Anyone who operates a drinking water facility in Ontario must hold a valid operator's licence. Ontario's operator certification standards are consistent with the Association of Boards of Certification whose standards are followed by most U.S. states and Canadian provinces. There are four classes of licence based on facility complexity.
Licences are renewable every three years.
All plant operators are required to undergo 40 hours of training each year in courses such as new or revised operating procedures, refresher courses in existing procedures, safety training and other related courses that improve operator knowledge and skills. It is the responsibility of facility owners to ensure training requirements are met. Grandfathering provisions allowed operators to meet the licensing requirements through a minimum of one year of experience instead of the education and examination requirements. Operators were grandfathered in 1990 when the voluntary certification program was initiated and in 1993 when it became mandatory. On August 8, the Minister of the Environment announced the intention to require all operators to undergo an additional 36 hours of ministry approved training over three years to ensure they have the most current knowledge, skills and experience needed to sample water quality.