Tarion has started phasing in new education criteria that all new builders will need to meet as a condition of their registration in Ontario. The new requirements will enhance Tarion’s existing qualification standards for builders.
“Tarion ensures that new home builders have the necessary technical and financial competence before they can build new homes,” said Howard Bogach, Tarion’s president and CEO. “Their skills are essential as they have significant impact on our lives, our environment and our economy as a whole. The new education requirements will hold home builders to a higher standard, and provide more consumer protection to new home buyers while instilling confidence in the industry.”
The new educational requirements to the registration process will be implemented in two phases. The first phase commenced Sept. 1, 2015. New builders proposing to build under Ontario Building Code (OBC) Part 9 (residential freehold and low-rise condominium construction), are now required to demonstrate specific educational competencies in addition to Tarion’s existing registration requirements. The competencies must be achieved by their annual renewal date.
The second phase will commence Sept. 1, 2016. After that date, achieving the core competencies will be a pre-requisite for registration.
These new requirements do not apply to existing registrants. They also do not apply to new applicants looking to build according to part 3 of the OBC (residential high-rise condominium construction), as they are subject to separate registration criteria.
“The new home construction industry is an important part of Ontario’s economy,” David Orazietti, Minister of Government and Consumer Services, said in a news release. “Raising the bar for qualification in this industry will positively impact Ontarians and demonstrate that we have a strong, professional and skilled building industry in this province.”
The new educational requirements are based on the Canadian Home Builder’s Association (CHBA) National Education Benchmarks for residential construction and feedback from extensive consultations with stakeholders. The courses will be offered by third party education providers. The core competencies must be held by at least one of, or shared among, the Principals, Officers or Directors (PDO) of the company. The competencies are:
- Business Planning and Management
- Financial Planning and Management
- Project Management and Supervision
- Legal Issues in Housing
- Building Codes in Ontario
- Construction Technology
- Customer Service and Tarion Requirements
“The new requirements will help ensure a level of knowledge that goes beyond standard financial and technical abilities and will ultimately lead to more professionalism in the industry, a better home buyer experience and fewer warranty claims,” Bogach said.
Updated information on these new requirements is available at Tarion.com.