Ontario College of Trades Ramps Up Compliance and Enforcement Efforts

Apr 30, 2018

The Ontario College of Trades is enhancing its efforts to protect the public and its members through strategic compliance and enforcement inspections in the construction sector, coinciding with increased building and renovation activity during the spring and summer months. Inspections will focus on high-risk workplaces and work activity in the underground economy, as well as the protection of vulnerable workers.

These targeted inspections will be supported by information exchanges with other regulators to assist in the identification of potential higher-risk workplaces and sites.

“Ontarians should feel confident that when someone is hired to work on their home or public spaces that the work is being done by qualified and certified skilled trades professionals,” says George Gritziotis, the college’s CEO and Registrar. “As the provincial regulator of skilled trades, we are working to ensure that compulsory trade work in high risk of harm activities are performed by qualified individuals.”

As part of the implementation of the new compliance and enforcement policy, the college has equipped its officers with enhanced training, tools and support to ensure they are able to deliver more targeted, consistent and transparent inspections to bring employers and workers into compliance. This targeted, risk-based approach will include select officers dedicated to the construction sector.