Can Any Ontario Arborist Provide Guidance?

[UKTreeMan]

Hi all

I am inquiring on behalf of my partner that will eventually be moving to Ontario and looking for work as an arborist.

This September will be three years since he began working as a tree surgeon (as they are called in the UK). He lives in London (UK) and is currently attending college one day per week to get his official certification and earn his tickets.

I have many questions about the process of his working here and was hoping someone could give me some direction.

He would like to work here, but I'm not sure how he would go about being employed. Does he has to have his credentials evaluated? Is there specific things he needs to be able to work in Ontario (e.g. specific safety training, etc)? How could he go about looking for work considering that we don't know anyone here in this field? Is there a governing body he needs to be part of? Is there a union that he should join?

This is all very foreign territory for me, so I'm happy to get any help possible!

Thanks in advance,

The missus of the UKTreeMan

 

[BC WetCoast]

I doubt Ontario has many different regulations than us here in Lotus Land (BC). What he should do is talk to one of the larger companies Bartlett, Davey etc. What they will need to do is get a "Labour Market Opinion". This is a process that the company use to show Immigration that there aren't enough qualified workers in the country to do this work and the gov't should give him a work visa. I'm sure all the larger companies have the process down. We've hired many Brits through it.

There really isn't any external training he needs to get a job, but he has to show he is qualified and trained enough for the company to go through the effort of getting an LMO for him. So naturally, if he has a bunch of UK certifications then that will make him desirable.

I think the hardest thing for him will be getting his head around the culture shock. We do things differently here and it can take some a while to adjust.

 

[Sepia]

In Ontario he will need chainsaw certification (2-3 day course), and if he is working at heights (climbing or in a bucket) he will need arborist/ WAH/fall arrest certification as well. All this can be researched online and is regulated by the government of Ontario. As for finding work, just search the kijiji employment ads. There seems to be quite a bit of work for climbers/arborists.

 

[woodenboater]

be very picky about courses. I was on a 2 day and everyone passed and got their ticket. I'm talking a few people who just picked up a saw for the first time in their lives and didn't look the most comfortable handling their brand new out of the box saws. instructor was good but how some people passed is beyond me.

I'm just a homeowner with a bunch of northern ontario acreage with a few years cutting experience but still...

I was looking to learn a few things in a real world setting and the course was worth it for me for those new techniques. ymmv

 

[Sepia]

I took the 3 day course a few years ago that is offered by Fleming College in Haliburton. Even though I had been cutting wood for 30 years, there where things to learn and it was a good course with 1 day in classroom, and 2 days practical in the woods - pretty much non-stop cutting for 8 hours each day. Like you said, there were experienced sawyers there who just needed their ticket, and there were girls that had never even held a chainsaw before, and everything in between. And like you said - everyone passed. A one day course would have been fine for a few of the guys, and a 2 month course would have been better for the most inexperienced of the group. Personally, I feel it was time and money well spent in my case.