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February 07, 2023 - 7:30 AM
A Kelowna massage therapist has been suspended for a week for not having a valid first aid certificate and making false statements to the regulator.
According to a recently published Dec. 28, 2022, B.C. College of Massage Therapists decision, Evano Masini didn't have a first aid certificate from December 2020 to December 2021.
However, the regulator said Masini unloaded documents to its website and made "false declarations" about the paperwork.
"A failure by a registrant to meet Bylaw requirements and to accurately report required information to the College impedes the College’s statutory obligation to regulate the massage therapy profession in the public interest," the decision read.
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The decision said he uploaded an automatic reply email from St. John Ambulance stating he had a certificate valid from Dec. 28 2017 and valid to Dec. 31 2020.
"Mr. Masini has never held Standard First Aid/CPR-C certification with a validity period from Dec. 28, 2017, until Dec. 31, 2020," the decision read. "He then made a false declaration by checking a box next to the following text, 'I certify that I have reviewed the requirements... of the Bylaws and I am uploading a valid certificate.'"
He then uploaded a certificate from the Heart and Stroke Foundation stating he'd successfully completed basic life support training.
The College said that basic life support training is not equivalent to first Aid or CPR certification.
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"He entered that the certifying organization was the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the validity period was from November 1, 2021 until December 31, 2021," the decision read. "Mr. Masini then made a false declaration by checking a box next to the following text, 'I certify that I have reviewed the requirements... of the bylaws and I am uploading a valid certificate.'"
Masini signed a consent agreement admitting to the misconduct.
The regulator suspended Masini for one week and ordered him to pay $250 costs. He will also have to complete "intensive" coursework on professional ethics.
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