FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 2001-08-07

Orion Registrar Inc. reinstated as accredited quality management systems registrar

OTTAWA - The Standards Council of Canada has reinstated its accreditation of Orion Registrar Inc. to register organizations to the requirements of the ISO 9000 series.

Orion's accreditation was temporarily suspended effective March 2, 2001 as a result of the need for a number of corrective actions following a routine annual audit.

"We have reviewed Orion's procedures and activities in detail, and we are now confident that they meet SCC program requirements", said Don Wilson, director of conformity assessment for the Standards Council. "Any shortcomings that may have existed in the past have been resolved to our complete satisfaction."

Mr. Wilson emphasized that the suspension did not affect the validity of any registration certificates issued by Orion under their SCC accreditation.

"We at Orion are proud to have resolved the SCC issues in a positive manner", explained Paul Burck, president of Orion Registrar, Inc. "We strive to be the best registrar in our relationships with our accreditation bodies and with our customers."

ISO 9000 is a series of voluntary international standards for quality management. Registration is a means of demonstrating to clients, the public, regulators and other interested parties that a quality management system conforms to ISO 9000. Accreditation, in turn, demonstrates the competence and capabilities of organizations registering quality management systems.

The Standards Council of Canada is a Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective standardization, and is Canada's representative at ISO. For more information on the Standards Council's accreditation programs visit www.scc.ca, or contact the Standards Council's Conformity Assessment Branch via e-mail at [email protected].

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