Is there a licence for asbestos removal companies in Ontario?

We found no Ontario licence, registration or permit for an asbestos abatement company. What the law requires instead are specific things you can verify: worker and supervisor training for Type 3 work, a notice to a Ministry of Labour inspector before Type 3 work begins, and WSIB registration.

Here is what Ontario law actually requires, and what to check.

For Type 3 operations, which cover the removal or disturbance of more than one square metre of friable asbestos-containing material, O. Reg. 278/05 section 20 requires that every worker must have successfully completed the Asbestos Abatement Worker Training Program approved by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, and every supervisor the Asbestos Abatement Supervisor Training Program, before the work starts. Skilled Trades Ontario notes that Hazardous Materials Worker is a non-compulsory trade named under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021, and that holders of that trade certificate also require an Asbestos Abatement Worker (253W AAW) certificate issued by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Because the trade is non-compulsory, holders do not appear on the Skilled Trades Ontario public register.

For Type 1 and Type 2 work, section 19 of the regulation requires the employer to ensure instruction and training by a competent person for every worker, but the formal approved-program requirement in section 20 applies to Type 3 only.

The Type itself, whether the job is Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3, depends on whether the material is friable and how much of it is disturbed. That is assessed on site by the contractor. Ask them to confirm the Type in writing before work starts, because the Type determines whether a Ministry of Labour inspector notice is required, whether the section 20 training applies, and whether a clearance air test under section 18 is needed.

On WSIB, anyone can search a contractor's current clearance online. A clearance certificate is valid for up to 90 days. That search is the one public check that is straightforward to do yourself.

Because we found no company licence to look up, ask each contractor for the Type in writing and, for Type 3, the workers' and supervisor's training; if you have a question about what the regulation requires, ask the Ministry of Labour.