The official register
Search by a person’s name or Skilled Trades Ontario ID to verify that a tradesperson or apprentice can legally work in a compulsory trade (electrician, plumber, refrigeration, and the other trades where certification is required by law).
Why you may have been searching the wrong name
Until 2022, trade certification in Ontario was regulated by the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT), and its lookup was widely known as the “OCOT public register.” On January 1, 2022 the College was wound down and replaced by Skilled Trades Ontario under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021. Old bookmarks, old course handouts, and years of habit still point people at the OCOT name, which no longer exists. The register itself lives on at Skilled Trades Ontario, linked above.
To report uncertified work in a compulsory trade or an unsafe work practice, contact the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development’s Health and Safety Contact Centre at 1-877-202-0008.
What this site is instead
Ontario Trade Registry is an independent informational index for people who run trade businesses. It does not list or certify tradespeople, and it is not affiliated with the Government of Ontario or Skilled Trades Ontario. What it does carry: plain-facts references on compliance filings like Form 1000 and WSIB reporting, municipal contractor licensing by city, safety log requirements, and operational templates for the paperwork the rules demand, each citing the regulation or official source it comes from.