The AOWMA hosted a booth at the Rural Utilities Safety Association Conference and Trade Show in Red Deer, AB on November 30, 2022.

If you have completed the 2021 SOP Update Training, you still need to apply to Alberta Municipal Affairs to renew your Certificate of Competency.  To renew your Certificate of Competency, submit a copy of your training documents to Municipal Affairs at safety.services@gov.ab.ca along with the application form found at https://www.alberta.ca/private-sewage-standata.aspx. Safety Codes Officers should submit copies of their documents to the Safety Codes Council as a component of required training compliance.

Alberta Municipal Affairs extended the date by which people need to have completed their SOP Update training.  Although Certificates of Competency expired October 31, as long as the contractor has completed their update by the end of February 2023, their CoC will be reinstated.

Sign up online for our next training session now:
December 14/15 | Virtual Classroom

Saskatchewan Ministry of Health has reached out to SOWMA to gather information from industry as they undertake a review of the Private Sewage Works Regulation and the Shoreline Pollution Control Regulation.

A survey of this nature was first undertaken in 2017/2018 and that data was used to inform changes that the industry was hoping to see in the regulatory framework at the same time the 2018 Saskatchewan Onsite Wastewater Disposal Guide was released, however the regulations were not updated in conjunction with the release of the SOWDG as had been expected.

Unfortunately, once COVID became the primary focus, work on the regulatory framework for private sewage was set aside. That work is now being revived and a survey will help to determine the state of the industry in the four years since the new SOWDG was released.

If you are practicing in Saskatchewan, and have not yet completed the short survey, please contact Adrienne in our office at 855-872-2650. 

Opportunities are now available to participate in the Standard of Practice Update Training. This two-day training is now required for those wishing to maintain their Certificate of Competency in Private Sewage (PSDS ticket). 

The AOWMA training was developed in consultation with Alberta Municipal Affairs. It is a two day program covering the changes to the Standard of Practice and reviewing the application of those Standards to onsite wastewater systems. Participants can take Day 1 and Day 2 back-to-back, or they may complete Day 1 during one session and return for Day 2 at another time if that is more convenient.

December 14/15 | Virtual Classroom
Register Online | Download a Registration Form

If you complete your SOP training through the AOWMA, we will automatically update your information to show you are still certified. If you have taken the training elsewhere, please notify us, otherwise your listing will be updated to show you are no longer certified. 

Print copies of the new Standard of Practice Manuals are available through the AOWMA storefront.

Students who order the SOP training and the SOP manual at the same time can save on shipping. 

Digital copies can be downloaded from the Safety Codes Council. 

The Western Canada Onsite Wastewater Management Association provides an excellent industry training program for Onsite Wastewater Professionals throughout Western Canada.

This training program has been found to meet or exceed the requirements of the Agreement on Internal Trade, the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement, and the New West Partnership.

Training, including the number of days, varies by province. More details on each program can be found on the provincial training pages, or by contacting our office.

Students will be required to complete an online training component prior to attending the classroom sessions.

The Provincial associations have all been receiving training applicants who are being funded by the various federal/provincial job grants that are currently available.  

Funding varies between the provinces, but can be upwards of $10,000 per applicant. Employers may have to pay a portion of the tuition and training must involve more than 24 hours of contact/study.

For more information on the job grants in your province, click on the appropriate link below: 

Alberta
https://www.alberta.ca/canada-alberta-job-grant.aspx

British Columbia
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/employment-business/economic-development/funding-and-grants/bc-employer-training-grant

Saskatchewan
https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/hire-train-and-manage-employees/apply-for-the-canada-saskatchewan-job-grant

Manitoba
https://gov.mb.ca/jec/busdev/financial/cmjg/index.html 

                -  Hal Borland