At the WCTA Annual General Meeting on February 26, 2002, the membership approved the WCTA entering into a long-term agreement with the Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection under the Pesticide Control Act. The WCTA administer and deliver the Landscape & Turf Pesticide Applicators Recertification Program for WCTA members.

This is a great opportunity for the WCTA to increase educational presentations on a regional basis in addition to our "Travel Annual Road Show" and the Annual Conference & Show to accomplish our mandate to provide a Continuing Education Program. Many of the speaker presentations at these meetings will qualify for obtaining Continuing Education Credits (CEC's). By participating in these meetings you will acquire CEC's toward your recertification.

Definitions

Recertification is the renewal of a certificate for an additional term.
A Continuing Education Program for recertification is where a candidate with a 5-year Certificate receives credits toward recertification for attending courses of instruction over a number of years. The credits are referred to as Continuing Education Credits (CEC's).

General
The Pesticide Control Act Regulation Section 26(1) specifies that certificates for pesticide applicators and dispensers are valid for a maximum of five years. According to Section 25(2), a person can obtain recertification either by passing an exam set by the administrator or by attending courses of instruction acceptable to the administrator.

Procedure
Options for Recertification
A candidate can obtain recertification through:

• rewriting and passing the regular certification exam,
• taking a refresher or upgrading course and passing an exam acceptable to the administrator, or
• obtaining CEC's in a Continuing Education Program acceptable to the administrator.

Framework for a Continuing Education Program
The ministry requires involvement of industry agencies in recertification through a continuing education process, as follows:

WCTA Involvement
The ministry will enter into partnerships with the WCTA and through letters of agreement.
The agreements will confirm industry responsibility to undertake the following:

• ensure availability of an adequate number of suitable courses by co-ordinating trainers and/or engaging colleges,
• recommend the number of CEC's that each course merits for recertification, based on criteria in this procedure,
• ensure that course content meets ministry criteria in this procedure,
• ensure adequate notification of the availability of courses,
• ensure the ministry is provided in advance with a course plan and the recommended credit value for each course,
• implement a system for recording course attendance,
• maintain records of courses and numbers of credits earned by each candidate, and
• send to the ministry requests for certificate renewal for candidates who have sufficient credits.

Ministry Involvement
The ministry responsibilities include:

• approving course plans to ensure they meet training credit requirements,
• auditing courses to ensure the training is acceptable,
• evaluating applications from industry groups for recertification of candidates,
• issuing certificates.

Candidate Qualifications to Participate in a Continuing Education Program
To participate in a Continuing Education program for recertification, a candidate must have passed an initial certification exam and obtained a five year certificate, and must have the ability to read and comprehend English pesticide labels and pest management recommendations.

Amount of Training Required for one CEC
The CEC's are calculated generally on the basis that one CEC is received for one hour of training.

Number of CEC's required to obtain Recertification
A minimum of 20 CEC's are required for recertification of an applicator in any one of the 10 major applicator certification categories or for the Dispenser General - Domestic and Commercial categories. The 20 CEC's must be taken during the 5 years prior to recertification. Only a maximum of 10 CEC's can be taken in any one year.

Training Course Content
Training for CEC's can provide new, updated or more detailed information or a refresher on topics covered in the initial certification training. Acceptable topics include the following:

A. Integrated Pest Management

• pest identification and biology
• pest prevention
• monitoring methods
• action and injury levels
• management methods, including pesticide alternatives and decision making
• evaluation of results

B. Safety and Environmental Protection

• pesticide labels and label comprehension
• legislation
• toxicity
• emergency response (first aid, spills, fires)
• protective clothing and equipment
• effects of pesticides on the environment
• safe procedures for storage, transport, mixing, application, cleanup and disposal

C. Application Technology

• equipment selection
• proper equipment set-up, use and maintenance
• equipment calibration and pesticide use calculations
• pesticide products and factors affecting their use and performance

Within the 20 CEC's required for recertification, there should be some training on each of the topics listed above. There must be a minimum in each category of:

• 10 CEC's concerned with Integrated Pest Management;
• 2 CEC's concerned with Safety and Environmental Protection, and;
• 2 CEC's concerned with Application Technology.

Courses dealing with the following types of information will not be recognized for recertification: business aspects of farm or pest management, the mechanics of crop fertilization and irrigation, production varieties (unless pest resistance is the key issue), storage or marketing of commodities.

Notification of the Ministry
The ministry requires notification about each course by the WCTA, including number of hours of training to occur, course content, hours of credit, instructor, date and location. The notification must be sent to the ministry at least two weeks before course delivery. Ministry staff will review these course plans to ensure that they meet ministry requirements and will notify the industry agency before a course if there are any concerns or changes required. Ministry staff may attend and audit courses to determine if training is acceptable.

Scenarios for Phasing in a Continuing Education Program for Recertification
Scenario 1
A candidate would start to accumulate CEC's in the first or second year after writing the certification examination and qualifying for a 5-year Certificate. The candidate would accumulate 5 - 10 CEC's each year and obtain at least 20 CEC's before their certificate expired in five years. The WCTA will then apply for their recertification based on their record of CEC's. In this preferred scenario, presently certified candidates near the end of their five-year term would wait to start on the credit training system until after they rewrite their exam.

Scenario 2
This option would be offered for an industry group on a one-time basis only at the commencement of a Continuing Education Program for that group. The number of CEC's required for recertification would depend on how much time was remaining on their current certificate as follows:

• Candidates who did not have a current certificate would have to write the current certification examination, qualify for a 5-year Certificate, and then start to accumulate CEC's toward their next recertification.
• Candidates who had less than one year remaining on a 5-year Certificate would require 5 CEC's,
• Candidates with 1-2 years remaining on a 5-year Certificate would have to obtain 10 CEC's,
• Candidates with 2-3 years left remaining on a 5-year Certificate would have to obtain 15 CEC's,
• Candidates with >3 years left remaining on a 5-year Certificate would have to obtain 20 CEC's.

This new educational recertification process, using the CEC system will be a proactive, professional step forward for WCTA members. It will aid in your defence to continue to effectively use the few pesticides necessary at specific times to maintain a healthy, usable sports turf product.

Watch the Turf Line News and coming events section on the home page for more information on this WCTA initiative and for dates, locations and times for presentations to accumulate CEC's.

If you wish to participate, please send a copy of your Pesticide Applicators Certificate to the WCTA office to enrol in our data bank.