beginnings and wrapping up unfinished business. The same holds true for the NSCMIRTP.

The past few years have been a time of significant change, both for the NSCMIRTP and for health regulation in Nova Scotia. As my term on the Board and time as Chair comes to an end, I feel that you may have heard from me more often than you would have liked as we navigated some turbulent waters.

With the support of the Board and College staff, we have come a long way in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the NSCMIRTP. In 2025, we made many visible changes, including upgrades to our registration system, as well as important behind-the-scenes improvements to help us use our resources more effectively and efficiently. We are also working on several initiatives that build on our strengths, such as the refresher program to help MRTs re-enter the workforce. We are the only MIRTP regulatory College to offer such a program, and we will be expanding it soon.

We have also been a valued partner to government during this period of healthcare regulation modernization. This relationship highlights the importance of self-regulation. As professionals, we understand the work best, and having open conversations and the opportunity to provide input into legislation helps ensure the public is protected thoughtfully and effectively, rather than through measures imposed without context. The NSCMIRTP, along with all regulatory healthcare colleges in Nova Scotia, have been working diligently behind the scenes to prepare for the transition to the new Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) regulations and meeting Department of Health and Wellness (DHW) standards. I highly encourage anyone who is interested to reach out, volunteer, and assist with this work, as it is both enlightening, important to our profession and critical to protecting the public we serve.

It is also my pleasure to introduce the new Executive members of the NSCMIRTP for 2026:

Lisa Bonin, currently Vice Chair, will be stepping into the Chair role.

Jason Sheppard, a long-time member of the Board, will be stepping into the Vice Chair role.

Edmond Kodua, one of our newer members, will continue serving as Board Secretary.

These individuals have helped guide the College through the challenges of the past few years, and I am confident in their ability to lead the NSCMIRTP through, hopefully, calmer waters in the year ahead.

To the NSCMIRTP community, College staff, and my fellow Board members, it has been a pleasure to serve as your Chair for the past two years. Thank you for your trust, your engagement, and your commitment to quality care and patient safety.

Sincerely,
Kenny Zhan

Chair, NSCMIRTP

chair@nscmirtp.ca