Certified technicians

By law, a certified technician is the only person who can remove, discharge, handle and dispose of:

  • refrigerants that contain ozone depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
  • other halocarbons such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)

This does not cover alternate refrigerants like hydrocarbons (HC).

Learn more about:

Certificate card

To purchase and handle refrigerants in Ontario, you need an Ozone Depletion Prevention (ODP) certificate card.

To get a card you need to:

  • complete a one-day course
  • receive a mark of 75% or higher
  • pay the fee

We’ll issue your certification card after you've completed training.

The card is valid for five years from the date of issue.

Working on refrigeration equipment

You cannot work on or fix refrigeration equipment with only an Ozone Depletion Prevention certificate card (for example, as an air conditioner or refrigerator mechanic).

You need a Certificate of Qualification (CofQ) in certain trades, to work with refrigerants, including:

  • refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic
  • certain automotive trades

Visit Employment Ontario for more information about trade certification.

Training courses

You must complete a government-approved environmental awareness training course in order to purchase and handle refrigerants in Ontario.

The course takes one day to complete.

Approved training courses are offered by:

To apply:

  • contact HRAI or one of the approved colleges for information about:
    • the course
    • registration form
    • required fees
  • fill out the registration form
  • pay the fee

If you are a member of Local Union 787, contact the Joint Training and Apprenticeship Committee about training.

Download registration form (PDF)

Fees

HRAI charges a course fee of $250 plus tax. Fees may vary for courses offered at partner colleges across Ontario.

The course fee includes:

  • training (manual, instruction and testing)
  • administrative costs of issuing the certificate
  • Ozone Depletion Prevention (ODP) certificate card

Renew a certificate card

To renew your card, you need to:

Please renew your card before it expires. If you allow your card to expire, you must take the training course again to be re-certified.

Replace a lost certificate card

To replace a lost card, contact HRAI.

There is a replacement fee of $20 plus applicable taxes.

Out-of-province certification

If you've been certified in a Canadian province or territory outside of Ontario, you need to:

  • apply for an Ontario Ozone Depletion Prevention certification card
  • pay the $50 fee plus taxes

You do not need to complete a training course.

Proof of certification includes either:

  • a certificate from the institution at which you were trained in Canada
  • confirmation in writing from an out-of-province regulatory authority

Records of use

If you hold an Ozone Depletion Prevention certificate, you must:

  • keep records of use (records of your activities) for at least two years
  • provide them to the Ontario government, if requested

A record of use must contain:

Refrigerants used

  • all amounts and types of refrigerant purchased or obtained to service or test equipment
  • name of the seller or supplier of the refrigerant
  • amount of any discharge of a refrigerant and an explanation for the discharge (whether or not it occurs in the course of servicing or testing equipment)

Names and dates

  • date of the servicing or testing
  • your name if you're doing the servicing or testing
  • your employer’s name if the service and testing is done as part of your employment

Description of activities

  • a description of the servicing or testing
  • the amount and type or types of refrigerant used in the servicing or testing, if any
  • the type or types of refrigerant recaptured in the course of the servicing or testing, if any
  • estimate of the amount of refrigerant recaptured in the course of the servicing or testing, if any

You need to include your employer’s name on:

  • service and testing records
  • leak test notices
  • empty notices for refrigeration equipment

Return surplus CFC refrigerant

Surplus chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) refrigerant can be returned at no cost to any wholesaler.

If you are returning surplus refrigerant containing chlorofluorocarbons to a wholesaler, it should be:

  • at the wholesaler's normal place of business
  • during normal business hours
  • in containers labelled according to section 28 of Ontario Regulation 463/10

Store refrigerants in containers

Containers used to store refrigerants must be tested every five years, since these substances are corrosive.

Transport Canada regulates the containers that store refrigerant gases.

Testing can be done at any Transport Canada approved testing facility.

Contact Transport Canada at 416-973-9820 for more information.

Source law

You can find a complete set of provincial rules related to this activity in: