TORONTO, May 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the Honourable Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development introduced new legislation entitled the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021.
“The Building Trades Council welcomes Minister McNaughton’s legislative direction to protect the construction trades classification system and his goal to ensure that compulsory construction trade work is only performed by certified journeypersons and apprentices, and that non-compulsory trades remain fulsome,” announced Patrick Dillon, Business Manager of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario.
“This is a positive move away from the government’s previous legislative approach which included the introduction of skill-sets,” observed Patrick, adding that “modularized skill-sets would have been devastating for the skilled trades training system in Ontario, and today’s announcement turns the page in a positive direction.”
“There are a number of areas requiring further work. For example, scopes of practice, compliance and enforcement, and the establishment of trades training boards to name a few, which the Building Trades will be advocating for since trades training is the lifeblood of our industry,” he explained. “Attracting, retaining, and graduating more apprentices in Ontario’s construction trades serves to strengthen the individual career paths of construction workers, thereby strengthening our industry which in-turn, helps our economy – that is our goal.”
“The Building Trades will work diligently with the government to provide important input during the process to ensure that the final legislative results are worthy of full support from the Council which would be in the best interest of construction tradespeople and consumers in the province of Ontario,” concluded Dillon.
The Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario represents 150,000 trades workers throughout the province. For more information, please contact Patrick Dillon:
Cell: (416) 347-8245
E-mail: patrick@ontariobuildingtrades.com