Upcoming Changes to BACB Certification in Ontario

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Upcoming Changes to BACB Certiﬁcation inOntario | 1

Upcoming Changes to BACB Certication

inOntario

In September 2019, the College of Psychologists of Ontario (College) was invited to explore the regulation of applied

behavior analysis (ABA) by the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and the Ontario Ministry of

Health. As part of this process, BACB and College personnel met over the next few years to discuss the BACB’s certiﬁcation

programs, operations, and examinations. We were hopeful that Ontario’s new regulatory system would be inﬂuenced by our

own, but the ﬁnal requirements authorized in the Psychology and Applied Behaviour Analysis Act in 2021 (Act) are not based

on BACB standards, certiﬁcations, or certiﬁcation tiers. In addition, the Act includes highly restrictive title protections that will

negatively impact BACB certiﬁcations. The new Ontario regulations will take eect on July 1, 2024. You can ﬁnd details on the

College’s ABA web page.

Under the new Act, only ABA professionals with postgraduate degrees (i.e., master’s or higher) will be regulated in Ontario.

There will be no regulatory requirements for assistant behavior analysts or behavior technicians. Further, the Act includes the

following restrictions:

Restricted titles

8 (1) No person other than a member shall use the title “psychologist”, “psychological associate” or “behaviour analyst”, a

variation or abbreviation or an equivalent in another language.

Representations of qualiﬁcation, etc.

8 (2) No person other than a member shall hold themself out as a person who is qualiﬁed to practise in Ontario as a

psychologist, psychological associate or behaviour analyst or in a specialty of psychology or applied behaviour analysis.

According to these restrictions, ABA professionals must be registered with the College to use the title “behaviour analyst” or

indicate that they are qualiﬁed to practice ABA. These restrictions are rigorous and will directly impact the BACB’s activities in

Ontario. In light of the July 1, 2024, enactment of the new Ontario regulations, the BACB Board of Directors has authorized the

following changes to BACB certiﬁcation in Ontario.

Board Certied Behavior Analyst

(BCBA

/BCBA-D

)

Beginning July 1, 2024, active BCBAs in Ontario will not be able to use their certiﬁcation until they are registered with

theCollege:

Only those registered with the College however, will be allowed to use the title ‘Behaviour Analyst’. As well, only

members of the College will be permitted to refer to any earned certiﬁcation they may have (i.e., BCBA or BCBA-D) that

would lead the public to believe that they are a qualiﬁed Behaviour Analyst in Ontario. Unauthorized use of the title

and/or holding oneself out as a person who is qualiﬁed to practice as a Behaviour Analyst, would be a violation of the

Psychology and Applied Behaviour Analysis Act, 2021 (the Act). (College of Psychologists of Ontario)

Implications for BCBA/BCBA-D applicants and examination candidates in Ontario: The College has provided a temporary

eligibility option, Transitional Route 1, to help BCBA certiﬁcants become registered. This option will be available from July

1, 2024, until June 30, 2026. Beginning July 1, 2026, when Transitional Route 1 expires, Ontario residents will no longer be

able to apply for BCBA certiﬁcation or take the examination. This means that BCBA applicants and candidates must meet all

eligibility requirements, submit an approvable application, and pass the examination by June 30, 2026, to become certiﬁed.

Implications for BCBA/BCBA-D certiﬁcants in Ontario: Beginning July 1, 2024, when the Act goes into eect, active BCBA

certiﬁcants must be registered with the College to use their certiﬁcation to practice. We encourage BCBA certiﬁcants to

review the requirements for Transitional Route 1 early and apply for registration under it as soon as the Act goes into eect.

Beginning July 1, 2026, all existing BCBAs in Ontario will be able to continue maintaining their certiﬁcation with the BACB but

must be registered with the College to practice.

Behavior Analyst Certiﬁcation Board | Upcoming Changes to BACB Certiﬁcation inOntario | 2

Board Certied Assistant Behavior Analyst

(BCaBA

)

Unfortunately, individuals who hold BCaBA certiﬁcation do not have a pathway to regulation under the Act and are not

exempt from its requirements. They will not be able to use their certiﬁcation because the certiﬁcation name includes the

protected title “Behaviour Analyst.”

The BACB will give active BCaBA certiﬁcants the opportunity to pause their certiﬁcation for four years in case they relocate to

an area under the BACB’s jurisdiction (i.e., another authorized Canadian province, the US, the UK [until 2025], Australia).

Implications for BCaBA applicants and examination candidates in Ontario: Beginning July 1, 2024, Ontario residents

can no longer apply for BCaBA certiﬁcation or take the examination. If a BCaBA candidate would prefer to relinquish their

examination authorization, they can submit a request to the BACB by choosing A Question related to BCaBA and then

Ontario Certiﬁcation in the Contact Us Form by June 30, 2024, and we will refund $175 (USD) in fees paid to the BACB.

Implications for BCaBA certiﬁcants in Ontario: On July 1, 2024, all BCaBA certiﬁcants in Ontario will have their certiﬁcation

placed on voluntary inactive status by the BACB. If a BCaBA relocates to an area under the BACB’s jurisdiction within the four-

year voluntary inactive status window, they can submit a free BCBA/BCaBA Request to Return from Voluntary Inactive Status

Application to reactivate their certiﬁcation. If a BCaBA would rather relinquish their certiﬁcation, they can submit a request to

the BACB by choosing A Question related to BCaBA and then Ontario Certiﬁcation in the Contact Us Form by June 30, 2024,

and we will refund $175 (USD) in fees paid to the BACB.

Registered Behavior Technician

(RBT

)

Unfortunately, individuals who hold RBT certiﬁcation do not have a pathway to regulation under the Act and are not exempt

from its requirements. They will not be able to use their certiﬁcation because they will be prohibited from describing their

work activities using any language that would suggest proﬁciency in behavior analysis.

The BACB will give active RBT certiﬁcants the opportunity to pause their certiﬁcation for two years in case they relocate to an

area under the BACB’s jurisdiction (i.e., another authorized Canadian province, the US, the UK [until 2025], Australia).

Implications for RBT applicants and examination candidates in Ontario: Beginning July 1, 2024, Ontario residents can no

longer apply for RBT certiﬁcation or take the examination. If an RBT candidate would prefer to relinquish their examination

authorization, they can submit a request to the BACB by choosing A Question related to RBT and then Ontario Certiﬁcation in

the Contact Us Form by June 30, 2024, and we will refund $50 (USD) in fees paid to the BACB.

Implications for RBT certiﬁcants in Ontario: On July 1, 2024, all RBT certiﬁcants in Ontario will have their certiﬁcation placed

on voluntary inactive status by the BACB. If an RBT relocates to an area under the BACB’s jurisdiction within the two-year

voluntary inactive status window, they can submit a free RBT Request to Return from Voluntary Inactive Status Application

to reactivate their certiﬁcation. If an RBT would rather relinquish their certiﬁcation, they can submit a request to the BACB by

choosing A Question related to RBT and then Ontario Certiﬁcation in the Contact Us Form by June 30, 2024, and we will

refund $50 (USD) in fees paid to the BACB.

Although we wish that the BACB had a dierent future in Ontario, we are pleased to see the province’s initiative in

establishing regulatory requirements that meet its unique needs. This was our hope for many countries and provinces

following our change in international focus announced in December 2019. When we learned that the College would not be

including BACB standards, certiﬁcations, or tiers in their model, we worked with them to help facilitate the development of

their new examination. In this way, we could still support the new Ontario-based regulatory system and, in turn, behavior

analysts and ABA clients in Ontario. We wish Ontario great success with its future regulation of behavior analysts.

For questions about the upcoming regulations in Ontario, contact the College of Psychologists of Ontario at aba@cpo.on.ca.

For questions about your BACB application or certiﬁcation during this transition, please use our Contact Us Form.