Notification of $0.39 Increase to Annual Fee for April 1, 2025
September 24, 2024
Please be advised that after careful consideration, the Board of Directors for the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA) has approved a $0.39 inflationary increase to the Annual Fee for the 2025/26 fiscal year. The inflationary increase will bring the RHRA’s fee from $14.59 to $14.98 per suite, per month, effective April 1, 2025.
The RHRA considered various options for addressing sustained increases in core regulatory functions such as complaints (66 per cent increase), reports of harm/risk of harm (14 per cent increase) and responsive inspections (31 per cent increase). Details on operational results are outlined in RHRA’s 2023/24 Annual Report.
To be responsive to the public and licensees, the RHRA must ensure it has the proper resources to meet appropriate service level goals and fulfill its resident protection mandate. Despite sustained gains in efficiency, requests for the RHRA to respond to situations of concern is far outpacing available resources.
The RHRA is obligated to recover the costs of its operation through fees. Annual fees are the primary source of revenue, accounting for about 90 per cent of all revenue. This inflationary change in the fee rate will not fully cover the required resources to address capacity and respond to the changes in regulatory activity. However, the Board felt that for the short term it could responsibly use the RHRA’s reserves to fund necessary investments in front line resources.
Through prudent fiscal stewardship, the Board will continue to monitor and adjust its plans accordingly to manage longer-term sustainability, including fully recovering its costs of operations. The RHRA remains steadfast to fulfilling its resident protection mandate, meeting and improving its service level standards for residents and licensees, and instilling public confidence.
The updated 2025/26 Fee Schedule will be published to the RHRA’s website in the coming weeks and reminders included in a future newsletter. Invoices and details about the payment process will be included in a notification to each licensee on or before February 1, 2025. If you have any questions regarding the RHRA’s 2025/26 Fee Schedule, please contact our Finance department directly at 416-440-1032 or finance@rhra.ca.