Trades Today

S U M M E R E d i t i o n 2 0 1 4

Volume 1 Edition 2

Photo courtesy of Mike Greer

Going out on a limb Creating career opportunities Aboriginals in skilled trades

Protecting the publicA retiree’s story

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A London woman is on the hook for thousands of dollars due to a home renovation project that she said went terribly wrong.

Joanne Markham is advising anyone who hires a skilled tradesperson to check his or her qualifications through the College’s public register, to avoid “sloppy and potentially dangerous work” on their home.

Last fall, Markham, a retired healthcare worker, decided to renovate the basement of her new London home and rent it out to students.

That’s when she said her “nightmare” began.

“It’s been such a horrible experience, and it’s costing me thousands of dollars that I just can’t afford.”

Markham came across an advertisement in her local newspaper for a plumber who claimed to have decades of experience in the trades.

“He said he was licensed and insured, and that he’s been in the trade for more than fifty years.”

Markham said she called the individual, and he showed up the following day to give her a quote on her basement bathroom.

Markham alleges that the worker told her that he had done hundreds of bathroom renovations during his career, and that he could begin right away; all he needed was $740 for materials to get started.

“I withdrew the money and paid him,” she said.

The individual arrived at Markham’s home the following day with a collection of helpers in tow, and slowly got down to business digging up the floor, jackhammering, plumbing and rewiring.

Markham began getting nervous, though, when he “kept [her] away” from the renovations.

“It was like he didn’t want me to see what was going on. I didn’t know what they were doing. He said ‘stay out of it, I’m in charge’” she said.

One Saturday morning, Markham received a call from the worker. Though the job was unfinished, he demanded $4,000 to purchase further materials and to pay his workers.

Even though Markham said that the request “caught her off-guard,” she drove to the bank and withdrew the money.

The following week, Markham had a building inspector come to her home and her fears were confirmed.

“[The individual and his crew] did a very poor job. I had to rip everything out…the floor, the wires. The junction box was hidden. The cement was falling apart, and if I didn’t rip everything out and start from scratch, there would have been raw sewage under the house.”

The total bill for all of the work on her basement bathroom was close to $11,000, more than double what Markham had intended on spending.

Markham called the Ontario College of Trades (the College), the provincial body that protects the public interest by regulating and promoting the skilled trades, to report her experience.

“They came to my house and sat down with me, and took all of my information. They were very professional, very thorough,” she said.

For Markham, though, the damage has been done.

She advised other homeowners to “be careful” and to “do their due diligence” when hiring someone to complete important home renovations.

Members of the public can check if an individual is certified in a compulsory trade by going to the College’s website.

Markham wishes that she would have consulted the register before she hired the person she did.

“It would have saved me a lot of headaches.”

To report an incident or to file a complaint against a member or non-member of the Ontario College of Trades, call our Client Services Call Centre at: 1-855-299-0028 (toll-free) or 647-847-3000 (in Toronto) or email complaints@collegeoftrades.ca.

Retiree who hires uncertified worker ends up with $11,000 bill to fix mistakesOntario College of Trades provides free search tool to confirm qualifications of members

“It’s been such a horrible exeperience, and it’s costing me thousands of dollars that I just can’t afford.”

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While in high school, Johnny Maracle was unsure of what to do with his life.

Like many teenage boys, the now 20-year-old Aboriginal of the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory enjoyed a variety of different sports, but he also took a shining to science- an interest that eventually led him to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. But though he was always academically inclined, Maracle soon realized that the university route wasn’t for him.

During Christmas break, Maracle returned home and contacted Kagita Mikam, an organization that matches Aboriginal people looking for employment and skills training with companies in need of workers. Kagita Mikam set him up with a local plumbing company.

“I wanted to be a physiotherapist but when I got to university, I realized that it wasn’t the right fit. I came back home and started to work as a labourer with a plumber. I ended up really enjoying not only working with my hands but the problem solving aspect too,” said Maracle. After a few weeks on the job, Maracle’s boss asked him if he wanted to apprentice. Maracle jumped at the opportunity.

