Tories move to change skilled trades

The skilled trades need an upgrade.

So said the provincial government in proposing major changes — contained in a labour reform bill introduced last week — that will reduce apprenticeship ratios, phase-out trades with low demand and begin the “orderly wind down” of the Ontario College of Trades, a regulatory body for the profession that was a first in North America.

Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Merrilee Fullerton said getting rid of the college of trades will reduce red tape and put Ontario in line with other provinces, and along with other moves that will help open up jobs and fix a “broken” system.

“One in five jobs in the next five years will be trades-related — but there’s a problem,” Fullerton said in announcing the changes last week. “Employers can’t find apprentices, and apprentices can’t find jobs.

She said Ontario’s apprenticeship ratios are “among the highest in the country and are a major deterrent for employers looking to hire apprentices.”

The province is proposing to lower apprenticeship ratios to a simple one-to-one, down from some as high as five journeymen for each, she said.

The changes were lauded by unions and associations, including Colleges Ontario, the Ontario Skilled Trades Alliance and the 15,000-member Power Workers’ Union. Unifor and associations representing electrical workers, however, raised concerns about oversight and the need to maintain training and safety standards.