Your Trade

Setting up as a self-employed electrician in Canada: the compulsory C of Q (309A in Ontario), Red Seal, the contractor licence, the Master Electrician path, kit and estimated rates.

Setting up as a self-employed plumber in Canada: the compulsory C of Q (306A in Ontario), Red Seal, why gas is a separate ticket, kit, costs and estimated rates.

Setting up in HVAC and refrigeration in Canada: the Red Seal RAC mechanic (313A), the gas ticket, ODP refrigerant-handling certification, kit, costs and estimated rates.

Setting up as a self-employed carpenter or framer in Canada: voluntary in most provinces (compulsory in Quebec), the Red Seal (403A), code, kit, costs and estimated rates.

Setting up as a gasfitter in Canada: the TSSA G1, G2 and G3 classes and BTUH tiers, who can pull a gas permit, why G3 needs supervision, kit, costs and estimated rates.

Setting up as a self-employed roofer in Canada: fall protection first, the Red Seal trade, the licensing gap, the torch-on insurance trap, permits, kit and estimated rates.

How to set up as a self-employed painter in Canada: voluntary trade status (Quebec CCQ exception), Red Seal 420A, lead-safe rules, kit, costs and estimated rates by region.

How to set up as a self-employed tiler or flooring installer in Canada: voluntary trade, Red Seal 219A, waterproofing and L/360 deflection rules, kit, costs and estimated rates.

How to set up in concrete and foundations in Canada: voluntary trade but code-inspected, footing depths by region, P.Eng. for underpinning, kit, costs and estimated rates.

How to set up as a self-employed landscaper or hardscaper in Canada: open licensing with a pesticide-licence carve-out, the four-season model, kit, costs and estimated rates.

How to set up as a self-employed welder in Canada: CWB certification (CSA W47.1 company cert plus per-welder qualification) for structural work, kit, costs and estimated rates.

How to set up in excavation and earthworks in Canada: no licence to dig but a mandatory utility locate (Ontario One Call) before every dig, commercial-vehicle classes, kit and rates.

How to set up as a self-employed drywaller and taper in Canada: voluntary trade (Quebec CCQ exception), Red Seal, fire-rated board rules, kit, costs and per-square-foot rates.

How to set up as a self-employed glazier or window installer in Canada: voluntary trade (Quebec CCQ exception), Red Seal Glazier, energy and egress code, kit, costs and estimated rates.

How to set up as a self-employed insulation installer in Canada: voluntary trade (Quebec CCQ exception), the spray-foam certification caveat, R-value code, kit, costs and estimated rates.

How to set up as a septic and onsite-wastewater installer in Canada: provincial compulsory certification with no interprovincial transfer (ON BCIN, AB AOWMA, NS WWNS), kit, costs and rates.

How to set up in snow and ice management in Canada: no licence but heavy slip-and-fall liability, Ontario's 60-day notice law (Bill 118), CGL insurance, contracts, kit and rates.

How to set up as a general contractor or renovator in Canada: most provinces need no licence, but ON new-home builders need HCRA and Quebec needs RBQ; holdback, lien, warranty and rates.

Setting up as a self-employed bricklayer or mason in Canada: voluntary in most provinces (compulsory in Quebec), the Red Seal, CSA masonry codes, silica safety, kit and estimated rates.

Setting up as a self-employed ironworker in Canada: structural, reinforcing and ornamental work, the Red Seal, CWB structural-welding rules, fall protection, kit and estimated rates.

Setting up as a self-employed sheet metal worker in Canada: compulsory in several provinces (check yours), the Red Seal, ductwork and metal roofing, where gas scope begins, kit and rates.

Setting up as a self-employed cabinetmaker or millworker in Canada: voluntary in most provinces (compulsory in Quebec), the Red Seal Cabinetmaker, the shop decision, dust safety and rates.

Setting up as a heavy equipment operator in Canada: the Red Seal ticket reality, machine-specific certification, the commercial licence and the mandatory locate before digging.

Setting up as a self-employed sprinkler fitter in Canada: compulsory in several provinces (check yours), the Red Seal, NFPA 13 life-safety code, kit, costs and estimated rates.

How to start out as a boilermaker in Canada: the Red Seal apprenticeship and Certificate of Qualification, pressure-welding rules, Quebec's CCQ and RBQ, safety tickets, kit and estimated earnings.

How to start out as a mobile crane operator in Canada: the Red Seal trade, compulsory status by province, the crane tickets by class, Quebec's CCQ and RBQ, certification, kit and estimated earnings.

How to start out as a scaffolder in Canada: fall protection at the 3 metre (10 ft) height, working-at-heights and scaffold-erector certification, tagging and inspection, Quebec CCQ/RBQ, kit and rates.

How to start out as a fencing and decking installer in Canada: no licence needed, but the locate before you dig posts is the law, the property-line trap, deck permits, kit, costs and estimated rates.

How to start out as a pool and spa installer in Canada: coordinating the licensed electrical and gas tie-ins, the strictly enforced pool barrier and safety bylaws, permits, kit, costs and estimated rates.

How to start out as a locksmith and security installer in Canada: provincial licensing and criminal-record-check clearance that varies by province, the electrical and privacy-law angles, kit, costs and rates.

Pouring concrete in a Canadian winter: why cold wrecks fresh concrete, the 5C threshold, hoarding and heating, frost-depth footings and quoting the pour.

Surviving the Canadian winter: cold-killed batteries, frozen water-holding tools, materials that will not cure, and the winter theft spike, with the fixes.