He is now thriving as a plumbing apprentice, and says he would like to own his own business one day, or “maybe teach in a college trades program somewhere.”

The Ontario College of Trades (the College) wants to foster that enthusiasm in more Aboriginal youth. One of the College’s goals is to promote the skilled trades to

underrepresented groups, including Aboriginal people. The College recently hired a Chief Diversity Officer, Sandeep Tatla, to help achieve that goal.

“It’s important that the trades reflect Ontario’s richly diverse population. We know that lack of awareness of trades as a career and finding apprenticeship opportunities are some of the barriers for certain groups in our population, including Aboriginals. We’re working together with these groups, our broader stakeholders, and our members to address these barriers,” Said Tatla.

According to the College’s statistics, there are roughly 100 self-identifying First Nation College members, 70 Metis members and a single member that identifies as Inuit.

Russell Twance says that there are significant obstacles that stand between Aboriginal people and greater employment opportunities.

Twance is an employment counsellor with Thunder Bay’s Anishinabek Employment & Training Services, an organization that offers clients financial assistance to help pay for tuition to skilled trades training programs, as well as books and transportation.

Given many First Nation communities are located in very remote areas, he believes there may be a lack of awareness or access to information on the opportunities within the skilled trades. He also says that living costs in some cities and communities might be prohibitive for some First Nations to continue their education.

Lynne Sinclair is a project coordinator at the Aboriginal Apprentice Centre at Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie, and her job is to support Aboriginal students training for a career in the skilled trades.

One of the chief reasons behind the Centre’s success, according to Sinclair, is the program’s adherence to “culturally appropriate” learning.

“In non-native classrooms, sometimes people wonder ‘why are [Aboriginal] students so quiet?’ In our classrooms we have an elder on staff that speaks to the students about togetherness and working as a team. Students feel free to express themselves. This is part of our holistic approach that helps with retention rates.”

“Apprenticeships are a natural fit for us,” Sinclair continues. “It’s how we’ve always learned; hands-on, through storytelling. It’s passed on from generation to generation.

Maracle certainly agrees, and feels that more Aboriginal people should “keep an open mind” about what the trades have to offer.

Creating career opportunities for Aboriginals in skilled trades

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They’ve GoT skIllsA gaggle of high schoolers, girls and boys, stood astride a 14-foot telephone pole,

necks bent up, mouths agape.

Chris Schlosser and Jacob Hamelin had just nimbly ascended to the pole’s summit, and were posing for pictures. The two 18-year-old students in the Powerline Technician program at St. Clair College were at the 25th annual Ontario Technological Skills Competition to exhibit their trade to the throngs of people milling through RIM Park in Waterloo.

As Schlosser and Hamelin checked equipment at the top of the pole, a representative from St. Clair explained to the high school students what a Powerline Technician does, and what it takes to become one. The students listened carefully to the rep, but at the same time kept an eye on the top of the pole, where the action was.

After the demonstration, as Schlosser and Hamelin unharnessed themselves, one of the students that had been listening particularly intently to the college’s pitch remarked to his teacher that Powerline Technician “looks like a cool job.”

“Could you see yourself doing that in a few years?” his teacher asked.

“Yeah,” the boy nodded, “I think so.”

Schlosser and Hamelin might have landed the Skills Competition a future participant.

A Tradition of excellence

The Ontario Technological Skills Competition, organized by Skills Canada–Ontario, is an annual event that brings students from across the province together to compete in a range of trades-related categories. This year, more than 1,900 students competed in 63 different events.

The competition’s goal is to offer a platform for high school and college students to demonstrate their technology and skilled trades abilities, and to promote a career in the trades to Ontario’s young people.

This year, the competition welcomed the largest number of participants and attendees in its history; overall, more than 20,000 high school and elementary students, trades representatives and community members took part in the 3-day

event, according to Skills Canada–Ontario.

