November 1, 2012

Motive power and the Ontario College of Trades

KELLY LAPOINTE

staff writer

Automotive mechanic Tim Ridley says the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT) will not benefit his sector and has started a campaign against it.

“I don’t really see any type of value that my trade or my colleagues are going to get from this,” said the Stoney Creek, Ont. mechanic.

Ridley has visited dozens of auto body shops in Hamilton, Stoney Creek and Burlington, speaking with auto mechanics about OCOT and its potential implications on the trades.

“Every single tradesperson that I’ve spoken to has no idea that this is in the works.”

When Ridley found out about OCOT in August, he started doing his own research. He then contacted Ontario Construction Employers Coalition (OCEC), which has been vocal in its opposition to the college. Ridley is now trying to inform as many people as he can about the college.

“When I tell them about the proposed membership fees we’re going to have to be paying, most guys I speak to are pretty incensed about it,” said Ridley.

Ridley currently pays $60 every three years to maintain his 310S, automotive service technician license. He says with OCOT’s proposed membership fees, he will pay between $100 and $200 a year.

He called OCOT and asked if his dues would be going to value added services such as a registered pension plan for all tradespeople, lobbying on his behalf or helping to cover costs for annual refresher courses.

“When I asked what type of benefits or value I’m going to get by that increase, there’s nothing in terms of any type of program or anything that’s going to help make my job any better for that increase in membership fees,” he said.

Catherine Poultney is a member of OCOT’s Board of Governors and represents the motive power sector. She understands Ridley’s concerns and said the value of the college is that he now has a direct voice on matters.

“That’s the benefit of self-regulation, to be able to come to that table and cut that bureaucracy out and be able to look at issues truly as they are and get things done,” she said.

“As an employer, I can tell you that I see it’s worth it.”

OCOT was legislated by the Liberal government in 2009 and will represent 157 skilled trades in the motive power, construction, industrial and service sectors in Ontario.

Ridley believes that the college will be “a revenue generator” just creates a larger bureaucracy to work with on his industry’s issues.

One of the big issues facing the motive power sector is keeping up with changing technology in the industry, noted Poultney.

“The technicians, journeypersons, apprentices and employers, having them all sitting at that table is really an opportunity to work through and to develop that skilled workforce, to develop the standard to move this forward and to really greet that technologically advancing age,” said Poultney.

OCOT is in its infancy and Poultney said anything is possible down the road in terms of value added programs, such as helping cover costs for training courses.

“This is the time for people to come forward and present those ideas.”

But Ridley is not taking a wait and see approach.

“They’ve had quite long enough now to come up with some other programs and to show tradespeople that ‘hey this is what we’re going to be doing and this is how we’re going to make your trade better’ and as of right there’s nothing that they’ve been able to do with that.”

Though OCOT is legislated and set to begin accepting memberships in April 2013, Ridley hopes that more tradespeople and the general public will become aware of the college and lobby their MPPs and create enough of an outcry.

“The Liberals will eventually have to listen to the people they are representing and hopefully the entire college goes through a major restructuring or they abolish this proposed legislation,” he said.

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