Training and certification

Updated October 2010

Under the Pesticides Act, a certificate is required of vendors and users of pesticides who work in the activity sectors described in the Regulation respecting permits and certificates for the sale and use of pesticides.

A table enumerates and describes these activity sectors.

A certificate from Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs (MDDEP) is obtained after the applicant has passed the examination prescribed by or recognized by MDDEP. Training is not mandatory but allows for the acquisition of knowledge needed to pass the certification examination.

The prescribed examinations were specifically developed and are offered for the purposes of obtaining a certificate. The examinations, courses, and learning guides relating to the use and sale of pesticides were designed and prepared by Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires du Québec (SOFAD) in collaboration with MDDEP.

The recognized examinations are offered both as part of the professional and vocational programs of study of Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS) and through universities. These examinations are recognized as equivalent to the prescribed examinations.

• Training and examinations offered at SOFAD
• Prescribed or recognized examinations offered through the education network
• Certificate application

Training and Examinations Offered at SOFAD

• SOFAD offers distance training including learning guides, homework, tutoring and examinations. You may obtain all information needed to register for distance training as well as the registration form on the SOFAD website.
• Self-teaching, through the use of the learning guides produced by SOFAD. To order these guides, please contact SOCADIS Inc. at 514-331-3300 in the greater Montréal area or 1-800-361-2847 elsewhere in Québec.

Written, monitored examinations take place in SOFAD-authorized centers. To learn more about these examinations, registration, and examination hours and locations, click here.

Other forms of training

• Classroom training is given by public and private schools as well as by private instructors.
• Farmers may also contact their regional agricultural training representatives. Contact information for regional agricultural training representatives may be found on the training website.

Prescribed or Recognized Examinations Offered through the Education Network

The table below enumerates prescribed or recognized examinations offered by the education network for obtaining a certificate.

The prescribed examinations are administered by SOFAD except for the exam PES-143 (PES-243) or equivalent numbers: 499012 (999012) Rational and safe use of pesticides – Forest and aquatic environments (99012) which is offered by MELS and by certain school boards. A learning guide (French) for Forest and aquatic environments sector is available from Centre d’élaboration des moyens d’enseignement du Québec (CEMEQ).

Note: Certain other prescribed or recognized examinations no longer offered by the education network are allowed for obtaining some classes and subclasses of certificates. For more information please contact your regional MDDEP office.

Certificate Application

Certificate applications must be filed with your regional MDDEP office by

• Completing a certificate application form
• Providing one or more attestations of examination success for prescribed or recognized examinations
• Paying the required fees for the five-year certification

A certificate attests that the holder has acquired the knowledge required for rational and safe pesticide use. Certain prescribed or recognized examinations have been updated taking into consideration the required knowledge outlined in the Standard for Pesticide Education, Training, and Certification in Canada. The table below enumerates the certificate classes or subclasses for which the knowledge requirements have been updated and the date after which new prescribed or recognized examinations is required for obtaining or renewing the certificate.

• Certificate holders affected by this renewal requirement are individually notified.
• The table “Prescribed and Recognized Examinations Offered for Obtaining a Certificate Class or Subclass” enumerates these new prescribed or recognized examinations for the certification of pesticide vendors and users.

For more information on the certification process, please contact your regional MDDEP office at 418-521-3830 or toll-free at 1-800-561-1616. You may also email us at info@mddep.gouv.qc.ca.