Steve Payne
Cry me a river… rogue contractor cry babies!
Canadian Contractor Professional"Cry me a river that you all gotta pay the Ontario College of Trades..." One of our readers thinks only rogue contractors have anything to fear from more bureaucracy and regulation.
Full marks to “Rod Stiffington” (we’ll take your word for it, sir) for sending us this winner of our Tar Them All With The Same Brush award, for this week’s rant against contractors who complain about regulatory agencies.
“I for one am happy the government is finally cracking down on all unlicensed cowboys who do shoddy work and leave the consumer to pick up the pieces.
Professional license fees are the norm in most professions, so cry me a river that you all gotta pay the (Ontario) College of Trades for yours.
Sounds like a bunch of rogue contracter cry babies who will no longer be able to cheat the public.”
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As a young General Carpentry Apprentice (on an apprentices wage) on my own, I struggled to come up with the funds to pay the College of Trades fee. The warning that was sent via mail (Along with several other bills that keep my lights and heat on) took a lower priority than aquiring tools for my trade, keeping a roof over my head and food for my young family.
Just before my anticipated class offering at my college I received a suspension notice from the College of Trades for failing to register (and subsequent suspension with the Ministry of Training). It’s worth mentioning that WHILE studying to BECOME a professional I may apply for EI during my schooling which was such a relief.
Talk about being slapped by the hand that feeds!
Few honest people are crying about the fact CoT exists. Many are outraged by their tactics.
These are strong words to blanket a whole industry with when you say:
“I for one am happy the government is finally cracking down on all unlicensed cowboys who do shoddy work and leave the consumer to pick up the pieces”
According to this above, if you don’t carry a OCOT license your a cowboy!
Some might disagree and I for one know many quality contractors, who do phenomenal work for their customers and some for over 45 years. Why would these contractors need OCOT and more fees and according to your remarks, if they disagree and say NO to the proposed OCOT changes, this makes them “cowboys” WOW
What do other readers have to say to say to Rod Stiffington about this.
Alec Caldwell
CARAHS
It is sad when people make such comments as it show a lack of comprehension of the WHOLE situation.
I am one of the “cowboys” and in last 30 days I have cleaned up poor workmanship performed by “certified” tradesmen. Paying dues and trade fees does not make you a competent tradesman – that comes from pride in your workmanship.
OCOT does not regulate nor certify skills, they merely tax good hard working folks who are trying to make a living. If anything, OCOT will drive a much larger underground economy..
Alec
like they say once an ass always an ass. Just another trades man who got his ticket from a box of cracker jacks. Now he’s better than every one else .
This man must be a union worker with little to no information in regards to anything he is saying … This ocot will create a even larger underground dumb ass … And who are they protecting that the ministry of labour isn’t … The only thing these ocot officers are investigating are trades and making sure they have a ocot card so do us all a favour and get some facts before you open your fat mouth you ignorant little man
Hey Rod Stiffintgon, you sound like a troll, you clear show to us you have no experience in anything, in special in the trades.
You either one of the OCOT money collectors, inspector off nothing or a union member waiting for the 3.30pm every single day, producing nothing and maybe occupying some made up job.
You look like you are in la la land, drunken in your own ignorance.
Hey rod, it’s your partner Jack Mayhoffer here, stop posting incidiary comments on subjects your are ignorant of and come back to the Stern Show and make a few phony phone calls.
Too bad they don’t crack down on the licensed cowboys who do shoddy work.
The HVAC contractors, Journeymen have to work thousands of hours before sitting a C of Q, then are subjected to audits and permit fees ,inspections and trade certification license fees .
It is disturbing to be dissed by so called contractors, who must do there own dental work to make ends meet.
Does having a trailer with your name on it make a contractor?.
The Authority having jurisdiction on contactors? Who audits you?
To whom are the reno contractors held accountable by?.
Who still makes house calls 24/7?
Cleaning a job site is every contractors(electrical, sheet metal, plumbing) responsibility, part of the added value of choosing the right one.
It’s the cost of doing business in Ontario, still sucks but don’t forget to vote!
FYI
Maybe the WSIB rules that are in place, will make the underground divide even deeper. Together we must provide a solution and stop being part of the problem.
How does paying OCOT ensure that I dont do shoddy work? Explain it to me, cuz I’m an HVAC contractor, with several different licences, and OCOT only wants money for one of them. So I am free to do sloppy work with gas burners in schools, and leave leaking propane pipes in cottages, as long as I pay the trade Nazis for my refrigeration licence, all is good. Just call a spade a spade, OCOT is just another uneccessary tax. I’d like to see the pussies that work there put in an honest days’ work, get laid off all winter, have to use a blue house right before lunch and eat their cold sandwich with someone elses piss all over their fingers like the rest of us poor slobs have to. They can all kiss my ass, I refuse to support their bureaucracy.Anyone who supports these parasites is some kind of suit wearing govt or union office dick
Almost comment i have read above this one has the same message !
Just because a regulatory commission is introduced in the interests of cleaning up or legitimizing a certain trades, companies, or organizations …..it does NOT mean that’s what they will ultimately be doing with our monies !
No different than any Charity ..that operates under the auspices and banners of true benevolence becomes a damned business where 20% of the charitable funds go to the actual intended recipients . and 80% goes to administration !!!
the same goes for labor unions …and now ? governmental agencies ,,,,, does anyone know how much they and i are contributing to a government employees retirement pension these days ?
what to do next ….set up an organization to make all the abovenoted more efficient ?
Lets face it ….if your heart is not there….at source to do a good job…to understand that doing a good job is its own reward , this line of work is not for you …….and us !
history will teach all, of us that any government agency set up like a business will inevitably turn into just that ….a business …and not necessarily the business of acheiving what its mandate was to achieve in the 1st place
just because you have drivers licience that does not make you a good driver, get lost ocot