“I think that there has been a big push into the trades for young people, which hasn’t happened for the past twenty years. I think that a lot of kids are actually realizing how many careers are available in the trades and realizing that they want to work with their hands

as well as their heads,” said Gail Smyth of Skills Canada–Ontario.

Against the backdrop of a Conference Board of Canada prediction that there will be a shortage of more than 360,000 skilled tradespeople by 2025 and more than half a million by 2030, the competition’s growth in popularity is surely a promising sign.

It also speaks to the impact that the Ontario College of Trades (the College) is having in promoting the skilled trades.

The College, which was also a sponsor of the competition, has made it a priority to reach out to

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school boards, teachers and administrators throughout the province in order to talk about the value of a career in the skilled trades. College Registrar and CEO David Tsubouchi attended the Skills Competition and was impressed with what he saw.

“The level of skill and expertise that was on display at RIM Park in Waterloo was phenomenal, and it’s clear that some of Ontario’s best and brightest young minds have wholeheartedly embraced skilled technology-based trades,” he said.

Teachers at the Skills Competition said that the College’s message– that an apprenticeship is a form of higher education, on par with college or university– is beginning to resonate.

“Our guidance team has done a really great job to push all the avenues, all the pathways. There’s been a huge emphasis on apprenticeship and trades. We have SHSM [Specialist High Skills Major program] at our school, and we have a home building program where students build a house from the ground up. We have a huge emphasis on the trades, and I think we’ve done a great job of showing students that the trades are an excellent option,” said Amberlea Daigneau, a teacher at Bishop Macdonell Catholic Secondary School in Guelph.

Christina Preston, a construction maintenance electrician from Peterborough at the I.B.E.W booth, said that there was significant interest in electrical work from both elementary and high school students.

“There are a lot of Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) students. They’re interested in getting started in apprenticeships, so they’re looking for the knowledge. And the elementary kids are a lot of fun because they’re full of energy and they just want to get right in there. So we had a lot of fun showing them how to strip the wires and teaching them about the different light bulbs.”

Preston also said that interacting with the young people at the Skills Competition was a meaningful opportunity for her.

“When I was high school, I remember a female electrician coming to speak to our Grade 10 class. What she was talking about always stuck with me; this powerful woman being there and saying ‘this is a great opportunity.’ Moving forward, I always wanted to emulate that. I want someone to look back on me and think ‘That lady was here that one time and talked about her job and it inspired me to do something like that with my life.’ So this booth has been pretty cool.”

Back at the Powerline Technician booth, apprentices Chris Schlosser and Jacob Hamelin discussed the buzz caused by their demonstration.

“When someone sees you fourteen feet in the air climbing a pole, they’re going to come over and check it out,” smiled Schlosser.

When asked why he decided to enter the trades, Hamelin, paused and frowned, thoughtfully.

“I’ll feel good when I’m a journeyman one day and am able to turn the lights on for someone. I like that I’ll be able to help people.”

“our guidance team has done a really great job to push all the avenues, all the pathways. There’s been a huge emphasis on

apprenticeship and trades.”

The Ontario Technological Skills Competition showcased the best and brightest of Ontario’s students

Photo courtesy of Jack Kazmierski

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It was nasty, brutish and — unfortunately — the very opposite of short.

Ontarians won’t soon forget the bite of this past winter; punctuated by the blackout caused by the massive ice storm that ripped through

southern Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

In the aftermath of that storm, when thousands of people across North America were caught in Mother Nature’s icy clutches, a small team of tradespeople led the charge to clear the fallen trees from power lines and bring electricity back to our frozen homes.

Thank you, utility arborists.

Mike Greer, a manager at Hydro One and chair of the Utility Arborist Industry Committee, said that arborists from across Ontario were eager to assist anyone in need of help.

“Although we didn’t see a shortage of arborists or utility arborists during the storm, many of our workers were on holidays and were asked to come back in to assist. The crews did not hesitate to help,” says Greer, a utility arborist with decades of experience under his belt.

