Yes, however traditionally the net increase in registrants has been minimal. While new registrants come on board, others end their registration with BC in almost equal numbers. Should there be an influx of new registrants it does come with an increase in workload for the BCIA. This includes increases in:

• application processing
• the number of annual audits of current registrants
• the number practice reviews
• investigations and possible disciplinary actions stemming from an increase in complaints
• practice and title infringement enforcement

Does reserved practice have anything to do with the increase? Yes, as with the statutory responsibilities mentioned above, reserved practice is a benefit to the public interest as it ensures that qualified professionals are competent and accountable. That responsibility and higher profile of the profession requires greater resources. To ensure that the BCIA is meeting this responsibility and maintaining the public trust in the profession the BCIA will need to continue to build capacity.

Current economic conditions are a factor in the decision. The BCIA has not been immune to the overall inflationary pressures that have impacted the global community.

Registrants are obligated to pay their fees by the renewal deadline in order to avoid being suspended and to avoid risk of having their registration cancelled. The BCIA begins taking fee payment in November with the deadline of January 15, 2025.

Failure to pay the annual renewal fees (as well as any late applicable fee (s), which will be applied on January 16^th) will result in a registrant being considered not in good standing. This means that the registrant is not authorized to practice agrology. Continued non-compliance will result in a registration being cancelled or discontinued. Under reserved practice, having your registration discontinued may compromise your ability to work in compliance with the Professional Governance Act and could result in further sanctions. A registrant that is discontinued must apply for reinstatement according to the BCIA bylaw 76. Please reference BCIA bylaws 70-76 for full details relating to payment of fees, resignation and reinstatement.

It is important to note that the Institute is required to meet the same regulatory standard as other regulators under the PGA who currently have more capacity. NB: Some regulators’ fees compared to other years due to differing fiscal cycles. Fees rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

^Inclusive of Goods and Services tax (GST)

Delivery demands of increased applications, enforcement of reserved practice, ongoing compliance with government statutes and operational needs require significant resources from both volunteers’ and staff’s workloads and increased financial pressures.

The BCIA has identified that it will need to increase capacity by at least one full-time equivalent (FTE) position in 2025 as well as an increase in contracted support such as human resources, legal, IT and finance.

These increases in resources will allow the organization to manage workloads at a reasonable level, support existing and future committees, and increase professional supports as mandated by the PGA for registrants such as practice guidance, continuing professional development and policy directives.

The 2025 budget will be finalized and posted in early 2025.

The BCIA is committed to sound financial stewardship. We will continue to take steps to ensure we are being effective and efficient with BCIA funds. However, to ensure we are properly serving the public interest as a professional regulator we must continue to extend our capacity to delivering on our statutory functions.