HOW DO I BECOME AFFILIATED?

The Canadian Kinesiology Alliance is an alliance of 10 provincial kinesiology associations. First, you must join your provincial kinesiology association as a member, and through your provincial association you will automatically gain affiliation with the CKA. (If you live in one of the Territories or you are an academic, you can join the CKA directly). Provincial kinesiology association membership and CKA affiliation require professional insurance and meeting the academic requirements for practicing kinesiologists in your respective province. Find CKA’s standards here.

If you have questions about requirements or the process of applying for or renewing your membership, contact the CKA office at info@cka.ca or 1-844-546-3746.

Your Professional Associations

Benefits of membership

Each provincial kinesiology association offers slightly different programming, but membership in all associations include:

• Access to a national insurance program.
• Network and communication with other kinesiology professionals.
• The opportunity to be listed in your provincial and/or national directory.
• Continuing education opportunities at the provincial level and the annual national Kin Can Conference.
• Support the promotion, advancement, and recognition of the kinesiology profession in the move towards regulation.

CKA affiliation types

Affiliated Kinesiologist

Membership fees across provincial associations vary. You must join the provincial association for the province in which you live or work to automatically gain affiliation with the CKA.

Student affiliation

Some provincial associations have student membership options. Student memberships with the Kinesiology Association of Saskatchewan, the Manitoba Kinesiology Association, the Kinesiology Association of Nova Scotia, or the Newfoundland and Labrador Kinesiology Association are free. Please refer to the specific provincial website for other student membership rates.

Become a member of your provincial kinesiology association:

• British Columbia

• Alberta

• Saskatchewan

• Manitoba

• Ontario

• Quebec

• New Brunswick

• Nova Scotia

• Newfoundland and Labrador

• Prince Edward Island

Already a member?

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Academic affiliation

The CKA academic affiliation is for researchers and academics who want to stay connected to the profession of kinesiology, and participate in promoting and advancing the profession. The academia affiliation is open to individuals who do not practice kinesiology but:

• Are enrolled in a course of study leading to a master’s or doctoral degree in kinesiology from a post-secondary educational institution in Canada that is recognized by the Board,
• are researchers or academics in the field of kinesiology, or
• are, or were, employed as a professor/lecturer or faculty member of a post-secondary educational institution in Canada that is recognized by the Board, in a faculty or department that offers courses in kinesiology, human kinetics, and related subjects.

Academics from any province in Canada may join the CKA directly, without needing to join a provincial association.

Become affiliated or renew your CKA academic affiliation

What are the requirements for affiliation?

A NEW LIST OF STANDARDS IS EFFECTIVE JANUARY 2022

The Canadian Kinesiology Alliance (CKA) has established a new set of competencies to promote as the standards of the profession across Canada. These standards are the competencies deemed necessary to practise kinesiology in our country. This competency list will serve in decision making, such as in membership/affiliation registration requirements and in continuing education credit requirements.

The competency list includes as many university programs as possible in order to maximize access to membership.

These new standards are effective as of January 2022.

The CKA mandated its Membership, Standards & Continuing Education Committee to review the competency list, considering the many changes in the university curriculum over the past seven years.

An initial list of universities was established by consulting with PKAs, visiting the CKO and CCUPEKA websites (membership and accredited sections), and reviewing previous CKA lists. From a total of 92 university programs, 86 were considered; 6 programs were rejected for not having enough credits related to the science of kinesiology.

To the current CKA competency list, additional competencies were added as the analysis of the curriculum was performed, for a total of 54 competencies.

Gathered by visiting university websites, a list of programs related to kinesiology was established. For each program, the following information was recorded:

• Total credits to graduate
• Total core credits
• Total elective credits
• Credit value for one course
• List of competencies (as per current CKA competency list)

The revised competencies are as follows:

1. MINIMAL REQUIREMENTS
   1. 60 credits based on a 3-credit course
      or
      11 credits based on a 0.5-credit course
   2. Must include:
      Eight mandatory core competency courses
      and 14 elective kinesiology courses
   3. Note:
      1. Full-year courses lasting 72 to 80 hours (6.0 credits) may be considered as two courses of 3 credits.
      2. For Quebec universities, the credit equivalence of most university programs in other provinces is 75%, thus 40 credits, including six mandatory core courses.

