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 the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency’s technical evaluations of alternative refrigerants.

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 5 years from the date of issue.

Working on refrigeration equipment

You cannot work on or fix refrigeration equipment with only an ODP 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 1 day to complete.

Approved training courses are offered by:

To apply:

  • contact HRAI or one of the delivery partners for information about the:
    • course
    • registration process
    • fees
  • fill out the registration form

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

Fees

Fees may vary slightly for courses offered at HRAI and delivery partners across Ontario. Contact HRAI or the delivery partners for details.

Renew or replace a certificate card

To renew or replace 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.

Out-of-province certification

Under the Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009 s. 10.1 and Ontario Regulation 199/25, eligible applicants certified in another province or territory can be deemed certified in Ontario for up to 6 months.

You can be deemed certified in Ontario if you are certified in another province and submit a complete “As of Right” application. After your complete "As of Right" application is received, a notice of receipt will be issued within 10 business days. Once you receive this notification of receipt, you are deemed certified for up to 6 months, as long as you meet the requirements. This allows you to begin working while you pursue full certification through the standard labour mobility process.

Learn more about Ontario labour mobility between provinces and territories.

Applying for deemed certification or full certification

If you were certified in a Canadian province or territory outside of Ontario, you must either provide the required information for deemed certification or apply for full ODP certification in Ontario. You may choose to apply to both pathways at the same time.

If you apply for full certification and submit a complete application – either on its own or together with a deemed certification application – you will be notified within 30 calendar days.

We encourage most applicants to apply for full ODP certification, as deemed certification is only available once.

Requirements for the deemed certification process

  • Apply for deemed certification through the appropriate group:
  • Provide proof of certification that has not expired or been cancelled or revoked.
  • Provide occupation.
  • Provide a signed statement that the applicant has the current training materials for the ozone depleting substances course in Ontario and is knowledgeable about the legislation and the regulation for the use and handling of ozone depleting substances, halocarbons, refrigerants and refrigeration equipment in Ontario (O. Reg. 463/10 Ozone Depleting Substances and Other Halocarbons).
  • Pay the applicable fee.

Requirements for the full ODP certification process

  • Apply for an Ontario Ozone Depletion Prevention certification card through the appropriate group:
  • Provide proof of current valid certification.
  • Provide occupation.
  • Provide a signed statement that the applicant has the current training materials for the ozone depleting substances course in Ontario and is knowledgeable about the legislation and the regulation for the use and handling of ozone depleting substances, halocarbons, refrigerants and refrigeration equipment in Ontario (O. Reg. 463/10 Ozone Depleting Substances and Other Halocarbons).
  • Pay the applicable fee.

Following either process, you do not need to complete a training course, provided you have a valid certification.

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

Internal review of certification decisions

An internal review of any certification decision can be requested within 30 days by submitting a written request to:

Client Services and Permissions Branch
Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks
135 St. Clair Avenue West, 1st Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M4V 1P5

Records of use

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

  • keep records of use (records of your activities) for at least 2 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 5 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: