Ontario's 40 volunteer hours: what counts, ideas in the GTA, and how to log them

To get your Ontario high school diploma, you need 40 hours of community involvement, which Ontario also calls volunteering (Ontario). This guide explains what counts, what doesn't, how to get your hours approved and recorded, and what you get if you do more than 40.

We checked these facts on October 13, 2026. Rules can change, so follow the links to the official pages for the latest details.

The rule in brief

• 40 hours. Every student who started high school in 1999–2000 or later needs at least 40 hours of community involvement for the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (PPM 124).
• Start early. You can start collecting hours in the summer before Grade 9, and finish any time during high school (PPM 124).
• Your principal approves. The principal reviews and approves your planned and completed activities (Ontario).
• Under 18? A parent signs. Your parent or guardian must sign your record of volunteer hours (Ontario).
• Mix and match. You can volunteer at different places to reach 40 hours (Ontario).

Adult learners: your requirements may be different, so ask your principal (Ontario).

Transferring in? If you transfer from a school outside Ontario, from home schooling, or from a non-inspected private school after finishing two or more years of high school, the principal of your new school decides how many hours you need (PPM 124). Our guide Volunteering as a newcomer has more tips for families new to Canada.

What counts

Your school board decides which places and activities are eligible, so check its list first. Ontario gives these examples of places where you might volunteer (Ontario):

• Hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes, and other health care places
• Not-for-profit organizations
• Veterans' organizations
• Public sector organizations, such as your town, city, or region
• Offices of local, provincial, or federal government representatives
• First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities or organizations
• Religious and cultural events, and community activities
• School nutrition programs, such as helping with meal or snack programs during breaks, spares, or other times outside class

If an activity isn't on your board's approved list, you need your principal's approval through the board's process (Ontario).

What doesn't count

These activities don't count toward your 40 hours (Ontario):

• Anything a class, course, or program requires, such as co-op
• Anything during school hours (lunch and spare periods are fine)
• Work that someone in that workplace would normally be paid to do
• Chores at home and your own recreation
• Court-ordered programs, such as community service for young offenders

Your activity also can't break minimum age rules or other laws (Ontario), or go against the rules of the organization supervising you (PPM 124).

If a business asks you to "volunteer" doing work its paid staff would normally do, those hours don't count toward your 40 (Ontario). In Ontario, going unpaid doesn't by itself make someone a volunteer, and being called a volunteer doesn't decide whether you're really an employee (Employee status). Read Unpaid internships and trial shifts in BC and Ontario.

Tasks you can't do

Your volunteer role should not have you (Ontario):

• Operating a vehicle, power tools, or scaffolding
• Giving any kind of medication or doing medical procedures
• Handling "designated substances," such as asbestos, lead, or mercury
• Banking, or handling securities or valuable items like jewellery, art, or antiques
• Doing work that needs a regulated tradesperson's knowledge
• Anything that promotes discrimination or harassment, or puts you or others at risk

Minimum ages by type of workplace

Ontario's minimum ages for workplaces apply to volunteers too (Health and safety for volunteers, Minimum age for work):

In stores, offices, factories, kitchens, and warehouses, the age rule covers anyone allowed in the workplace, not only paid workers. For volunteers, it doesn't apply when an adult (18 or older) is with you, when you're on a guided tour, or when you're in a sales area or an area open to the public (Reg. 851, s. 4, Minimum age for work). In practice, the ages matter most for behind-the-scenes work, such as a kitchen or a warehouse, when no adult is with you.

Hours that break these age rules don't count (PPM 124). Organizations can also set their own minimum ages, so check each one. Under 16? Read Volunteering for teens under 16.

Police checks and age

Roles where you would be trusted with children or vulnerable people may need a vulnerable sector check. Your local police service does this check (Ontario police record checks). In Toronto, Mississauga, and Brampton, you apply to the police where you live, not where you volunteer (Toronto Police, Peel police).

Teens may not be able to get one in parts of the GTA:

• Toronto: Toronto Police processes checks for 14- to 17-year-olds only for federal, provincial, or municipal government roles (Toronto Police).
• Halton: Halton police give record checks to applicants under 18 only if they volunteer or work for a government agency (Halton police).
• Mississauga and Brampton: Peel police list their vulnerable sector check as for applicants over 18 (Peel police).

So if you live in Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, or Halton, a charity role that needs a vulnerable sector check may not be open to you while you're under 18. Look for roles that don't need one. In Toronto and Halton, a role with a government body can be an exception. Read Police checks for volunteers in BC and Ontario for fees and how to apply.

How to get approval and log your hours

Each school board sets its own process for recording, submitting, and approving hours, and must post it on its website (PPM 124, Ontario). Forms, online systems, and deadlines differ from board to board, so ask your school or check your board's website. Here is how it works in general:

1. Get approval before you start. You need your principal's approval, through your board's process, before you begin an activity (PPM 124).
2. Involve a parent if you're under 18. Plan your activities with a parent or guardian. One parent approves your activities, and a parent or guardian signs your record of hours (PPM 124, Ontario).
3. Have your supervisor confirm your hours. The person or organization supervising you must confirm the dates and number of hours you did (PPM 124).
4. Hand in your record. Submit it when you finish your 40 hours, or at the times your principal sets (PPM 124).
5. Check that it's recorded. Your principal decides when you've met the requirement and notes it on your Ontario Student Transcript and final report card. If you move to another school board, your board's process covers sending your completed hours to the new one (PPM 124).

Keep your own log. Write down each date, your hours, your tasks, and your supervisor's name and contact details. Some places expect this. The City of Toronto, for example, tells its recreation volunteers to keep their own hour records and hand in any school forms themselves (Community Recreation).

Volunteering online? Ask your school before you start whether it will count.

Ideas and places in the GTA

For a list of places that take volunteers, see our Toronto and GTA volunteer directory. A few places to start:

• City of Toronto Community Recreation. Help with programs and events at City recreation centres from age 14. The City says these hours can count toward the 40 hours. Not every centre has volunteer roles, so contact your local centre. You attend one or more orientations, and some roles need a vulnerable sector screening, which can take several months, so apply early (Community Recreation).
• Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon. Volunteer MBC's search lets you filter roles by age (Volunteer MBC).
• At your own school. School nutrition programs during breaks or spares are on Ontario's list of example places (Ontario).

Pick something that fits your age and the job you might want later:

One-day events are a quick way to add hours. A weekly role for a few months builds a stronger reference. See One-day and event volunteering.

Going past 40 hours: the Minister's Certificate

If you volunteer more than the 40 hours you need before you graduate, you can earn the optional Minister's Certificate of Recognition for Community Involvement (Ontario):

You get the certificate with your diploma. Students working toward the Ontario Secondary School Certificate or a Certificate of Accomplishment can earn it too. Ontario suggests listing it as an achievement on your resume and mentioning it in your cover letter (Ontario).

Turn your hours into a reference

Ontario notes that volunteer supervisors can be strong references when you apply for jobs or programs (Ontario). Before you finish a role, ask your supervisor if you can list them as a reference, or ask for a reference letter. Save their name, title, and contact details with your hours log.

Read References when you have no work experience and How to use volunteer experience on your resume and in interviews.

Next steps

• Find a place to volunteer: Toronto and GTA volunteer directory, or all our volunteer listings
• Learn why volunteering helps you get hired: Volunteering to build experience and references
• Need a police check? Police checks for volunteers in BC and Ontario
• Want a paid job too? Check the age rules in Working at 15, 16 or 17 in BC and Ontario and read Part-time jobs for students
• Browse entry-level jobs in the Greater Toronto Area