INDEPENDENT REVIEW RECORD
Heavy Equipment Operator — Excavator claim-verification table
Accessed and reviewed August 25, 2026. Numerical, regulatory and time-sensitive information is qualified and linked to its authority.
| Type | Claim | Authority | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity | Heavy Equipment Operator — Excavator is listed under Ontario trade code 636B. | Open source ↗ | Verified |
| Scope | A Heavy Equipment Operator — Excavator operates an excavator, its attachments and ground engaging equipment in various types of projects across multiple industries, such as road construction and maintenance, mining, quarrying, land clearing, forestry, logging, as well as gas and oil. He/she inspects, maintains, transports and operates this equipment and its attachments. Specifically, a Heavy Equipment Operator — Excavator: | Open source ↗ | Verified |
| Duties | performs pre-operational inspections, safety and operational checks, preventative maintenance; monitors equipment performance; loads and unloads, transports, cleans, oils and refills equipment; reads and interprets government legislation, site plans and manufacturers’ manuals (i.e. survey indicators); installs, operates and removes attachments (i.e. quick attach, buckets, rakes, levels, tillers, cutters, blades, grapples, pushers, vibrators and breakers); performs operations, such as excavating, grading, ramp building, stockpiling, backfilling and towing, ensuring maximum productivity; checks grades, performs cut and fil operations, backfills trenches and excavations, creates slopes, creates mass excavations, clears land, strips surface materials, stockpiles and places materials, lifts materials, performs logging and surface mining operations, perform demolitions, bales snow.; communicates through various techniques including hand signals. | Open source ↗ | Verified |
| Training | 2560 total hours: 2260 workplace and 300 in school. | Open source ↗ | Verified or qualified |
| Certification | Heavy Equipment Operator — Excavator has a certifying examination. Completing the apprenticeship leads to a Certificate of Apprenticeship; passing the examination supports an Ontario Certificate of Qualification and Red Seal endorsement. The trade is non-compulsory in Ontario. | Open source ↗ | Verified or qualified |
| Wages | Ontario hourly rates of $25.00, $35.00 and $47.00 convert to $50,000, $70,000 and $94,000 at 2,000 paid hours. | Open source ↗ | Verified calculation |
Wage calculations are broad employee estimates, not guarantees or business-income forecasts. Training delivery, fees, job opportunities and employer requirements can change.
EVIDENCE BASE
Sources & verification
Regulated, numerical and time-sensitive claims link to the authority used. Accessed and reviewed August 25, 2026.
Skilled Trades Ontario — Heavy Equipment Operator — Excavator ↗Official scope, duties, training and certificationGovernment of Canada Job Bank — Ontario wages ↗Ontario low, median and high employee wage benchmarkSkilled Trades Ontario — Start an apprenticeship ↗Eligibility, sponsors and registrationOntario — OYAP ↗High-school apprenticeship pathway
Use teacher-led activities and school-approved materials to discuss this career.