Online theory is not the problem

The test is not online against in person. Our own courses put the theory online, and that part works well: you go through it at home, at your own pace, before you come in.

The question is whether the course includes an in-person practical part. For an Ontario workplace certificate, that is where the requirement bites.

What an Ontario workplace certificate needs

Two separate things have to be true, and a fully online course fails the second.

  • The provider has to be WSIB-approved. Ontario's first aid regulation, R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 1101, requires at sections 8, 9 and 10 that the first aid station be in the charge of someone holding a named certificate "or its equivalent". Those words are what let a certificate from any WSIB-approved provider count.
  • The course has to include the practical hours. CSA Z1210:24 clause 4.3 says the practical skills component shall include a minimum number of hours: 3.5 for the basic level and 7 for the intermediate level. A note to that clause leaves the knowledge component, registration and breaks out of the count, so those hours are hands-on time. A course with no in-person day has none of them.

CPR on its own

A CPR certificate on its own does not meet Regulation 1101, online or in person. The regulation asks for a first aid certificate from a WSIB-approved provider.

If a school, a regulatory College or an employer asked you for CPR, the requirement is theirs. Ask whoever set it whether an online-only certificate is accepted before you pay for one. The CPR levels guide covers which level they are likely to mean.

Where an online-only course is still worth doing

If you want to understand CPR and have no workplace requirement to satisfy, a free online course is better than nothing, and we would rather you did one than none. It will not produce a certificate that meets Regulation 1101, because there is no way to assess chest compressions through a screen.

How our courses split the time

Every course here is blended: the theory online at home, then the hands-on part in class at our Barrie centre.

Your online access is emailed the moment you book, and the online part has to be finished before your in-class day. How a blended course works goes through it step by step.

Check a provider yourself

The WSIB publishes its list of approved first aid training providers. Barrie First Aid delivers the Assured Response program, so the name to look up is Assured Response: they hold the approval and issue every certificate.

Check it yourself

Requirements vary by employer, school and role, so confirm what yours asks for before booking. Not sure? Call us at 705-985-3478 or send us a message, and we’ll work it out with you.