The Ontario Association of Certified Home Inspectors [1] is a not-for-profit corporation established by letters patent on March 12, 2012. It was created to provide province-specific support for Home Inspectors and consumers of their services.
The Association is a self-regulating volunteer-run, NPO the provides both paid and unpaid memberships.
It awards members, who have proven to have achieved and maintained a high standard of education and skills, the Canadian-Certified Home Inspector. [2]
The association has also been stakeholders in a number of regulatory developments including:
In 2018 a decision was made to adopt the newly released CSA A770-16 Home Inspection Standard as the only standard to be used by members for performing residential Home Inspections in Ontario. This decision was announced to members of the Association in 2019, with a deadline for compliance of February 28, 2020.
With five classes of membership, and a register of over 1050 members of all types, of all the Inspector associations in Canada, OntarioACHI represents the majority of the Home Inspection profession in Ontario.
Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply certification or qualification, is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task. Not all certifications that use post-nominal letters are an acknowledgement of educational achievement, or an agency appointed to safeguard the public interest.
A paralegal is a professional in legal sciences that performs procedures autonomously or semi-autonomously. They also work in support or assist professionals related to the legal area of a consultative or judicial litigation nature. Its labor market is broad, including consultancies, companies that have legal departments or that perform legislation compliance activities such as: environmental, labor, controlled products, product registration, trademarks and patents, tax, bidding, among others. Legal offices and public bodies also have many paralegals in support activities although they do not yet use the correct name of the profession.
The National House Building Council, usually known as the NHBC, states its primary purpose as raising the construction standards of new homes in the United Kingdom (UK), and providing consumer protection for homebuyers through its 10-year Buildmark warranty.
The CSA Group is a standards organization which develops standards in 57 areas. CSA publishes standards in print and electronic form, and provides training and advisory services. CSA is composed of representatives from industry, government, and consumer groups.
Real estate appraisal, property valuation or land valuation is the process of developing an opinion of value for real property. Real estate transactions often require appraisals because they occur infrequently and every property is unique, unlike corporate stocks, which are traded daily and are identical. The location also plays a key role in valuation. However, since property cannot change location, it is often the upgrades or improvements to the home that can change its value. Appraisal reports form the basis for mortgage loans, settling estates and divorces, taxation, and so on. Sometimes an appraisal report is used to establish a sale price for a property.
Property management is the operation, control, maintenance, and oversight of real estate and physical property. This can include residential, commercial, and land real estate. Management indicates the need of real estate to be cared for and monitored, with accountability for and attention to its useful life and condition considered. This is much akin to the role of management in any business.
The Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA) is the national organization of the actuarial profession in Canada. It was incorporated on March 18, 1965. The FCIA designation stands for Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. As the national organization of the Canadian actuarial profession, the CIA means to serve the public through the provision by the profession of actuarial services and advice by: representing the Canadian actuarial profession in the formulation of public policy; promoting the advancement of actuarial science and sponsoring programs for the education and qualification of CIA members and prospective members; ensuring that actuarial services provided by its members meet accepted professional standards; and assisting actuaries in Canada in the discharge of their professional responsibilities.
The architectural technologist, also known as a building technologist, provides technical building design services and is trained in architectural technology, building technical design and construction.
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board is the workplace compensation board for provincially regulated workplaces in Ontario. As an agency of the Ontario government, the WSIB operates "at arm's length" from the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development and is solely funded by employer premiums, administration fees, and investment revenue. The WSIB is one of the largest compensation boards in North America and is primarily responsible for administering and enforcing the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA).
A home inspection is a limited, non-invasive examination of the condition of a home, often in connection with the sale of that home. Home inspections are usually conducted by a home inspector who has the training and certifications to perform such inspections. The inspector prepares and delivers to the client a written report of findings. The client then uses the knowledge gained to make informed decisions about their pending real estate purchase. The home inspector describes the condition of the home at the time of inspection but does not guarantee future condition, efficiency, or life expectancy of systems or components.
Certified Engineering Technologist is a Canadian professional title awarded on the basis of academic qualification and work experience. Abbreviated as C.E.T., most Canadian provincial engineering and applied science technology associations offer this certification. Certification is voluntary and does not represent a provincial regulatory requirement or a statutory required license.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation that regulates the trucking industry in the United States. The primary mission of the FMCSA is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses.
Environmental Health Officers are responsible for carrying out measures for protecting public health, including administering and enforcing legislation related to environmental health and providing support to minimize health and safety hazards. Environmental Health Officers keep our water, food, air, land, facilities and other environmental factors safe of health hazards, whether biological, chemical or physical. They also address the related factors that impact behaviours. Environmental Health Officers assess and control environmental factors that can potentially affect health, to prevent disease and create health-supportive environments. Environmental determinants of health play a major role in a community’s overall health and well-being, and thus Environmental Health Officers are essential in improving population health outcomes and reducing the burden of disease.
The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) is a professional organization in Canada for those involved in land use planning. It is responsible for advocating at national and international levels for members, developing public policy positions, and providing services to members. The Institute has over 8,000 members from across Canadian, and works closely with the eleven Provincial and Territorial Institutes and Associations (PTIA). It was founded in 1919.
OMVIC regulates motor vehicle sales in Ontario. Administering and enforcing the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act on behalf of the Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS), OMVIC's mandate is to maintain a fair and informed marketplace by protecting the rights of consumers, enhancing industry professionalism and ensuring fair, honest and open competition for registered motor vehicle dealers.
The Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists, or OACETT, is a not-for-profit, self-governing organization in Ontario, Canada. It is a professional association that promotes the interests of engineering and applied science technicians and technologists to industry, educational institutions, government and with the public. It currently has 24,000+ members.
The Canadian Securities Administrators is an umbrella organization of Canada's provincial and territorial securities regulators whose objective is to improve, coordinate, and harmonize regulation of the Canadian capital markets.
Registered Professional Planner (RPP) is the term for a registered urban planner in some Canadian Provinces and Territories. Some jurisdictions protect the RPP title, requiring individuals to be registered members of a professional association in order to use the title.
The Canadian Professional Sales Association, commonly known as CPSA, is a Canadian association for sales professionals. CPSA is a not-for-profit association with over 15,000 members. CPSA offers professional sales designations, sales training and a membership cost-savings program.
Canadian pressure laws, Acts, rules & regulations are enforced by provincial and territorial safety authorities. Unlike the United States where licensed professional engineers (PE) may stamp pressure equipment and pressure system/plant drawings in the non-nuclear sectors for construction, in Canada in general a professional engineer (P.ENG) who is not employed by a safety authority does not have that same right to stamp regulated pressure equipment or pressure system drawings for construction, and doing so may result in fines or professional license revocation, or jail time. The pressure safety design registration approval given by safety authority registrars in Canada is called a Canadian Registration Number (CRN). Pressure equipment must be registered in each province or territory where it will be used.