Steve Payne
Another group protests the Ontario College of Trades, saying it will lead to a "Quebec-style" industry
Canadian Contractor Business Disaster LossHundreds of thousands of trades will be required, by law, to pay mandatory fees ranging from $50 to $200. Employers could pay up to $600.
Another construction association has joined the public lobby against the Ontario College of Trades, which is preparing to soon bill hundreds of thousands of trades people for mandatory annual fees that will range from $50 to $100 for apprentices, to $100 to $200 for journeypersons, and up to $600 for “employers.”
Opponents have called the College “McGuinty’s Trades Tax.”
In a press release this morning, the National Capital Heavy Construction Association (NCHCA) joined the Ontario Construction Employers Coalition in their campaign to urge the McGuinty government to shut down the College.
“The way the College of Trades is going, we’re headed for stifling Quebec-style regulation,” said Marty White, President of the NCHCA, and Chief Estimator at Taggart Construction Limited, the largest infrastructure company of its kind in Eastern Ontario. “More regulation will drive down productivity, raise construction costs, and encourage the underground economy. You only have to read the headlines to see the Quebec model has disaster written all over it.”
The NCHCA quoted Quebec economist Pierre Fortin, who estimates that the Quebec model results in a 10.5 per cent increase in overall building costs, translating into an annual tab of $3.4 billion and the loss of 52,000 jobs.
The NCHCA is the 18th construction group to join the Coalition against the Ontario College of Trades and its proposed fees.
EVENT BULLETIN: Meet the Chair of the Ontario College of Trades
If you would like to meet the Chair of the Ontario College of Trades, Ron Johnson, you will be able to do so at the Canadian Contractor offices in Don Mills (Toronto), Oct. 18th, 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm. Mr. Johnson will be making a presentation on how the College will be good for Ontario trades, and he will take questions from the audience. Event location: CANADIAN CONTRACTOR, Business Information Group, 80 Valleybrook Drive, North York, ON (Don Mills and York Mills area). This event is sponsored by CARAHS (Canadian Association of Renovators and Home Services) and Canadian Contractor. The event is free, but pre-registration is required. To book your spot, please email spayne@canadiancontractor.ca.
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It’s a sure bet that all the corruption we have read about in the news concerning the construction industry in Quebec will be crossing the border into Ontario thanks to The Ontario College of Trades.
Great idea mr. McGuinty.
The college of trades does not help anyone except the people working there. In fact it hurts apprentices by making it illegal for an apprentice to fill in a slow week by working for another contractor.
An apprentice should be allowed to work the next day for another contractor after being laid off by his employer. Even if the the apprentice’s fees are paid up, a fine of $500 is still given to the new contractor if the apprentice is not yet registered under the new company, regardless of apprentice ratio. The ministry cannot process employment changes overnight. Sometimes it takes weeks. This forces apprentices to break the law to pay the rent!! It also means contractors cannot hire helpers to fulfill contractual obligations because the government is imposing restrictions and basically tying the contractors hands.
They made it illegal to hire a summer student or a relative for casual help because they are not members of the college.
The College of trades does not train or educate. They just show up to the job and hand out tickets!!