Alec Caldwell
The OCOT says ‘Talk to the Hand!’
Canadian ContractorMired in controversy since its launch, the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT) appears unwilling to respond to questions from its own members.
Is the Ontario College of Trades dodging legitimate questions from its members? According to Dean Kadikoff, he has only received a scripted response from the OCOT to a series of apparently reasonable questions put to them. (see below).
Correct me if I’m wrong, but a member in good standing with any organization deserves a satisfactory response to a question, not mere boilerplate. If a member is unsatisfied with the initial response, there should be an alternative avenue for complaint within that organization for the member to pursue. Finally, if there is still no satisfaction, the member can choose to cancel their membership.
Unfortunately there are no such options with OCOT. In fact, if deemed one of their chosen trades, you are forced into this organization as a so-called ‘member’ whether you like it or not, and cannot leave! You pay whatever fee is demanded, when demanded. Failure to comply results in cancellation of your trade license, and….unemployment.
When Kadikoff’s questions fell on deaf ears, he forwarded a complaint to his provincial representative, the Hon Yasir Naqvi, MPP (Liberal, Ottawa Centre), whose current parliamentary roles include: Commissioner, Board of Internal Economy; Government House Leader; Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
Maybe if you are also being ignored by the OCOT, you should write to Yasir Naqvi too at: ynaqvi.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
Below are excerpts from Dean Kadikoff’s appeal for answers, as published in the Daily Commercial News:
“As a paying member in good standing with the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT) I invite answers to the following questions. I find it hard to comprehend that I cannot get answers to these questions through any direct avenue within the college”
“Is the corporation a public or private corporation?”
“Is the corporation a for-profit or not for-profit corporation?”
“Would the staff at OCOT be considered public service employees or private corporation employees?”
“Are the enforcement officers public government employees or private corporation employees?”
“If the enforcement officers are considered private employees, what legislation allows these enforcement officers the power to perform their duties and actually lay provincial charges and fines”
“Does the membership vote on anything related to the operation, actions or decisions performed by the OCOT”
Are you faced with OCOT issues? Let us know!
Read the full story, and reactions, as published in the Daily Commercial News
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Alec, thank you for this article. Trying to get answers from the appointees at the college is worse than trying to catch a greased pig. There are so many other questions going unanswered.
Here are a couple more for example:
Where are the checks and balances. Exactly who oversees the OCOT? It certainly isn’t accountable to its membership. Who does the OCOT report to? It certainly isn’t the membership, but I do believe it to be the MTCU. So if it doesn’t report to or is held accountable by the membership, but reports to and is accountable to the MTCU, then how are the tradespeople in control? How exactly do we “take control of our career” as the OCOT used to advertise?
The OCOT continually compares itself to other self regulatory colleges in the province such as the teachers college or the college of physicians and nurses. Answer me this OCOT, let’s compare: If a teacher or physician decides to take a sabbatical for a few years for whatever reason, they are not required to pay the college it’s annual membership dues for the time period. Does their college strip them of their accreditation, licences, education and experience for this time period? Of course not. They can still call themselves a teacher, or a doctor, or a nurse. Yet with the OCOT, if we don’t pay the annual membership fee, our accreditation and licences are voided and it is even legislated that we can no longer call ourselves a plumber, electrician or HVAC mechanic.
If you are so fond of comparing, don’t cherry pick just one or two items that seemingly make the OCOT look better. The OCOT is a totally different beast, both in legislation and organization.
As Dean says, its not like other colleges. There are no nurses in the teachers college, or security guards in the law society. Why are we lumped in with hairdressers and horse farriers?
I filed a complaint with my MPP, The Hon Jim Wilson, about the hiring of an active member of the plumbers union, UA local 46, as an enforcement officer. She came on site, took all the non-union plumbers ID, and a few weeks later the business agent from the union was on site recruiting! Coincidence? My complaint was forwarded to the Minister of Labour’s office, and I received a very curt reply, stating that they passed my concern over to the MCTU, and that the MOL has no jurisdiction over Ocot. Bullshit, I say. If I light a smoke in my van, or call a fellow worker a fag, they are right there to charge me with harassment, and endangering life. But when the Ocot is verbally harassing people whose only crime is showing up to work, and passing their personal information on to a very partisan labour movement, its not their problem. I will not co-operate with a MOL inspector, ever again, until this conflict of interest is resolved
Looks like OCOT is closing under the Ford buck a beer regime. Thank goodness 🙂