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i received a letter in the main concerning the new college of trades that will be taking over for the mctu. i understand that this is to be a regulatory body and is responsible for training standards as well as C of Q issue and revokement. ( never heard of anyone having their ticket pulled before?) there is a yearly fee to me a member and membership is mandatory. my question is what do others think about this? good or bad? cash grab or valued addition?

Cash grab! I have to pay as a journeyman and I have to pay ad an employer.

I have too many unanswered questions at this point.  I like the fact, like doctors, we would be granted a degree of authority for self regulation.  Let experienced workers shape and govern the industry, instead of politicians.

The College of Trade fees will replace the MTCU fees but they are higher.  The only benefit would be to a multi certificate holder who would only pay one fee.

The MTCU's G2-T certificate has not been added to O.Reg 215/01, so is it even a valid certificate and will the College of Trades eventually control it?  I wonder how this might affect the TSSA.

The first media release from the College of Trades was too partisan by attacking the conservative government.  The fact is the College of Trades is taking power from the government which is more in-line with conservative ideals.  I suppose they have to keep the liberals happy as they still control Ontario.

Let's see what the 22 million dollar yearly budget does for us.

Guys,
I also received this letter, but a little different. I got an approval to write my 313d last year, however, I didn't get enough time to study due to work and family issues.

Should I be worried that my approval may be revoked.

I paid my exam fee ($100)in advance to write the exam. I have been given a week to write the exam or take a refund of exam. Damn this. Ministry take overs always gives hard time to guys in middle.

I would take the exam and hope that will give you the option to re-write under the new system should you fail.  It's hard to say at this point if they will implement changes to the challenge process.

I never even thought about what happens to people who can write but haven't yet...or haven't passed yet. So I can't just go and book my test at the local MTCU anymore?

Not sure What's going on. But I am gonna call Monday to see, if there are any changes to challenge process.

And one more thing I am gonna find out;  is there any time limit for passing exam ( I read it somewhere it is within one year from registration)

Before I remember there was no such thing about time limit ( I know there was a limit of exam trials you can take to write, 3 or 4), but never hear of One year limit.



Has anyone looked at the new classes of membership from "College of Trades". It looks like if person has qualification and experience (no appreticeship), s/he will be placed in "journeyman Candidate Class" until clear the exam or one year maximum. If cannot complete within the time frame. S/he will be placed in Tradesperson class (no limit there).

That's interesting, but I wonder if we have already been approved to write by the MTCU will the college accept that? Or do we need to go through the application process again?

Download the College of Trades, Volume 1, Issue 7 – April 2013, news page and look at the last page under Industry Headlines. 

There's a link titled "Claims against Ontario College of Trades "baseless", says Armstrong". 

It links to the article - Here  (Also copied below)

It's strange the quote by Armstrong doesn't actually exist in the article, and the article it links to seems to oppose the OCOT.

QuoteCollege of Trades is a poorly hidden tax that will make life more expensive.

Yes, Ontario needs tradespeople — but it doesn't need an expensive bureaucracy to find them.

Ontario is facing a huge skilled labour shortage, with an estimated 100,000 new tradespeople needed in the next 10 years. As Tim Armstrong correctly noted in his Feb. 20 opinion article on The Spectator's Comment page (College of Trades is a bold initiative, Feb. 20), it is critical that we work to expand Ontario's skilled labour force to fill that need.

But where I take issue with Armstrong is his assertion that we need to build a massive new bureaucracy to do it. According to Armstrong, the Ontario College of Trades will do things like "remove any stigma or inferiority" felt by tradespeople and "increase diversity within all trades."

I am an automotive service technician, who has worked in Stoney Creek for more than two years. I am proud of my job and I love the work I do. I don't need to pay hundreds of dollars a year, in addition to the $10,000 I have already spent on tools over the past two years, as well as paying a fee to maintain my Ozone Depletion Prevention Certification for refrigerants, to get a big hug from the government.

We need more boots on the ground, not more bureaucrats in offices.

To build this new bureaucracy, the Ontario government is planning to start charging both tradespeople and employers hundreds of dollars a year in "membership fees." Do these fees give me access to bigger tax credits for my tools or some kind of pension?

No, they don't. As a tradesperson, I'm still doing the same job, with the same challenges, but I have less money in my pocket. Sounds an awful lot like a new tax to me.

That is why I support the Stop The Trades Tax campaign, and started visiting shops across Hamilton and Burlington to tell other mechanics about the trades tax. I did this because I feel passionately that the college will only hurt tradespeople.

So when I read Armstrong's characterization that opposition to the trades tax is only a "cadre of construction companies," I felt I had to respond. The Stop The Trades Tax campaign represents 130,000 tradespeople — from mechanics to hairdressers and yes, construction workers. It also includes 8,000 small, medium and large employers from auto dealers to construction companies. Opposition to the trades tax is growing daily, across all sectors — and it is not going away.

Opposition to the trades tax is not rooted in "minority elements in the construction sector," as Armstrong wrote. It is rooted in the hardworking core of tradespeople across this province. It's rooted in the idea that when you pay for something, you should get something concrete in return.

But this is more than just a tax on tradespeople. It's a tax on families. It's a tax on businesses and employers. It's a tax on everything a tradesperson touches from haircuts to home renovations. Businesses and tradespeople will bear the initial brunt of the cost, but by making it more costly to do business, the government is driving up the cost of the services we provide.

The bottom line is it will make life more expensive. And that's something my friends and family cannot afford.

I have written to Premier Kathleen Wynne to ask for a meeting to discuss my concerns with the trades tax. She has responded by directing me to the new minister in charge of the college, Brad Duguid. While I hope the new premier and minister will take a hard look at the flaws of the college, I'm not holding my breath.

I'm going to keep fighting to stop the trades tax, because I think it's the right thing to do. I urge anyone reading this column to educate themselves about the trades tax. And if they feel the same way I do, stand up for tradespeople and oppose this tax by signing the petition at www.stopthetradestax.ca.

Tim Ridley is an automotive service technician who works in Stoney Creek.

Visit http://www.stopthetradestax.ca/

i signed the stop the trade tax petition, and hope i can get off work early to attend the debate tomorrow . i got another letter in the mail and have just finished reading it. what a joke!!! i'm sorry but i see absolutely no benefit the the tradesmen and women. it really makes me see red when the government keeps raising the price of everything yet, wages never increase! I know my complaint is nothing new , it been around for centuries.

if the " college" provided up to date training course much like union halls do, or helped us find union or non union jobs with some sort of database , maybe i could see its worth.

no matter which way they try and sugar coat it. they are still making us eat shit, and pulling money from our pockets.

just my two cents