Articles Dealer’s Corner
Two takes on the Ontario College of Trades

August 10, 2012 – The Ontario College of Trades is nearing the end of its consultation process on the fees it will charge, and discussion around the new trades regulator is heating up. Here are two very different views on the OCOT that have been in the news recently.

August 10, 2012 – The Ontario College of Trades is nearing the end of
its consultation process on the fees it will charge, and discussion
around the new trades regulator is heating up. Here are two very
different views on the OCOT that have been in the news recently.

The first is a release by the Ontario Construction Employers Coalition , a group that appears to have been formed only to oppose the OCOT. In it, the OCEC calls the OCOT a "trades tax" that will will stifle employment and economic growth and drive up prices for skilled trades services to consumers. Read it here .

The second is an op-ed piece that appeared in the Toronto Star on August 7. Written by a law student working for the International Union of Operating Engineers, it predicts the OCOT will empower Ontario skilled tradespeople by putting them on an equal footing with doctors, nurses and teachers, leading to higher levels of expertise and quality and higher levels of accountability to consumers. It also predicts the OCOT will be able encourage more young people to enter the trades and help alleviate the shortage of skilled labour in the field. Read it here.

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