2. LIST OF COMPETENCIES

   a) Core studies (eight mandatory courses):

    
   1. Human anatomy
   2. Physiology (human exercise)
   3. Biomechanics
   4. Psychomotor behaviour/motor control and learning
   5. Research design
   6. Statistics
   7. Exercise programs/prescription
   8. Fitness evaluation/assessment

   b) Elective studies (14 courses):

   1. Adaptive kinesiology
   2. Biochemistry
   3. Biology
   4. Chemistry
   5. Chronic conditions/diseases
   6. Computer science
   7. Ergonomics/human factors
   8. Exercise management/rehabilitation
   9. Exercise physiology/exercise or work
   10. Gerontology
   11. Health promotion and prevention for different populations
   12. Health science
   13. Human growth and development
   14. Human pathology
   15. Individual study (kinesiology)
   16. Information integration and judgment and care
   17. Instructional/functional measurement/evaluation in kinesiology
   18. Laboratory, tutorial, or practicum courses
   19. Leadership skills
   20. Neurophysiology
   21. Nutrition
   22. Organic chemistry
   23. Philosophy/ethics (kinesiology)
   24. Physics
   25. Psychology of movement
   26. Research project (kinesiology)
   27. Kinesiology (scope of practice)
   28. Sociology of movement
   29. Sports medicine
   30. Wellness

    

3. UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS NOT RECOGNIZED
   This list of competencies has been developed to include the majority of university programs, with the exception of the following, which have not been recognized for lack of scientific rigour. Graduating students of these programs are encouraged to take courses to acquire the scientific competencies required by the new standards before becoming an affiliate/member.

4. COMPETENCIES EARNED BEFORE 2000

For competencies earned in programs when the term kinesiology was not widely used (circa 2000), the CKA invites candidates to submit a list of equivalent competencies earned either in their bachelor's degree related to physical activity, physical education, or other program names related to kinesiology or in continuing education activities. For each of the competencies required, you must submit the equivalent course on a transcript or proof of successfully achieving the competency in a continuing education activity after the bachelor's degree. The reliance on science-based competencies is mandatory. A brief course description for each competency will be required. The CKA is no longer accepting applicants who do not have the necessary competencies.

Become affiliated or renew your CKA affiliation

Membership Fees and Schedule

All provincial kinesiology association memberships and their CKA affiliations renew December 31, for annual memberships of January - December, regardless of when you join. The renewal period begins in November each year. You must join the provincial kinesiology association in which you work or live. The difference in prices is based on various factors, such as membership base, programs and activities offered. etc.

This is the current membership fee schedule by province:

• British Columbia Association of Kinesiologists - $300
• Alberta Kinesiology Association - $275
• Kinesiology Association of Saskatchewan - $78.73
• Manitoba Kinesiology Association - $50
• Ontario Kinesiology Association - Click for pricing info
• Federations des Kinesiologues du Quebec - $218
• Kinesiology Association of Nova Scotia - $50
• New Brunswick Kinesiology Association - $102.43
• Newfoundland and Labrador Kinesiology Association - $56
• Kinesiology PEI - $120

In addition to the membership fee, the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance charges an affiliation fee of $45.00.

Beginning in 2024, all provinces will be collecting the CKA affiliation fee along with membership fees.

Other membership fees:

• Academic affiliation - $85
• Territories affiliation - $85
• Students in SK, MB, NS, NL - Free

All fees mentioned above are subject to a $3.00 administration fee, plus applicable taxes and a 3% transaction fee.

Become affiliated or renew your CKA affiliation.

Why and How are Kinesiologists insured professionally?

