In less than a year, Ontario car dealers and their salespeople will face a new regulatory hurdle: they must pass an online certification course in order to keep their licenses. The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program — developed and administered by the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (OMVIC) — launches April 1, 2026, with mandatory completion tied directly to license renewals beginning July 1, 2026.
That means Ontario becomes the only province in Canada where dealers and salespeople must undergo regulator-mandated training every renewal cycle. Dealers will have to complete the training every year, while salespeople will be required every two years. An 80 per cent grade is needed to pass, and failing to complete the requirement will block license renewal.
“This is a big change and people need to be aware that this is coming as they get closer and closer to their license renewal,” said Maureen Harquail, CEO and Registrar of OMVIC. “In the amendment to the regulation, if you don’t do your CPD, you don’t get to renew your license. And I have no discretion. So if they don’t get it done, we can’t renew their license until it does.”
Why now? A regulatory gap exposed.
The push for CPD grew out of Ontario’s Auditor General’s 2020–21 value-for-money audit of OMVIC, which raised concerns about oversight and consumer protection. One of the recommendations was that dealers should be subject to mandatory continuing education, as happens in other regulated professions.
“All of the regulated sectors in Ontario — teachers, lawyers, nurses, massage therapists — have a CPD program,” Harquail said. “We were likely one of the only regulated sectors that did not. (There) was a gap in the legislation.”
That gap was closed in 2024, when the government amended the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act to give OMVIC authority to enforce CPD. The requirement takes effect January 1, 2026, with courses ready for rollout by April.
Maureen Harquail, CEO and Registrar of OMVIC
Dealer concerns and association response
Not surprisingly, Ontario’s dealer community has mixed feelings about the plan, partly because many dealers generally bristle at being told what to do by regulators or OEM partners.
“The Motor Vehicle Retailers of Ontario is aware of OMVIC’s upcoming Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirement and has been engaged from the beginning,” said Frank Notte, Director of Government Relations for the MVRO.
“Our preferred approach is to grandfather existing registrants, and capture only new salespeople and dealers under CPD. Over time, this would have achieved the government’s goal. That said, the MVRO has been engaged and consulted with OMVIC on the CPD rollout. We advocated the new education requirements should be able to be completed online and have the ability to complete it according to the dealer’s schedule. Furthermore, we have asked (that) the program contain relevant and continuously updated content and not be financially burdensome or time consuming.”
OMVIC said it has committed to consultations with dealer associations, including MVRO and the UCDA, and says it is shaping the program around feedback.
What the program looks like
The new CPD won’t be one-size-fits-all. Training hours and content will vary depending on license type:
- General dealers and salespeople: up to six hours of training.
- Wholesalers: fewer hours, since they don’t deal with consumers directly.
- Grandfathered registrants (licensed before January 1, 2010): must take Georgian College’s “Key Elements” course to bring them up to date with the current MVDA.
The first two years of CPD will cover fundamentals: OMVIC’s mandate, MVDA compliance, ethics and professionalism, all-in pricing rules, mandatory disclosures, and advertising standards.
“In the first few years it’s really about raising the bar, getting everybody to that basic level and reminding them of their obligations,” said Harquail. “Then in the years to come, we’ll continue to build the content to tackle other topics, whether it’s the business office, financing, or fraud prevention.”
How it will be delivered
The program will be online, modular, and mobile-friendly, accessible through OMVIC’s existing licensing portal. Dealers and salespeople will have a personalized checklist linked to their license category, and certificates of completion can be used for HR or compliance files.
“If you’re a salesperson on the floor and you’ve got 20 minutes before the next customer, you can probably get a module done on your phone,” Harquail said. “You press pause when someone walks in, and then you pick it up again after. We want this to be easy.”
Passing grade, cost, and compliance
Even with online accessibility, dealer anxiety about the 80 per cent pass mark is real. Many in the industry see it as a high bar, especially for seasoned professionals who haven’t faced a test in years. Harquail emphasized the program is meant to support, not trip people up: “If you don’t get the 80 per cent on the first attempt, you can do it again. We want people to succeed.”
As for cost, OMVIC is required by law to run CPD on a cost-recovery basis — meaning fees will reflect development and administration costs but not generate profit. The final structure will be set after consultations in fall 2025.
Bigger picture: Reputation and regulation
While dealers may view the program as another box to check, OMVIC argues it will help build credibility with consumers. Harquail hopes CPD will give the industry a counterpoint to negative stereotypes.
“It’s something that we can stand up and say, yes, we do go through this training every year, and it’s substantive and professional. That’s something to be proud of,” she said.
For Ontario dealers, though, the reality is more pragmatic: CPD is a regulatory obligation they must meet to keep doing business. The true test will be whether the program delivers useful, relevant content that dealers see as more than just another hoop to jump through.
Quick Facts: OMVIC’s New CPD Requirement
Launch Date
- Courses available April 1, 2026
- Mandatory for license renewals July 1, 2026 onward
Who Must Take It
- Dealers: every year
- Salespeople: every two years
- Grandfathered registrants (licensed before 2010): must take Georgian College “Key Elements” course
Passing Grade
- 80 per cent required
- Multiple attempts allowed
Content Focus (First Years)
- OMVIC’s role & MVDA basics
- Professionalism & ethics
- Mandatory disclosures
- All-in advertising rules
Delivery Format
- Online, mobile-friendly, modular
- Accessible via OMVIC licensing portal
- Certificates issued for HR/training files
- Cost to be set after fall 2025 consultations
- Program will be cost recovery only (no profit)
