Proposal to Establish a Building Official Equivalency Assessment Process

Issue

At the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) 2024, the municipality of Kenora raised challenges in recruiting a Chief Building Official and other Building Officials, citing MMAH’s qualification and registration requirements as a barrier to entry for out-of-province Building Officials from Manitoba who may be technically proficient but unable to practise in Ontario without sitting its exams.

Proposal Summary

The ministry is proposing to bring forward changes to support Ontario municipalities to recruit knowledgeable building officials from outside Ontario by eliminating labour mobility barriers, while protecting public health and safety. This will be enabled through the creation of a Building Official Equivalency Assessment process that will determine if an applicant’s Building Code knowledge  is equivalent to the technical exams that comprise the ministry’s Qualification and Registration program. Updating the qualification process for Building Officials from out of province is expected to help meet the Building Code enforcement needs of local communities and prevent delays in the construction of new houses.  

Ministry staff would carefully evaluate each application on a case-by-case basis to ensure that all applicants have the appropriate qualifications to maintain Ontario’s requirements for public health and safety.

Building Officials from Manitoba that have been granted exemptions from ministry exams, would be subject to the same registration requirements as those currently working in Ontario.

All applicants will be required to pass a relevant Building Code legal exam to ensure that they are aware of the legislative and regulatory requirements set out in the Building Code Act and Building Code. 

Additional details on the proposed regulatory change and the guidelines, policies and procedures respecting a new Building Official Equivalency Assessment program can be viewed in the Policy Document included in the Supporting Materials section.