Importance of Professional Insurance

Maintaining professional insurance provides peace of mind, whether it be for your home, your car, or your professional work. Legal actions often come as a result of someone being harmed, either through bodily injury or damage to their property. Even if the allegations are frivolous, you are still required to respond with a defence. Lawsuits often name anyone involved in and/or connected to a particular situation regardless of how minuscule that involvement may have been. Good advice for mounting a defence can be expensive. Considering that the average hourly rate for a lawyer in Canada is upwards of $350, professional insurance coverage such as the products offered by the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance can help a great deal. The CKA highly recommends that professional insurance be kept up to date regardless of practice area. In Ontario, the College of Kinesiologists of Ontario (CKO) requires that all Registered Kinesiologists maintain errors and omissions liability coverage. As of 2014, the minimum required coverage is $1M limit per occurrence with a $3M aggregate limit per year. 

MANDATORY PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY

As a condition of becoming and continuing as a practising member/affiliate, every member/affiliate must have and maintain professional liability insurance covering the scope of practice of kinesiology as defined by the CKA and the PKAs. The insurance may be held through the CKA national insurance program from PROLINK or your employer. You must submit your mandatory professional liability Insurance within 10 days, otherwise we will have to invalidate your membership. Attach your PROLINK insurance certificate or your workplace professional liability certificate. 

1. National Insurance Program by PROLINK
The national insurance program through PROLINK is offered at significantly low rates thanks to reaching over 5,000 members in this program. For example, professional liability insurance begins at $59/yr.

Professional liability Insurance can be purchased directly from PROLINK during your renewal process. Once purchased, all insurance documents will be emailed to you by PROLINK, and your certificate of insurance will be automatically uploaded to your CKA profile to be validated.

Should you have any questions, please contact Leona Petersen or Lindsay Fish by email at cka@prolink.insure.

You will need your membership number. 

2. Workplace Professional Liability Insurance

If you have insurance through your employer – that is, you are already covered by professional liability insurance, covering your acts as a Kinesiologist, under the term Kinesiologist – you must attach your proof of insurability (or evidence of employment at an institution [e.g., hospital]) and the signed consent form provided in the registration process. These two documents will be requested upon accession/renewal. If you have coverage through your employer, you must verify that the policy covers the full scope of practice for kinesiology as defined by the CKA and the PKAs and meets the requirements outlined below. If you carry professional liability insurance through your employer, you agree that you will not provide kinesiology services external to the business operations of the employer – thus, no private practice.

Note: The CKA does not accept professional liability insurance outside of the CKA national insurance program/PROLINK unless the policy includes an endorsement (rider) that covers the entire scope of practice of kinesiology as defined by a kinesiology governing body, identifies you as the insured person, and the policy is consistent with CKA insurance requirements.

To be approved by the CKA, your workplace professional insurance must include the following:

1. Policy wording covering the entire scope of practice for kinesiology as defined by the CKA/PKA. 
2. Limits of liability are of not less than $2,000,000/loss and $3,000,000/policy term.
3. Policy coverage includes errors and omissions made by the insured member/employee.
4. Policy wording does not restrict coverage to working with healthy or uninjured persons whether in these specific terms or others synonymous with good health.
5. If you carry professional liability insurance through your employer, you confirm by having signed this document that you will not provide kinesiology services external to the business operations of the employer – thus, no private practice.
6. You confirm having signed that you have reviewed the coverage provided under the policy and confirm it meets all the listed requirements.

Professional Insurance Coverage as Valuable Protection

Canada is becoming more litigious. In Canada, the value of court settlements has risen sharply in recent years. Increasingly, people are showing a willingness to turn to the courts and/or regulatory bodies when they believe the services they received were substandard. The fact is, even if a professional is not at fault, defending against a legal action can be very expensive, threatening personal financial security. Errors and omissions insurance provides some measure of protection, helping you cover legal defence costs and damages that may be awarded. 

Insurance Coverage Inclusions

The Canadian Kinesiology Alliance professional errors and omissions insurance policy covers the full scope of kinesiology services including those outlined by regulatory bodies like the College of Kinesiologists of Ontario. The policy also covers the following types of health care services: sports therapy, massage therapy, physiotherapy, homeopathy, osteopathy, and psychotherapy. The policy requires that the fees earned for these additional services be less than $5,000 per patient and less than $25,000 for all patients during any one (1) policy year.

Not all professional insurance policies are equal. The Canadian Kinesiology Alliance spends a lot of time ensuring it can offer industry-leading products and services. 

Errors and Omissions and Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance

You are not required to hold commercial general liability insurance (CGL) in any jurisdiction in Canada, including Ontario. However, the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance suggests that you consider purchasing this important product in order to avoid any possible gaps in insurance coverage. Our commercial general liability insurance offers protection in the event you are involved in a legal action by a third party who sustained a bodily injury or property damage unrelated to professional advice they may have been given. In contrast, errors and omissions (E&O) insurance helps protect you against bodily injury claims sustained by a patient as a possible result of the professional advice and services given. CGL is important if any of the following apply to you:

1. You own or lease your own clinic location.

2. You provide advice and services in a clinic location that is not owned/operated by you.

3. You provide services to patients from your home.

In order to purchase the commercial general liability insurance products offered by the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance, you must have purchased one of our errors and omissions (E&O) products.

PROLINK Insurance Videos
Professional Liability

Commercial General Liability

Commercial General Liability 2020

Data Security
 

Statement of Claim Procedure

Working with our insurance industry experts, the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance is here to help! If you receive a statement of claim or threatening comments from a client, do not admit to any liability or fault to anyone; contact us immediately at info@cka.ca.

Protection When Stopping Practice

Legal action can be taken months or years after the advice and/or service is provided to a client, perhaps even after you are no longer in practice. Our industry-leading professional errors and omissions (E&O) insurance products give purchasers up to six (6) years of coverage after they stop practising. This benefit of the policies provided by the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance is known as extended reporting period coverage. Many policies do not offer this feature. Indeed, other providers may well add additional fees if extended reporting period coverage is requested.

When retiring, the insured Affiliated Kinesiologist with this retirement coverage must send an email to PROLINK (cka@prolink.insure) indicating they are ceasing practice as a Kinesiologist, and in the case of Ontario, no longer registered with the CKO. This email to PROLINK will trigger the automatic extended reporting period coverage for six years.

Download the insurance program brochure.

Process for applicants outside of Canada

Since affiliation with the CKA depends on the province in which a Kinesiologist is practising, an application from outside of Canada should first decide in which province they are interested in practising and then follow the instructions for the chosen province. You must work or live in the province in which you would like to practise.

1. Ontario (OKA)

Ontario is the only legislated province; thus, one must be recognized by the College of Kinesiology of Ontario. Visit www.coko.ca.
The provincial kinesiology association is the OKA. Visit: www.oka.on.ca/site/home.

2. Quebec (FKQ)

For diplomas obtained outside of Canada, a comparative evaluation for studies done outside Quebec, issued by the Ministry of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion, is required.

http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/working-quebec/comparative-evaluation/index.html

3. British Columbia (BCAK)

The first step is a foreign credential evaluation (www.bcit.ca/ices) with a full breakdown of courses and grades, because schools outside of Canada often don't have full programs in kinesiology.

It is required to have completed four core subjects: anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, and motor control/learning. Foreign-trained applicants must write and pass a competency exam covering these subjects. 

Also assessed is English language proficiency (some provinces where medical services are provided in French might assess French language proficiency). 

Full details can be found here. See pathways 2b and 2c. https://bcak.bc.ca/kinesiologists/pathways/pathway-2/

4. Other Provinces

The following are required:

Official final transcript (translated and notarized into English or French)
Full course descriptions for each course on the transcript (again notarized and translated)
TOEFL or equivalent if the country of origin does not have English as a first language

Courses would then be evaluated based on descriptions of known equivalents from Canadian universities to see if the applicant had taken similar courses to qualify.

Become affiliated or renew your CKA affiliation

What is the code of ethics of Kins?

The Canadian Kinesiology Alliance (CKA) accepts responsibility for delineating the ethical behaviour expected of Kinesiologists and has developed and approved this code of ethics as a guide.

As you complete your application form, you must read and agree to abide by the code of ethics.

The code is an ethical document. Its sources are the traditional codes of ethics as well as developments in human rights. Legislation and court decisions may also influence ethics, and therefore, Kinesiologists should be aware of the legal and regulatory requirements in their practice. However, the code may set out different standards of behaviour than does the law.

The code has been prepared by Kinesiologists for Kinesiologists. It is based on the fundamental principles of kinesiology, especially compassion, beneficence, non-malfeasance, and respect for persons. It interprets these principles with respect to the responsibilities of Kinesiologists to individual clients, their families, their colleagues, other health care professionals, and society.

The code is not, and cannot be, exhaustive. Its statements are general in nature, to be interpreted and applied in particular situations.

Kinesiologists may experience conflict between ethical principles, between ethical and legal or regulatory requirements, or between their own ethical convictions and demands of clients, proxy decision makers, other health professionals, employers, or other involved parties. Training and consultation with colleagues, ethicists, or others who have expertise are recommended.

All Affiliated Kinesiologists of the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance (CKA / ACK), as a condition of obtaining and maintaining their affiliation, shall abide by this code of ethics in all their professional activities.

Definition of Terms

Affiliated Kinesiologist – Any person identified by the by-laws of the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance as a professional affiliated with the association.

kinesiology services – Any act or activity within the Canadian Kinesiology Alliance (CKA / ACK) scope of practice (“the application of scientifically based principles to enhance the strength, endurance, and mobility of individuals with or without functional limitations, and the administration of musculoskeletal, neurological, biomechanical, physiological, psychological, and task-specific tests, assessments, and measures") that an Affiliated Kinesiologist performs as part of their professional activities.

conflict of interest – An interest that could adversely affect a Kinesiologist's judgment on behalf of, or loyalty to, a patient or prospective patient. A potential conflict of interest exists in all situations where a private interest might influence a Kinesiologist's duties and responsibilities.

Duties and Responsibilities towards the Client and the Public

• Hold paramount the health and safety of the client and/or the public at all times
• Not take physical, psychological, sexual, or financial advantage of a client
• Offer and/or advise on kinesiology services in areas of their specific competence
• Practise in a careful and diligent manner, and encourage a client to seek other professional assistance when such action is in the best interest of the client
• Apply only accepted scientific principles and professional practices when providing kinesiology services
• Continue their professional development to maintain a high level of competence
• Conduct themselves with fairness, respect, and good faith towards their clients, colleagues, and the profession
• Declare to a client any conflict of interest that may adversely affect their professional relationship with a client and/or employers
• Render services to those who seek it without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, ethnic origin, language, political affiliation, and societal or health status
• Respect the client’s or surrogate’s right to be informed about the effects of the services provided, and give opportunity to consent to or decline a service
• Protect the confidentiality of all professionally acquired information, and disclose such information only when properly authorized or when legally obligated to do so

Duties and Responsibilities towards the Profession

• Give credit where it is due, and accept, as well as give, objective and fair professional criticism
• Act in a way that is beyond reproach, and report to the appropriate authorities any affiliate of the CKA who appears to be incompetent or whose conduct appears to be unethical, illegal, or, in general, unbecoming to the profession
• Strive to promote the advancement of the science and profession of kinesiology
• Commit to encouraging equity, diversity, and inclusion in the practice of kinesiology and in the administration of programs and activities; that is, to hold the duty, the right, and the legal and moral responsibility to ensure that all participants/clients/patients are treated fairly, equitably, and respectfully, and to provide a learning, treatment, working, and living environment that is free from discrimination on the basis of characteristics of identity, including but not limited to age, sex, gender expression, gender, race, sexuality, disability, religion, ethnicity, and creed.

Become affiliated or renew your CKA affiliation