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CEO Update - August 2023 - RPRA Requires the CPB Designation
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The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) is the regulator the Government of Ontario mandates to enforce the province's circular economy laws.
Established in November 2016 to support the transition to a waste-free Ontario, the Authority administers the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016 (RRCEA) and the Waste Diversion Transition Act, 2016, and their associated regulations.
In recent discussions between the RPRA and CPB Canada, we learned that the CPB designation is now a requirement for several aspects of the circular economy in Ontario. In particular, a recent change to the Registry Procedure below has now included the following on page 13:
"Qualified person" means an individual, either an employee of the business or a hired third-party, who has one of the following designations and is not the same person who prepared the supply report. The "qualified person" will be referred to as the "Verifier" for the rest of the document:
• CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) in Canada
• CPA (Certified Public Accountant) in the US • ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accounts) Qualification
• CIA (Certified Internal Auditor)
• CPB (Certified Professional Bookkeeper) in Canada
• RPA (Registered Professional Accountant) in Canada
To be considered "Qualified," the present status of the Verifier holding one of the above designations must be active and in good standing with the relevant association that issues the designation.
The RPRA noted that bookkeepers often served small businesses within the circular economy in Ontario and that some would see the provision of another accounting professional (i.e., a CPA) beyond who they currently work with as potentially onerous. To account for this feedback, RPRA reviewed the standards associated with the CPB Designation and deemed it a requirement for bookkeepers, as noted above, for their assurance purposes.
CPB Canada is pleased to see the CPB Designation increasingly recognized as the standard for bookkeeping professionals.
This news builds on the Ontario Ministry of Health introducing similar requirements to have the CPB Designation by December 31, 2022, for any bookkeepers working with clients through the government's Self-Directed Care Program Specifications.