Which docs pay the most in fees to their college?

From coast to coast to coast, Canadian doctors must renew their registration each year with the medical regulatory authority of the province or territory where they work to get license to practise. But this compulsory renewal comes at a cost which can vary by $600, depending on where you practise.The Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons in the Atlantic provinces have the most expensive annual fees in the country. In 2024, licence renewal will cost $2,300 in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. In Prince Edward Island, the fee is slightly lower: $2,125.Clinicians wishing to practise medicine in the four Atlantic provinces can also opt in to the Atlantic Registry, which was created to provide physicians with more mobility in the region. The additional registration fee is $500 per year.In the Prairies, the annual fee this year is $2,200 in Alberta. In Manitoba, the amount will be set in June, but it was also $2,200 in 2023. For Saskatchewan physicians, it will cost $2,070 to renew registration in 2024.Colleges in British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario have the lowest renewal fees, the latter boasting that it hasn't increased its annual fee in five years. In 2023, they were $1,875, $1,825 and $1,725 respectively.To practise in the territories, physicians must be licensed in one of the 10 Canadian provinces, and pay a further annual license fee: $215 in the Northwest Territories, and $200 in Yukon and Nunavut.In addition to their annual licence, physicians practising in partnership must also pay incorporation fees, which vary widely by province:Prince Edward Island: $500 per yearNew Brunswick: $300 per yearNewfoundland and Labrador: $300 per yearAlberta: $200 per yearOntario: $175 per yearManitoba: $150 per yearSaskatchewan: $150 per yearBritish Columbia: $135 per yearNova Scotia: $100 per yearQuebec: $75 per yearMedical regulators also have different deadlines for renewal. They run from March 1 in British Columbia to Dec. 31 in Alberta. These deadlines are strict: failure to renew on time means a suspension of licence as well as late registration fees. The fees help fund the activities of the medical regulators. For example, the Collège des Médecins du Québec’s website states that annual dues are "essential to finance activities related to the CMQ's mission: to protect the public by offering quality medicine”. In particular, the money is used to process requests for investigations and inspection visits, offer advisory services to members, develop continuing education activities, design practice guides and various teaching tools, combat the illegal practice of medicine, oversee the transfer and conservation of medical records, as well as other services. This article was translated from French and originally ran in our sister publication Profession Santé.A previous version of this article contained a typographical error that said Canadian doctors pay an average of $1,200 for a licence, when, in fact, $2,100 is the correct sum.

Which docs pay the most in fees to their college?

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