Certificates for the sale and use of pesticides

Certificates are mandatory for sellers and/or appliers of pesticides working in sectors where permits are required. Farmers and forest producers are also required to hold certification.

The certificate states the type of activity as well as the classes of pesticides you can sell or use. This information is provided in Appendix V of the Pesticides Management Code Reference Manual (PDF 7.44 Mb) (in French only). Passing one or more prescribed or recognized examinations is a prerequisite for certification. Certificates are valid for five years.

Identify the certificate(s) you need

Certification is required for the following types of pesticide sales and use:

• Wholesale pesticide sales;
• Retail pesticide sales for professional use;
• Retail pesticide sales for individual use;
• Aerial application;
• Aquatic application;
• Application on raw land (particularly transport corridors);
• Application in green space maintenance;
• Application on golf courses;
• Application for pest management;
• Application by fumigation;
• Application in forest areas;
• Application on cultivated land;
• Application for the control of stinging insects;
• Application in buildings for horticultural purposes;
• Other applications, such seed coating.

Farmers and forest producers that apply pesticides but do not resell them also need to be certified.

For more information, see the Decision Tree concerning Certificates for the Sale of Pesticides or Work Involving the Use of Pesticides (PDF 363 Kb).

Cost

The cost of certificates is invariable, independent of the number of different activities performed.

General rules for certificate holders

Certificate holders must ensure the following:

• Only authorized activities are performed;
• The certificate is in the holder’s possession when pesticides are sold or applied.

For more information on the specific rules for your sector, see the Pesticide Sales or Applying commercial pesticides webpages.

When applying for a certificate, use the Vente de pesticides ou exécution de travaux comportant l’utilisation des pesticides (PDF 1.75 Mb) (in French only) form or apply online.

The same form should be used when requesting a change to an unexpired certificate. This is required for any change that renders the information provided inaccurate or incomplete. It must be done within 30 days of the change.

You will be mailed a notice when it is time to renew your certificate. The accompanying form must be filled out and submitted at least 30 days before your current certificate expires or use the online service. If you misplaced the notice or did not receive it, you may use the same form you originally submitted when applying for a certificate, or use the online service.

For certificate replacements, use the Remplacement en cas de perte, de vol ou de détérioration (PDF 1.32 Mb) (in French only) form.

Before applying for a certificate online, we suggest you read the information webpages respecting the use and security of the service. You will also need to hold a Government Authentication Service. account. You can create an account now or when you access the online service. 

If your application includes fees, you must pay them online using a Visa or Mastercard credit card.

Fill out a certificate application

Paper forms

You must send your duly completed form by mail and, if applicable, any supporting documents (e.g., a copy of the registration declaration filed with the enterprise registrar) to the regional office of the ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP) (PDF 210 Kb) for your area.

Payment can be made by cheque or postal money order.

Application for equivalency recognition of a certificate issued by a regulatory agency from another Canadian province or territory

In order to recognize a certificate issued by a regulatory agency from another Canadian province or territory, the MELCCFP must ensure that it meets the conditions required for issuance in the requested Québec certificate class or subclass. Certain conditions must be met in order for such certificates to be recognized, including:

• The activity described on the certificate must correspond to one or more of the Québec regulations (see Appendix V of the ​​​​Pesticides Management Code Reference Manual (PDF 7.44 Mb)-in French only);
• The certificate must not have expired;
• The level of knowledge required for the class or subclass must match the Standard for Pesticide Education, Training and Certification in Canada (Canada-wide Standard). This standard aims to create conditions conducive to the harmonization of training and certification programs and to facilitate the mobility of certified workers across Canada;
• The passing grade in the exam required for certification to the Canada-wide Standard was received no more than five years prior to the request for equivalency.

The Criteria for recognizing the equivalence of a certificate related to the sale or use of pesticides issued by a regulatory agency from another Canadian province or territory decision tree (PDF 218 Kb) illustrates how these conditions are met.

In order to receive a Subclass CD5 Certificate for Application for Pest Management, upgrade requirements include knowledge acquisition in line with bedbug control. Inasmuch as this is specific to Québec, certification associated with this activity issued by a regulatory agency of another Canadian province or territory will be recognized by the MELCCFP on condition that the applicant has previously passed the upgrade examination.