The utility arborists on duty worked ten hour shifts, and sometimes even longer. Fighting fatigue and difficult weather conditions, workers began the clean-up in rural areas before being dispatched to Toronto. The long hours and cold temperatures required an increased level of teamwork to ensure workplace safety.

So why did it take so long to get the power back on? Greer says that there are agreements between utilities to share resources to restore

power quickly for these types of events and working around different utility construction can take some time.

“It’s dangerous work and there are several hazards that the worker has to deal with,” says Greer. “Although the wires may be on the ground there is still a possibility that it’s energized or could become energized. Customers, with generators not connected to their electrical system correctly, can inadvertently re-energize an electric circuit and, if a worker is contacting a tree or the wire, it could result in injury or death. There are also tree branches laden with ice, which are heavy and could break unexpectedly. The ice also puts a lot of tension on the tree through bending limbs and stems, so the worker has to be careful when releasing the tension because the tree or branch could end up striking the worker.”

“Arborists often get great satisfaction from doing their work under difficult circumstances”, Greer notes, because it’s a challenge they do not see every day. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate their skills in safely rigging trees and they see the impact their hard work has on customers’ lives when power is restored”.

For any environmentalists and thrill seekers interested in becoming arborists or utility arborists, the most important qualities to have are being comfortable handling chainsaws and ropes at great heights, and working in all kinds of elements like heat waves, snow storms, high winds and thunder storms.

For more information, visit the International Society of Arboriculture (isaontario.com), and the Training Standards section of the Ontario College of Trades website: www.collegeoftrades.ca/membership/resources/training-standards

Going out on a limb

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“I enjoy the fact that my job allows me to interact with people on a daily basis. I like speaking with stakeholders and our members where I can help correct some misperceptions about the College, and show some of the value members get.”

Daniyal Sikander, Ontario College of Trades Membership Processing Consultant

Faces of the College

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how long have you worked at the ontario College of Trades?

What interested you in working with the College?

What do you do in your job? how do you help oCoT’s members?

I started with the College in April 2013, around the time it opened its doors.

I started working with the College because I believe in what it stands for. The meaningful connection with our members and stakeholders, being able to assist them, and helping people get their trade certifications in order are things that I‘ve really come to enjoy. My experience here has allowed me to take-on more challenging tasks and I’ve become more willing to step out of my comfort zone to tackle some of the challenges that come my way through my workday.

I am part of the Processing Team in the Member Records and Data department of Member Services. I am in charge of processing member application forms that come in to the office through mail, fax and email. Organizing the thousands of applications we get every week is a huge task. I handle individual applications as well as group accounts for group registrations of apprentices or journeypersons.

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What is the hardest part about your job?

What do you like about working at oCoT?

Sometimes it is really tough just dealing with the volume of applications that comes into our department. It is easy to forget that last March, we had no members, and a year later we have almost 300,000 active members. We try to maintain a high standard of service for our membership, but the sheer numbers do present challenges. We are a not-for-profit organization, and we are doing our best to serve our membership with the resources we have.

I enjoy the fact that my job allows me to interact with people on a daily basis. I like speaking with stakeholders and our members where I can help correct some misperceptions about the College, and show some of the value members get. It’s rewarding to see the work we do in our department is having an impact on the way people think about the College and what we do, and the value they get in return for their membership.

For member / client inquiries please contact:Telephone: (647) 847-3000 Toll free number: 1 (855) 299-0028Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30am – 5:00pm* The Call Centre Hours are Monday to Friday, 7am – 7pm

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After years of doing odd jobs for mediocre pay and little stability, Alex Scott was ready for a change.

“I’d been working for a while doing general labour [but] they use you until they don’t need you and then you’re done. I was ready for a career.”

Enter the Hammer Heads.

The Hammer Heads program, developed by the Central Ontario Building Trades, is a skill and employment-based training program within the construction industry that offers apprenticeship and career opportunities to young people from under-resourced and Aboriginal communities in Toronto.

