Month: June 2025

Dear CIPHI Members,

The Board of Certification is writing to remind you not to share old practicum reports with student PHIs or candidates. Please be aware that all existing practicum reports have been uploaded into the iThenticate plagiarism software database, and all new submissions are checked against this database.

Any candidate report found to meet the criteria for plagiarism will automatically result in a failure of their entire BOC Certification Exam attempt. Furthermore, the candidate will be required to wait one year before being eligible to retake the exam, meaning they will not be permitted to sit the next BOC exam session.

The BOC takes plagiarism very seriously, and the consequences significantly outweigh any perceived benefits of sharing old practicum reports. While sharing practicum reports may be intended as a helpful gesture to students or candidates, it could inadvertently harm their certification process.

The Board of Certification remains committed to enhancing the CIPHI certification process.

Please circulate this email to other non-CIPHI members in your office.

Thank you, and we wish you a wonderful summer!

Sincerely,

George Koutsoulis, B.Sc, B.A.Sc, CPHI(C)
Chair, CIPHI Board of Certification
Email: chair@boc.ciphi.ca

Dear CIPHI Members,

As Certified Public Health Inspectors, our professional designation reflects both our qualifications and our commitment to upholding public health standards across Canada. To maintain consistency and professionalism, we’d like to offer a brief reminder about the correct use of our designation:

Correct designation: CPHI(C)
(Certificate Public Health Inspection (Canada))

We’ve recently seen some common but incorrect variations in use, including CIPHI, CPHI©, C.P.H.I.(C). While understandable, these versions do not reflect the official designation recognized by the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors.

Using CPHI(C) correctly helps reinforce our shared professional identity and ensures public recognition of our credentials.

If you’re updating your email signature, business card, or any professional materials, please take a moment to ensure the correct designation is being used. Your attention to this detail helps maintain the credibility and visibility of our profession.

Thank you for your continued dedication and professionalism. If you have any questions about designation use, feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Your CIPHI National Board of Directors

Dear CIPHI members,

I am pleased to announce that the June issue of the Environmental Health Review is now available here.

In this issue, you will find:

• CIPHI branch summaries 
• A technical article on the prevention and remediation of cyanobacteria blooms. 
• A spotlight on student research at Conestoga College 
• Nelson Fok’s research article summaries

Also, a reminder that the EHR has added a quiz that will be included in each issue, providing a simple way to earn 1 professional development hour per quiz. The quiz can be accessed on the table of contents page for each issue. 

A note about access to articles: Free access to all articles in the EHR is included in your CIPHI membership. To get full access to articles, please go to: https://ciphi.ca/--> under professional development –> Environmental Health Review. 

If you ever have trouble accessing articles or have questions please feel free to reach out to me.

Wendy Pons, PhD, CPHI(C)
Editor
Environmental Health Review