To apply for equivalency recognition, please provide the following documents:

• A fully-executed Vente de pesticides ou exécution de travaux comportant l'utilisation de pesticides (PDF 1.75 Mb) form (in French only);
• A copy of both sides of the certificate issued by the regulatory agency of another Canadian province or territory that corresponds to the Québec certificate.

You must also pay the required fees applicable to the validity period of the certificate, i.e., five years.

If you live outside Québec, please send your application by mail to the Direction régionale de l’analyse et de l’expertise de Montréal, de Laval, de Lanaudière et des Laurentides of the MELCCFP. If you live in Québec, please send your application by mail to the MELCCFP office (PDF 210 Kb) (In French only) located in the region where you live.

In order to be certified for the sale and use of pesticides, applicants are required to pass the prescribed or recognized examinations respecting the desired activity.

The Canada-wide Standard standardizes pesticide training and certification programs. A working group is currently developing learning tools to enable Canadian provinces and territories to prepare manuals for learning and certification examinations.

Applicants are entitled to take a training course prior to the examination. While not mandatory for securing certification, this allows them to:

• acquire the knowledge needed to pass the prescribed exams;
• keep their knowledge up to date;
• increases the chances of success and the grade awarded on the prescribed exam.

Self-tuition using SOFAD learning products, which are available in the SOFAD website’s Catalogue section.

Classroom or online training may also be available. Contact your professional association for more information. If you are a farmer, contact your regional agricultural collective for available options. The following French language learning guides are also available for selected activity sectors:

• Guide d’apprentissage sur l’utilisation des pesticides en milieu aquatique (aquatic environments (PDF 1.88 Mb)) (Subclass CD2 certificate);
• Guide d’apprentissage sur l’utilisation des pesticides en terrain inculte (raw land) (PDF 3.59 Mb) (Subclass CD3 certificate);
• Guide d’apprentissage sur l’utilisation des pesticides dans les aires forestières (PDF 1.40 Mb) (forest areas) (Subclasses CD7, F1, F1.1 and F2 certificate).

With respect to the use of pesticides to control stinging insects (Subclass CD9 certificate), some the following will be included in a forthcoming learning guide, usually available in French only:

• Learning document – Using pesticides to control stinging insects (PDF 711 Kb) (in French only);
• Using the Bacillus sphaericus for mosquito control (PDF 406 Kb);
• Using the Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis to control stinging insects in Québec (PDF 2.47 Mb).

Prescribed or recognized examinations

The exams vary based on the class or subclass certification sought. See the list of prescribed and recognized exams (in French only).

The SOFAD administers all prescribed exams as well as the registration procedure. They are available online for all activity sectors. A policy on the administration of prescribed exams (PDF 225 Kb) specifies the conditions for taking an examination, the conditions for retaking it in the event of failure, as well as the measures taken in the event of cheating.

Applicants can prepare online with pre-tests to measure whether they are ready for their exam. While the pre-tests are not a guarantee of success, they are useful in assessing how the preparation is going.

Recognized exams offered as part of vocational, technical or university-level programs.

Upgrades

The upgrade requires passing new prescribed exams for certificate renewal.

There are currently no renewal upgrade requirements applicable to a specific class or sub-class.

Continuing education

Certificate renewal may require successful results in an exam or a prescribed or recognized training activity.

Currently, it is necessary to successfully complete accredited continuing education activities in order to renew the Subclass CD5 certificate “Pest Management Application.” For more details, consult the renewal procedure (PDF 172 Kb) (in French only)

The following guide is useful in improving your comprehension of how continuing education programs work: Prerequisite continuing education for pesticide seller and user certification (PDF 474 Kb) (in French only).

Continuing education accreditation

As a trainer or speaker, you need to have your training activities accredited so that they can be recognized by the MELCCFP. This step is necessary to ensure that one or more continuing education credits are associated with your activity.

The Accreditation form for a continuing education training activity related to pesticides (PDF 1.02 Mb) (in French only) enables you to submit an accreditation application to the MELCCFP. The form describes the criteria that must be met for a training activity to become eligible for accreditation. The required information and documents to be provided, as well as the procedure to be followed, are also explained.

Regional office of the MELCCFP (PDF 210 Kb) in your area.

For questions about continuing education and specific training required for the renewal of a certificate for pest management application (CD5), contact the Association québécoise de la gestion parasitaire (AQGP).