Volunteering under 16: roles, age limits and parent consent in BC and Ontario

If you are 12 to 15, most paid jobs are still closed to you, or open only with limits. Volunteering lets you start building experience, skills, and references now. This guide is for teens in Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area, and for their parents.

We checked these facts on October 13, 2026. Ages and rules change, so follow the links for the latest details.

Paid work and volunteering at a glance

The rules for paid work are in Working at 15, 16 or 17 in BC and Ontario (Hiring young people, Minimum age for work).

Why volunteer before 16

• You can start now. Many roles take 13- or 14-year-olds, and some take younger kids who come with a parent.
• Something real for your first resume. Sorting food, helping at a day camp, or setting up a library event use the same skills stores and cafés look for.
• A first reference. A supervisor who has seen you show up every week can vouch for you when you apply for your first job.

Is there a minimum age to volunteer?

Ontario

Ontario's volunteering page doesn't set one minimum age. It tells you to check whether your activity has age restrictions (Volunteering in Ontario).

But the minimum ages for workplaces also apply to volunteers. Ontario says you can't volunteer (Health and safety for volunteers):

• Under 14 in stores, offices, arenas, and other workplaces that Ontario calls "industrial"
• Under 15 in a factory or restaurant kitchen. Ontario lists warehouses, and the shipping and receiving or produce and meat preparation areas of grocery stores, as factories (Minimum age for work).
• Under 16 on a construction project or logging operation

For factories, stores, offices, and similar workplaces, the regulation behind these ages covers anyone allowed in the workplace, not only workers. For people who aren't workers, the ages don't apply if you are with an adult, on a guided tour, or in a sales area or another area open to the public (Reg. 851, s. 4). So if a role puts you behind the scenes in a warehouse or kitchen without an adult, check the age before you sign up.

BC

BC's rules for children are written for paid work: written permission from a parent, and permits for children under 14 and for anything beyond "light work" at 14 and 15. The government's page on hiring young people doesn't mention volunteers (Hiring young people). We found no BC law that sets a minimum age for volunteering, so each organization sets its own.

Volunteering is for charities, not businesses

Real volunteering is for a charity, non-profit, or public body like a city or library. If a business asks you to work for free, that is a different situation. Read Unpaid internships, trial shifts and "volunteering" for a business.

What's open at each age

These are a few examples. Each organization sets its own rules and can change them, so check its page before you apply. For more places, see our volunteer directories for Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area.

Under 14, with a parent or another adult

• Food Banks Mississauga says it welcomes volunteers as young as 9 with an adult, and 14 is the minimum age to volunteer on your own (Food Banks Mississauga).
• Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto says its minimum age to volunteer is typically 18. It also holds public food sorts a few times a year, where people aged 11 to 14 must come with a parent or guardian (Daily Bread).
• Food for Life in Burlington says 12- and 13-year-olds can work in its pack room if an adult signs up for the same shift. At 14, you can volunteer on your own (Food for Life).
• BC SPCA says it has no volunteer roles for children under 12. Ages 12 to 15 can volunteer only with a parent or guardian who is 19 or older, and not every location or program takes volunteers under 16 (BC SPCA).
• Stanley Park Ecology Society in Vancouver says ages 12 to 16 can join its EcoStewards only, with adult supervision the whole time and a youth consent form signed by a parent or guardian (Stanley Park Ecology Society).

12 and 13

• North Shore Community Resources says its Youth Volunteer Directory is for ages 12 to 19. It is free, you don't need experience, and many roles have flexible or event-based hours (North Shore Community Resources).
• City of Surrey says its Youth Stewardship Squad welcomes youth aged 13 to 18 to plant trees and shrubs, remove invasive plants, and clean up litter in Surrey parks (City of Surrey).
• Pickering Public Library says all its volunteers must be at least 13, and its Teen Advisory Group is for ages 13 to 19. It accepts applications only from Durham Region residents (Pickering Public Library).

14

• City of Toronto Community Recreation says you must be at least 14, and the hours can count toward Ontario's 40 hours (Community Recreation).
• City of Burnaby says its Youth Services roles are for ages 14 to 18, and its camp and playground roles are for Burnaby youth 14 and older (City of Burnaby).

15

• Greater Vancouver Food Bank says its minimum age is 15, and some roles have different age limits (Greater Vancouver Food Bank).
• Richmond Food Bank Society says volunteers must be 15 or older. Its Youth Volunteer Accreditation Program for ages 15 to 18 is built around 30 hours (Richmond Food Bank).
• Ontario SPCA and Humane Society says its minimum age to volunteer is 15 (Ontario SPCA).

Parent consent

Expect a form for a parent or guardian to sign. Some examples:

• MOSAIC, a Metro Vancouver charity that serves newcomers, takes volunteers 14 and older. Volunteers under 16 need consent from a parent or guardian (MOSAIC).
• BC SPCA says that for ages 12 to 15, a parent or guardian fills in the application. Ages 16 to 18 can apply on their own for some centres and roles, but a parent or guardian still signs the release (BC SPCA).
• City of Toronto long-term care homes ask volunteers under 18 for a waiver signed by a parent or guardian (Long-Term Care Homes).
• Ontario's 40 hours: If you are under 18, one parent must approve your activities (PPM 124), and a parent or guardian must sign your record of volunteer hours (Get your high school volunteer hours).

