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Profession Playbook

Heritage Consultant

Professional designation, not a licence

Heritage consultants help projects navigate the past — Heritage Impact Assessments, Cultural Heritage Evaluation Reports, and conservation plans that development approvals increasingly require under the Ontario Heritage Act. It is a specialized advisory business at the intersection of planning, architecture, and history.

Heritage Consultant at a glance

Credential
Not licensed — CAHP Professional membership is the recognized mark
Path in
Heritage / planning / architecture / archaeology background → experience → CAHP
Regulated by
Ontario Heritage Act; municipalities; CAHP sets professional standards
Insurance baseline
Professional liability (E&O) for assessment and advisory work
Professional body
Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP)

Where are you right now?

Qualify. Practise. Own it. Pick the door that matches where you are.

Getting inBecome a heritage consultantThe real path: degree, supervised experience, and the licensing or designation exam.Open Going out on your ownStart a heritage consulting practiceFrom qualified professional to your own authorized, insured practice.Open Just lookingCommon questionsCredentials, timelines, and how-to questions, answered straight.Open

The credential, explained

Heritage consulting is not a licensed profession, but the recognized credential is professional membership in the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP). The work is driven by the Ontario Heritage Act and municipal heritage policies, which require Heritage Impact Assessments and related studies for development affecting listed and designated properties. Practitioners come from planning, architecture, archaeology, and history.

Designations in this profession

  • CAHPCAHP Professional Member

Insurance to expect

Professional liability (E&O) covers the assessments and conservation advice you provide — heritage findings can make or break a development approval, so the reports carry real weight.

Go to the source

The official bodies that govern this profession. Bookmark these, they are the final word on requirements, exams, and fees.

Keep reading

IncorporationCRA RegistrationInsuranceOperational Setup

Ready to start a heritage consulting practice?

AEC Stack handles the business side (incorporation, registrations, insurance, and operations) so you can focus on the professional work.

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