The 12-14 week program, which is offered three times a year, features fifteen young people between the ages of 18 and 26 getting hands-on experience in a variety of trades within the construction industry. At the end of the program, participants are placed with different companies to begin an apprenticeship.

Scott, who said his primary interest was plumbing, said that he has “told everybody from my neighborhood who isn’t working” to go to “the Rexdale youth centre and apply.”

...building tomorrow’s tradespeople

hammer heads program...

“It’s worth it. It’s three months out of your life and you get to learn about these trades that half of us didn’t know existed.

This program is a great thing.”

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“It’s worth it. It’s three months out of your life and you get to learn about these trades that half of us didn’t know existed. This program is a great thing.”

To be eligible for Hammer Heads, applicants must have Grade 10 English, science and math credits, and be recommended by a social worker.

James St. John, director of Hammer Heads and business manager of the Central Ontario Building Trades, said that the program is very selective; each year, hundreds of at-risk youth from across Toronto apply.

St. John said that the program has been a success from the start, noting that over 90 per cent of Hammer Heads graduate from the program and move into an apprenticeship.

“It’s a hand up, not a hand out. With the right opportunities, we know that inner city kids can compete with anyone in Canada.”

And feedback from employers has been overwhelmingly positive, said St. John.

“Every employer I talk to says the same thing: ‘Your kids won’t stand still. Give me kids like this all the time!’ They’re very impressed with their work ethic.”

St. John attributes graduates’ achievements to their attitude, skills and willingness to learn– though he does concede that the Hammer Heads program’s emphasis on discipline might contribute to their success.

“We don’t let anyone stand around,” he said, simply.

22-year-old Frederick Sam was more blunt.

“It’s like a boot camp around here! I’ve never been in anything like this. I didn’t realize it would be so strict. They never let down. They’re always on you. So [our group] doesn’t mess around.”

Sam, who lives in the downtown Toronto Regent Park neighbourhood, said that he and his fellow cohort members have grown close over their short time spent together.

“We’re all working together towards the same goal…we need each other to get through this.”

Alain Bourdages is the assistant training director at the Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 46 in Scarborough, one of the Hammer Heads’ training centres. He said that the individuals that go through the Hammer Head program are “usually the best apprentices.”

“Over the years we’ve taken 20 or 24 apprentices, and they’ve all been exceptional. They are our poster-apprentices, if you will.”

Josh Cameron, 24, said that Hammer Heads is “an excellent program” and that he would “recommend it to anybody.”

“In construction, you get to see your finished project at the end of the day, and it’s going to be around for years. It gives you a real sense of satisfaction,” said the Scarborough resident.

Asked what he envisions for himself in the future, Cameron responded quickly.

“Hopefully I’m a full-fledged journeyperson and enjoying my work. And hopefully I’m making over a hundred grand too.”

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have you begun saving for your retirement?

Max calls for 1 CSC in 1 day: 132

55,267

153/119

38/35

?

231,358

Avg calls per CSC/day:

69Between March 8 - April 8, 2014, leading up to the renewal of all of the apprentices in the province, the College received 55,267 calls (Compared to the monthly average of 20, 985 in the period from April 8, 2013 - February 28, 2014)

Documents Issued since May 1, 2013 (Certificates and Statements of membership):

Since April 8, 2013, the College has posted 153 English Training and Curriculum Standards and 119 French Training and Curriculum Standards on its website

In addition, the College has also posted 38 English Schedules of Training and 35 French Schedules of Training to its website (Schedules of Training have the Training and Curriculum Standards combined).

Did you know… that when a Provincial Offence Notice (ticket) is given to an individual for violating the Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009 that the ticket is paid to the municipality not the College?

23,421Total New Membership Applications Processed Jan - May 2014

263%

Skills and Standards

TRADES BY NUMBERS

The College reviews and updates Training and Curriculum Standards as per industry needs.

