Official Implementation of OPFA Indigenous Peoples Lands & Resources Standard – Member Information
All training materials for the OPFA Indigenous Peoples, Lands & Resources Standard are now available and official implementation of the Standard is now in effect.
Forestry is conducted on lands that are covered by treaties with First Nations or are unceded by First Nations. An understanding of Indigenous history and Indigenous jurisdiction related to lands and resources supports and enhances professional practice, whether professional foresters are working with government agencies (federal, Indigenous, provincial, or municipal), forest sector employers, consultants, or service providers to landowners and the public.
OPFA Council approved the OPFA Indigenous Peoples, Lands & Resources (IPLR) Standard at their December 5th 2019 Council meeting and work began to develop a series of specialized training materials for professional foresters. At the Annual General Meeting on April 9, 2025, the Membership confirmed the By-law changes passed by OPFA Council. These changes officially implemented the Indigenous Peoples Lands and Resources Standard into the Professional Standards of Practice and added successful demonstration of competency in this Standard as a requirement for Full and Associate Membership, effective May 1, 2025. Professional Foresters practising in Ontario are now required to meet the competencies related to Indigenous jurisdiction in Canada that are outlined in the Standard.
You can access the OPFA Indigenous Peoples, Lands & Resources Standard and the Implementation Strategy through the links at the bottom of this page.
To facilitate the addition of the IPLR Standard a 2-year phase in period is provided for all Full, Associate and Provisional Members registered or awaiting application approval prior to May 1st, 2025 (the date of implementation) to demonstrate competence in the Indigenous Peoples Lands & Resources Standard. This phase-in period begins May 1st, 2025, and ends May 1st, 2027.
Individuals who apply for Provisional Membership after the official implementation of the IPLR Standard (May 1st, 2025) will be required to demonstrate competence in this Standard in addition to their other registration requirements, before progressing to Full or Associate Membership.
OPFA registrants in other, non-practising categories of membership are not required to complete the training or screening tests unless they wish to return to a practising membership category. However, if you would like to complete the training modules and/or screening tests you are welcome to do so.
All three online training modules are available in the OPFA Training Centre. The training materials are available to OPFA Members at no cost during the phase-in period. Individuals who believe that they are already competent in the Standard may proceed directly to the screening tests (multiple choice questions) if they choose to do so. If unsuccessful, they will be redirected back to the training modules.
Those who successfully complete the training resources or pass the screening tests to demonstrate competency in the Standard will have this achievement posted onto the public registry. Full and Associate Members who have not successfully demonstrated competency in the Standard by May 1st, 2027, will have that information posted onto the public registry.
If you require assistance accessing the materials in the OPFA Training Centre, please contact office@opfa.ca.
The excerpt from the 2025 OPFA Conference below provides a summary of the Standard and the implementation. A more detailed webinar relating to the implementation of the Standard was provided in June 2024 and is available in the Webinar section of the OPFA website.
FAQ
Why is this required?
As forestry is conducted on lands that are covered by treaties with First Nations or are unceded by First Nations OPFA Council approved the OPFA Standard- Indigenous Peoples, Lands & Resources at their December 5th, 2019 Council meeting. Professional foresters practicing in Ontario are now required to meet the competencies related to Indigenous jurisdiction in Canada that are outlined in the standard.
Is there a financial cost?
There is no cost for OPFA registrants to complete the training or exams.
Who needs to be competent in the Indigenous Peoples, Lands & Resources Standard?
All Full and Associate Members and those returning to or working towards a practising membership category (including all Provisional Members) are required to meet this standard. However, the training and exam is open to members in other membership categories to complete voluntarily should they choose to do so.
Where do I find the training resources and/or screening tests?
The learning resources are available in the OPFA Training Centre. All OPFA Members should have received an email inviting them to set up a password and access the Training Centre. If you do not see the invitation email, please first check your spam folders and follow up with us at office@opfa if you did not receive the invitation.
We encourage you to work through the training materials, which concludes with a multiple choice test. However, if you feel that you are already competent in this area and would like to complete the screening tests without going through the training materials to demonstrate this, you may access those directly within the OPFA Training Centre.
I successfully completed some of the modules during the soft launch phase- does that count?
If you chose to complete the training and achieve a passing grade during the soft launch phase, it has been marked on your record as completed and you will not be required to retake the training or the exam for that module.