Read any waiver or release before you sign it, and ask about anything you don't understand.

What parents should ask

• What will my child do, and where? A store floor, a warehouse, a kitchen, and a park have different risks. In Ontario, they also have different minimum ages.
• Who supervises, and what training comes first? Is an adult there for the whole shift, and do I need to come too?
• Does the role need a police check, and who pays for it?
• What happens if my child gets hurt? Who do we call? In Ontario, the WSIB says volunteers are generally not covered by the WSIB (WSIB). Ask whether the organization has insurance for volunteers.
• How are hours recorded? Can my child get a letter or certificate?
• Is it a charity, non-profit, or public body?

School volunteer hours

Ontario: 40 hours

To get the Ontario Secondary School Diploma, you need at least 40 hours of community involvement. You can start in the summer before Grade 9 (Get your high school volunteer hours). Activities that break the minimum age rules for working in or visiting a workplace don't count (PPM 124).

For what counts and how to log your hours, read Ontario's 40 volunteer hours.

BC: Career-Life Connections

BC has no separate volunteer-hours rule like Ontario's. To graduate, students must complete two courses, Career-Life Education and Career-Life Connections, which are part of the Grade 10 to 12 requirements. Career-Life Connections requires at least 30 hours exploring careers, and this can include paid work or volunteering outside school (Government of BC).

Ask your school how it records those hours and when they start counting. Volunteering before then still gives you experience to talk about.

Police checks: why some roles wait until 18

Roles with children, seniors, or other vulnerable people often need a police check.

• Ontario: A vulnerable sector check is for people in a position of trust or authority over children (anyone under 18) or other vulnerable people. It must come from your local police service (Police record checks).
• BC: A Criminal Records Review Program check is only for employees and volunteers of registered organizations who work with children or vulnerable adults (Government of BC).

Several police services limit checks for teens:

• Toronto Police process checks for 14- to 17-year-olds only for federal, provincial, or municipal government roles (Toronto Police).
• Peel Regional Police say applicants for a Level 3 (vulnerable sector) check must be over 18. Peel does checks only for people who live in Mississauga or Brampton (Peel Regional Police).
• Halton Regional Police give record checks to applicants under 18 only when the role, paid or volunteer, is with a government agency (Halton Regional Police).
• Surrey Police don't do vulnerable sector checks for anyone under 18, and they do checks only for Surrey residents (Surrey Police).

So if a charity role needs a vulnerable sector check, a teen who lives in one of these areas may not be able to get one. Government programs can be different. The City of Toronto's long-term care homes need a vulnerable sector screen, and about one in five of their active volunteers is under 18 (Long-Term Care Homes).

Some organizations ask teens for a basic check instead. Pickering Public Library asks volunteers under 18 for a criminal record check and those over 18 for a vulnerable sector check (Pickering Public Library). Surrey Libraries' Teen Library Council, for ages 13 to 18, needs a police information check (Surrey Libraries).

For how to apply and which checks are free for volunteers, read Police checks for volunteers in BC and Ontario.

Staying safe

• Get trained first. Your tasks and their risks should be explained before your first shift. If nobody does, ask.
• Know what's off-limits. Ontario says volunteer roles for the 40 hours shouldn't involve operating vehicles, power tools, or scaffolding, giving medication or medical procedures, handling designated substances, banking or valuables, or work that needs a regulated tradesperson (Get your high school volunteer hours). It's a good checklist in BC too.
• Report every injury. Ontario says young adults under 25 are at much higher risk of injury on the job than any other age group. Tell your supervisor about any injury, even if you are volunteering with a parent or family friend (Health and safety for volunteers).
• Say no to anything that feels unsafe. Stop, step away, and tell the supervisor and a parent. Our guide How to refuse unsafe work in BC and Ontario explains the rules for paid workers.
• Tell someone where you'll be. Share the address, your shift times, and how you are getting home.
• Watch for scams. Be careful if anyone asks you to pay to volunteer or asks for bank details (Job scams that target first-time job seekers).
• Online roles. Stick to an organization you can check, keep chats on its own platforms, don't share your address or photos, and tell a parent who you are working with.

Your first reference

A volunteer coordinator can be your first reference.

• Keep a log. Write down your dates, hours, tasks, and who supervised you.
• Ask before you finish. Ask whether your supervisor would be a reference or write a short letter about your hours and attitude.
• Know the rules. Some organizations set their own. Stanley Park Ecology Society says you can get a reference letter after 25 volunteer hours (Stanley Park Ecology Society). Greater Vancouver Food Bank gives a confirmation letter after one shift and a reference letter after 80 hours, but no reference letter if you haven't volunteered there in the last 12 months (Greater Vancouver Food Bank). Richmond Food Bank Society gives students who finish its youth program a certificate and a letter of recommendation (Richmond Food Bank).

Read References when you have no work experience and How to use volunteer experience to get a paid job.

Next steps

• Find places near you: browse the volunteer directory for Metro Vancouver or the Greater Toronto Area
• Ontario students: Ontario's 40 volunteer hours
• Short on time: One-day and event volunteering
• Turning 14, 15, or 16: Working at 15, 16 or 17 in BC and Ontario and Part-time jobs for students
• Why volunteering helps: Volunteering to build experience and references