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The National Organization of Remediators and Microbial Inspectors (NORMI) announced a major international expansion with the launch of NORMIC, NORMI of Canada, and its first slate of certification classes in Vancouver, British Columbia, Jan. 20–23, 2026.
The move marks a significant step toward standardized training in mold assessment, remediation, indoor environmental quality, and illicit drug cleanup for professionals and communities across Canada.
Mark Foster of Foster First Solutions, a 25-year-old Vancouver-based company that imports and distributes professional products for mold cleanup and illicit drug decontamination on surfaces and in the air, will lead NORMIC. Foster will oversee NORMI operations across all provinces under the NORMIC banner.
NORMI was founded in 2004 to support training and certification for the Louisiana state licensing law, the first mold licensing law in the United States. In 2005, NORMI became a licensed training provider for the state of Texas and has since served as a stakeholder in developing licensing regulations in multiple states.
From mold to microbial contamination and IAQ
Over the past two decades, NORMI has broadened its focus from mold alone to the wider microbial world and indoor air quality. That expertise is now being formalized and delivered for the Canadian market.
Foster said the Canadian expansion is a direct response to apparent gaps in training and standards he has observed throughout the years of working with customers across sectors.
“Several years ago, at the urging of a couple of American manufacturers, we took on the opportunity of importing and distributing professional products for cleaning up mold, as well as recently products that clean up illicit drugs on surfaces and in the air,” he said. “On this journey every so often, and it seems more in the last couple of years, we hear from customers that are desperate to find people that can do this type of work, this cleanup work, and there seems to be a number of cases where they’re not finding either the people with the ability or with the evidence that there’s some training been taken.”
About a year ago, Foster began asking Canadian insurers, home inspection companies, and multiple levels of government in British Columbia what the accepted minimum training standard was for this work.
“There was no common denominator or denominators. There was nothing,” he said. “In a lot of cases, companies reached back to me and said, ‘You know, if you come across what you think is good training and possible certification, please get back in touch with us.’”
Through U.S. manufacturers, Foster was introduced to NORMI and Doug Hoffman, NORMI’s executive director, and the conversations that began in January 2025 led to the creation of NORMIC.
“The word, if you look it up, means generally valid or normal,” Foster said about the NORMIC name. “So I thought, given the business, that’s a good stamp.”
Aligning Canadian needs with proven U.S. standards
Hoffman said the Canadian market is well-positioned to benefit from training structures that have already been tested and refined in the U.S.
“Oftentimes the countries tend to follow what the United States has done in particular on this topic,” he said. Hoffman hopes that the structure for licensing, certification, training, and apprentice programs will assist other countries in their progress.
Initial training plans for Canada include adapting terminology, units of measure, and content to reflect Canadian spelling, metric units, and regulatory context, while preserving core professional practices, including S-500, S-520, and NORMI standards.
Both leaders see significant opportunities to serve First Nations housing professionals, law enforcement, and others dealing with mold and drug contamination in buildings.
Foster recently attended the Fourth Annual First Nations Housing Professionals Association event, representing housing managers from approximately 600 First Nations communities across Canada.
“I was absolutely inundated with people wanting information on products that would clean it up,” he said, along with tests for effective treatments after cleanup, referring to fentanyl and methamphetamine contamination. “It is a huge, huge problem,” Foster said. “And I think the fact that we’re now in a position to provide training and ongoing certification is well-timed.”
Hoffman added that NORMI also expects to expand training in areas such as drug cleanup, First Nations communities, military, police forces, and other emergency response team housing, as the Canadian program grows.
Launch in Vancouver
NORMIC will officially launch its training program in Vancouver in January with four days of classes delivered in a hybrid, studio-style environment.
Jan. 20–22 will feature NORMI’s flagship CMA/CMR class (Certified Mold Assessor/Certified Mold Remediator), followed on Jan. 23 by a new illicit-drug-cleanup certification course.
Registration is now open at normicanada.org