Alec Caldwell
Ontario of College of Trades: Puppet spokesmen, dissing contractor associations and drawing fat paycheques
Are there no depths to which the Ontario College of Trades will not sink?
Last week’s article by editor Steve Payne, on the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT), was spot on…
Just… wow. Check out this incredibly misleading video from the Ontario College of Trades.
My take on this video is, OCOT’s underlying message to homeowners is not to use online contractors or trades. OCOT continues to beat their own drum, giving the impression they are the only game in town. I say this slights other organizations in the industry, many of whom I’m sure are tired of being stomped on by this new unskilled kid on the block.
Their (OCOT) video uses fear and scare tactics aimed towards homeowners, telling them that OCOT is their knight in shinning amour, the only organization that will get the bad apples out of our industry.
The first speaker in the video is Alan Silverman, a well-known consumer advocate on TV – a journalist, supposedly. I thought journalists were supposed to get to the truth of a subject. It’s sad that a formerly well-respected consumer advocate seems to have become a puppet here.
The second speaker is Frank Cozzolino, an electrical contractor and member of OCOT. He talks about the the downside of hiring contractors based on online reviews, saying “no one is checking their credentials” Wrong!!!!
This contractor’s words deliver a hit to the reputations of many long-time electrical contracting organizations in Ontario. They include respectable, well-established organizations where homeowners can already check credentials online. Surely Mr. Cozzolino is aware that, long before the OCOT was foisted on all of us, we already had the following, among others…
Electrical Safety Authority (ESA)
Electrical Certified Contractor
Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario
Electrical Contractors Association of Central Ontario (ECACO)
Electrical Contractors Association Northern Ontario (ECANO)
Greater Toronto Electrical Contractors Association
Ontario Electrical League
… and others.
Cozzolino is himself a current member of the ESA (Electrical Safety Authority). I’m sure ESA checked out his electrical qualifications before accepting his membership.
(Furthermore, this electrical contractor did several seasons on TV with Mike Holmes. Is that the same Mike Holmes who has often boasted that, as a kid, his dad allowed him to do wiring – albeit with supervision? No further comment necessary.)
Of course, no wonder the OCOT has decided it needs to bend the facts to try to get those cheques coming in. It has some fat paycheques to cut, after all…
For example, the OCOT spokesperson in the video, Bob Onyschuk (Director of Compliance and Enforcement) was paid, according to the Ontario Sunshine List, $136,668 in 2014. Another nine OCOT employees are on that list and their salaries range from $102,796 to $187,977, that latter amount earned by Marilyn Crawford, executive director.
But, let’s put aside the salaries for a second, and get right down to the really offensive part of this video: It basically lies about protecting the public from anyone or anything. And that’s sad from an organization that has been funded by a combination of public money and increasingly, yes, money from you, the contractor.
Feel free to share your good, bad and ugly stories about OCOT, in the comments field below.
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great article that once again gets right to the point. However the sad reality is this form of propaganda is not only gaining steam with homeowners it’s even worse. Good tradesman now promote this and the WSIB instead of fighting. They use this as advertising against their competitors.
This must be an insult to every construction association that exists. However I will point out many of these associations turned into self interest groups. In my opinion and speaking from experience the majority of associations are as useless as the paper they push.
The bureaucratic system has been able to institute a new regime right under their noses. Good on them but sad on us. Forcing hard working people of this province to pay a TAX disguised as a licsennce to work in a free country is simply immoral. Right I forgot we live in a regime not a province. Where impunity festers and fraud is the acceptable norm.
Sean Keane
yes remember its ontario where organized crime has been linked into government according to the rcmp so what more can be stated then? can we find the links ? or maybe our law enforcement can find them for us.
Hi Sean,
Great points you made and you are right, there are associations that we could wonder about and who’s benefit they are looking after. Are they simply becoming a mouth piece for government and more.
CARAHS speaks out for its members, including ever other self employed contractor out there, who slogs away.
I feel with all the regulations, its the legitimate registered businesses that get the shaft. Why does government not go after the underground people, who low ball quotes to get jobs, yet they don’t have licenses, no safety and more. Its unjust and maybe we need boots on the ground to turn up at job sites, throw a net over then and cart them off the jobs, leaving the good guys.
I’m all for this.
Alec,
Has anybody suggested to simply defy and disobey OCOT, do nothing, pay no fees on a mass scale? – simple, easy, and highly effective.
We only need to massively advertize the idea, enroll three or four thousand folks and win.
ppl obey but they still hate OCOT and the fee
Fight OCOT, your idea its grate, and toward other agencies tax collectors too, also if trades people compulsory or not, stop working for a week and peace-full organize revolt against this Ontario fraudulent government at Queens Park front, for sure matters will change in a blink of an eye.
Or else keep buying into these crooks games, trades people, don’t forget the Vaseline.
For sure the OCOT will have in line plenty of fools like Silverman for a few dollars they will sale their own mothers, don’t be surprised if they mislead the public using this fear mongering, for couple hundreds.
Ontario became the disgrace full place to work and leave, once was a grate place. That’s what happen in any place, when dishonest, insane, lust for power and greed politicians take the rains of governance. They disgrace them selves, and always will find excuses for it on the cost of the tax payers. They use the public media for their mind machine propaganda. There are so many people culpable for the economic disaster we may are heading for, will alert a lot of people at impressive rate.
Will be interesting to watch soon how these tax collection parasitic agencies fiasco down spiral, and all those promoted. Will not be enough public founds for revolving doors, in parasitic creations.