By CRM Staff
Toronto, Ontario — October 24, 2018 —Ontario’s provincial government has announced the that the Ontario College of Trades will cease operations in early 2019 after a winding down period.
The Making Ontario Open for Business Act, which also scuttled plans for a raise the minimum wage, also lays out plans for the creation of a new government organization to handle some of the OCOT’s duties, with any others reverting to the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities.
While Doug Ford’s government has said the College is a “source of unnecessary and burdensome complexity for skilled trades employment in the province,” not everyone agrees. Speaking to Collision Repair on the condition of anonymity, one member of the provincial organization described the closure as ‘unfortunate.’
“The move will not benefit technicians or the general public,” the source said. “The College of Trades’ duties will still need to be performed.”
Founded in 2009, the College’s compliance and enforcement officers are mandated to ensure restricted trades like autobody and collision repair are either trades licensed or registered apprentices.
