Code of Ethics for the Commercial Member

The respect by the member towards their profession, the SIAQ, the client, the tree, and the practice.

The commercial member (and their employees)...

1. will use their knowledge and experience for the benefit of society in general;
2. must maintain arboriculture as an honorable profession in their daily actions, whether professional, civil, or social;
3. must strive, through continuous personal development, to increase their qualification, practice and techniques, their competence to keep up with the technological and scientific evolution of the profession;
4. must always respect industry standards and regulations (CNESST, BNQ, Hydro-Québec Work Code, municipal, provincial or federal regulations, ISA regulations, etc.) and promote adherence to this Code of Ethics;
5. must accurately and impartially establish their capacity, qualification, and experience;
6. must provide accurate, complete, and truthful information when required;
7. understands that the SIAQ may receive verification requests by individuals or organizations and agrees that this information may be disclosed;
8. agrees that the SIAQ may publish certain professional information about them on the SIAQ's website, including the company's contact information. They also agree that information listed on their membership application may be used for research and statistical purposes;
9. must cooperate with the SIAQ regarding ethics and the collection of information related to ethics;
10. must report, in a timely manner, behaviors that may violate any provision of the Members' Code of Ethics;
11. must avoid any behavior or conduct that clearly violates the requirements of this Code of Ethics;
12. within their professional responsibility, must consider the health and safety of all persons as paramount and strive to respect the property of others and the environment;
13. must respect appropriate health and safety procedures within their professional activities to protect clients, employers, employees, and the public from any reasonably foreseeable condition that could result in injury or other harm;
14. will strive to discourage the promotion of techniques, methods, and use of materials not sufficiently tested or approved. They will oppose the use of chemicals, phytosanitary products, or other compounds not verified, approved, or authorized by recognized scientists or authorities. However, if such products prove to be the best to use, they will still inform their client;
15. must inform appropriate government agencies or representatives if they are aware of activities or circumstances that could prove unsafe or violate legal requirements;
16. commits to informing the SIAQ of any change that could affect a clause of their membership, whether a change of address, a modification to insurance, the departure of an employee, etc.;
17. understands that maintaining membership is based on meeting all requirements, including compliance with the Code of Ethics and procedures regarding ethics;
18. agrees to report to the SIAQ any action that could violate any provision of the Members' Code of Ethics within sixty (60) days of such action. This type of reporting applies to behaviours or activities that have occurred from the date the member applied for membership. (NOTE: any action to be reported in accordance with these terms must be noted on a separate sheet and submitted to the SIAQ.);
19. understands that being a member does not represent a permit, registration, or any other authorization to practice or conduct business activities in exchange for fees or other;
20. agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the SIAQ and its agents, employees, representatives, and successors and releases them from any claims, suits, complaints, loss, or liability (claims including attorney fees) from a third party resulting from or relating to their membership; their professional activities and services or other business activities;
21. Regarding the use and display of trademarks in relation to professional commercial activities, the member agrees to comply with all applicable SIAQ policies and any potential future amendments;
22. If membership expires, is suspended, or revoked, the member agrees, as stipulated in the license agreement, to immediately cease using and displaying the SIAQ trademark, its references, and any other designation indicating an affiliation with the SIAQ. They agree to comply with any additional instructions from the SIAQ.

The member's compliance with all business rules, policies and procedures among individuals, with one or more companies, and with all legal rules and requirements. The member:

The member...

1. must comply with all applicable laws, regulations, policies, and ethical standards governing the professional practice of arboriculture;
2. must adhere to all accepted professional standards relating to arboriculture practice, including national practice standards and policies;
3. must subscribe to fair and honest business practices when dealing with clients, suppliers, employees, and other professionals;
4. must ensure to recommend a commercial member of the SIAQ to any potential client if they have to refuse/transfer a request for arboriculture work because they are unable to carry out the mandate, unless there is no commercial member in the said region;
5. must not revise the submitted price for a given job if subsequently, inadvertently or otherwise, they become aware of another arborist's bid for the same job;
6. must support the improvement of professional services and products by encouraging research and development;
7. must preserve the security of information, which includes preventing unauthorized disclosure of information;
8. must avoid any behaviour or conduct that clearly violates the professional, ethical or legal standards governing professional activities or services;
9. must avoid exaggerating or omitting substantial fees concerning technical information, products, or services if the result could mislead or misrepresent;
10. must offer safe and competent services through independent professional judgment when making decisions;
11. must acknowledge their professional abilities' limits and only offer services based on their qualifications. It is the member's responsibility to determine the limits of their professional abilities based on their qualifications, training, knowledge, skills, practical experience, and any other relevant factors;
12. must make a reasonable effort to provide adequate professional references when unable to provide qualified professional assistance;
13. must provide truthful and accurate information to the public in advertisements, public statements, and other representations as well as in the preparation of cost assessments, services, and expected results;
14. must recognize and respect others' intellectual property rights and act accurately, completely, and truthfully, including in activities related to professional work and research;
15. must adequately use professional accreditations and provide truthful and accurate information about their education, experience, skills, and service delivery;
16. must disclose to clients and employers the significant circumstances that could be interpreted as a potential or actual conflict of interest or an appearance of inappropriate practice;
17. must be sincere in their verbal or written statements about the services they are qualified to offer and the benefits they intend to derive. To the best of their knowledge and beliefs, they will be honest and will not claim to guarantee their work without having first clearly stated or explained the limits of the guarantees offered and the risks covered;
18. must avoid any behaviour that could create a conflict of interest with a client, employer, employee, or the public;
19. must not use their involvement on a committee, on the board of directors, in a project, or a working group within the SIAQ as an element of promotion and/or advertising for their business;
20. must maintain and respect the confidentiality of sensitive information obtained in their professional activities unless: the information can be reasonably considered as pertaining to an illegal activity; a court or government agency legally requires the disclosure of the information; the client or employer expressly authorizes the disclosure of this specific information; not disclosing this information could cause death or serious physical injuries to employees and the public;
21. if called as an expert witness, shall base their testimony on adequate knowledge of the subject and established facts. They will always testify according to their own convictions;
22. will be loyal to their client or employer and will faithfully discharge their responsibilities.

The member...

1. will ensure that no conflict of interest compromises the legitimate interests of a client, employer, employee, or the public, nor that any conflict of interest influences or interferes with professional judgment;
2. will avoid offering or accepting significant sums, gifts, or any other form of compensation or advantage to obtain a contract or if the purpose of the gift is to influence professional judgment;
3. will, when acting as a consultant and a person not involved in arboriculture overrides their technical advice, clearly show the consequences that could result from not following the procedures or policies they deem essential;
4. if employed by a public body, will not abuse their position to compete with a commercial arborist. They will not favour one commercial arborist over another in awarding work or services if they come from the same locality, are available, and possess identical qualifications;
5. will scrupulously refrain from making unfounded remarks, comments, or criticisms likely to cause harm to the career of another arborist, researcher, or forester and to harm the reputation of their employer. If they happen to possess clear evidence of wrongdoing or a breach of the code of ethics by an arborist, they will forward the relevant information to the appropriate authorities for proper action on their part;
6. will refrain from evaluating the work of another commercial arborist. They will forward this evaluation to a scientist or other qualified person not engaged in the field of commercial arboriculture;
7. will encourage the principle of fair and equitable remuneration to maintain a high level of competence among staff working in arboriculture.