Ontario Proposes Changes to College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act

Ontario Proposes Changes to College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act

December 4, 2016

The province is proposing amendments to the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009 following a review of the act that was submitted to the government in November 2015.

Tradespeople are concerned the changes will erode scopes of practice and allow untrained, unskilled workers to do the work, and have protested at the Ontario legislature.

The act classifies a number of trades as “voluntary” or “compulsory,” and prohibits the practice of compulsory trades without a Certificate of Qualification (CoQ) or a registered apprenticeship. Each trade has a “scope of practice” (SoP) that lists the tasks performed by that trade.

The proposed amendments include:

  • administrative penalties for practicing a compulsory trade without a CoQ or registered apprenticeship. The amendments set out a number of factors that must be considered by an inspector before a notice of contravention is issued, such as the risk of harm to the public and other persons, and the SoPs of relevant trades.
  • OLRB appeal process — someone who receives a notice of contravention will be able to apply for a review of the notice by the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB). The parties to these reviews will be the College, the person who received the notice of contravention and such other persons as the OLRB may specify. In conducting a review, the OLRB will consider the same factors that are to be considered by inspectors before issuing an administrative penalty, as well as any other factors it considers relevant. The OLRB has the authority to set aside or reduce an administrative penalty.
  • appointments — the College of Trades Appointments Council is responsible for selecting members of the College’s board of governors, divisional boards, trade boards and the roster of adjudicators that handles reviews of journeyperson-to-apprentice ratios and trade classification status. Under the amendments, this body will continued the College of Trades Appointments Council and Classification Roster within two branches. The Appointments Council branch will have the same duties as the current College of Trades Appointments Council. As the appointments of existing members of the Appointments Council expire, new members will be selected to serve in only one of the two branches.

Here’s one possible scenario, put forth by the Progressive Certified Trades Coalition, that captures tradespeople’s fears: a labourer mounting electrical panel boards and their associated distribution systems is given a notice of contravention by the college. The OLRB can determine the person does not have a certificate and is doing work within scope of electrician (breaking the law) but now the OLRB can rescind the college’s notice of contravention if they don’t see any visible risk to that particular task.

The danger in this notion is that what may appear to be a simple task — if done incorrectly — could lead to a hazardous fire and possible serious injury or death. Similar scenarios could play out in any of the compulsory trades, not just construction.

The amendments appear in Schedule 17 of Bill 70, Building Ontario Up for Everyone Act (Budget Measures), 2016. As of December 1, the bill had received second reading. Find out more: http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page14998.aspx#ConsultationDiscussion.

Related Articles


Latest Articles

  • Driivz: 2025 State of EV Charging Network Operators Report

    Driivz: 2025 State of EV Charging Network Operators Report

    May 19, 2025 As the EV charging industry is poised for profitability, network operators still face many challenges. But what are their biggest challenges, are they ready to scale up to support their business growth, and how will they provide drivers with a better charging experience in 2025. This report answers these questions and more,… Read More…

  • Electri International: Understanding, Identifying, and Measuring Rework

    Electri International: Understanding, Identifying, and Measuring Rework

    May 19, 2025 ELECTRI has sponsored a research project to create a playbook for electrical contractors that will help you: Unpaid rework refers to activities in the field (including prefabrication) that have to be done more than once, or activities that remove work previously installed as part of the project, where no change order has… Read More…

  • Intermatic Acquired by MPE Partners

    Intermatic Acquired by MPE Partners

    May 19, 2025 By David Gordon, Channel Marketing Group, President The Intermatic deal is done. It has been rumored for months that Intermatic was being sold. Strategic buyers and private equity firms were mentioned as expressing interest and reviewing “the book” throughout the fall (and some mentioned even last summer.) According to sources, it was a “challenge” for… Read More…

  • 6 Things Contractors Need To Know About the Security Kit for Wire Mesh Tray

    6 Things Contractors Need To Know About the Security Kit for Wire Mesh Tray

    May 19, 2025 The rapid expansion of data centers has brought about significant challenges in maintaining data security standards. According to Statistics Canada, recovery costs from cyber security incidents in 2023 were $2.1 billion, up from $600 million in 2021. This critical situation requires a more robust cable management design to protect data from being… Read More…


Changing Scene

  • Schneider Electric Canada Named One of Canada’s Greenest Employers for 2025

    Schneider Electric Canada Named One of Canada’s Greenest Employers for 2025

    May 19, 2025 Schneider Electric Canada has been recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers for 2025 by Mediacorp Canada Inc. as part of the Canada’s Top 100 Employers project, a prestigious honour celebrating organizations that lead the country in creating a culture of environmental sustainability. This recognition highlights Schneider Electric’s long-standing commitment to advancing climate action, driving… Read More…

  • NEW ECAO Website is LIVE

    NEW ECAO Website is LIVE

    May 19, 2025 ECAO are excited to officially launch the new and improved ECAO website, redesigned with you in mind. Whether you are registering for training, accessing member resources, or staying up to date on key industry developments, ECAO’s new platform makes it faster, easier, and smarter. ECAO have rebuilt the site to deliver the ultimate… Read More…

  • Catalyst Sales and Marketing Announces New Partnership with MGM Transformers

    Catalyst Sales and Marketing Announces New Partnership with MGM Transformers

    May 19, 2025 Catalyst Sales and Marketing is proud to announce a new line partnership with MGM Transformer Company, a recognized provider of dry-type and liquid-filled transformers for commercial, industrial, and infrastructure applications. With over 50 years of expertise, MGM delivers custom-engineered, reliable, and energy-efficient solutions designed to meet the demands of data centers, renewable… Read More…

  • Intermatic Acquired by MPE Partners

    Intermatic Acquired by MPE Partners

    May 19, 2025 By David Gordon, Channel Marketing Group, President The Intermatic deal is done. It has been rumored for months that Intermatic was being sold. Strategic buyers and private equity firms were mentioned as expressing interest and reviewing “the book” throughout the fall (and some mentioned even last summer.) According to sources, it was a “challenge” for… Read More…