89,9945,587

50166,898

127

Apprentices ClassJourneyperson Candidates ClassTradespersons ClassJourneypersons ClassEmployer/Sponsors

Members of the Ontario College of Trades (the College) will now have the ability to access a new voluntary Group Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) that is being

offered by Manulife Financial.

Manulife states that College members will have access to benefits that are generally not accessible to those with individual RRSP plans. Here are some of the features Manulife is offering:

• Lower investment management fees – Take advantage of the competitive investment management fees (IMFs) offered to members that are not available to individuals.

• Leading fund managers – Through the Group RRSP, you have access to some of the world’s leading fund managers. Many of these funds aren’t available to individual investors.

• Lower IMFs leave more of your savings in your retirement account, growing for you. Over time, this makes a BIG difference to members’ returns.

• A convenient way to save – Making regular contributions directly from your bank account makes it easier to commit to saving consistently. Even if the amount you contribute each time is small – and is an amount you’re not likely to miss – it can grow very nicely over the long term.

• Tax-deferred growth – investment income earned in an RRSP is tax-sheltered until you withdraw funds from the plan.

• Valuable retirement planning tools and resources – Check out the tools and resources to help make your retirement planning easier. You can set a retirement income goal, create a plan to achieve it and track your progress.

Learn more today: 1-888-727-7766 Monday – Friday, 8 am – 8 pm ET

Go to www.manulife.ca/OCOT to learn more about the RRSP Group plan that is available to College members.

starts contributing at age

Annual contribution made at the beginning of each year

Number of years contributing

Total contributions

Total accumulated value at age 65 including tax sheltered investment income assuming an 8% annualized return

Terry Chris

25 35

$1,000 $1,000

10 30

$10,000 $30,000

$157,435 $122,346

College members will now have access to a group plan

For more information, visit http://www.collegeoftrades.ca/about/trades-in-ontario

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Public protection:

The College now posts Public Advisories on its website following the resolution to a Provincial Offence Notice or charge.

“It is an important safety measure that the public and businesses confirm the qualifications of tradespeople they are hiring to do the work of a compulsory trade,” says Bob Onyschuk, Director of Compliance and Enforcement for the Ontario College of Trades.

For more information, visit collegeoftrades.ca/whats-new/public-advisory

Map it out! – Cities/Municipalities visited by enforcement officers

AjaxArnpriorBarrieBlind RiverBramptonBrantfordBurlingtonCarleton PlaceCollingwoodCornwallEssexGreater SudburyGrimsbyGuelphHamiltonInnisfilKingsvilleKitchener

LeamingtonLincolnLondonMidlandMiltonMississaugaMt ForestNiagara FallsNiagara-on-the-LakeNorth BayOakvilleOrangevilleOrilliaOttawaOwen SoundPembrokePeterboroughPickering

Richmond HillSarniaSault Ste. MarieScarboroughSt CatharinesSt ThomasStaynerTecumsehThunder BayTimminsTorontoVaughanWasaga BeachWaterlooWindsorWoodstock

7,084

170

632

2,5384,034508

Field inspections and compliance promotion visits conducted by College Enforcement Officers across the province.

Provincial Offences Notices (tickets) issued and 11 Prosecutions are underway to violators of the OCTAA, 2009.

Calls regarding complaints/Incidents received by the College’s Enforcement Call Centre

Field visits - Construction Sector.

Field visits - Motive Power Sector.

Field visits - Service Sector.

Enforcement Quick Facts from May 2013 – April 30, 2014

legend10+ times visited

100+ times visited

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do you have any comments or inquiries about Trades Today? Please send them to: editor@collegeoftrades.ca.

disclaimer: While ontario College of trades makes every effort to ensure that the information in this publication is current and accurate, ontario College of trades does not warrant or guarantee that it will be free of errors. the information contained in this publication is not intended to cover all situations. it is general information only and users/readers are encouraged to seek their own independent advice for particular fact situations.

Ontario College of Trades655 Bay St., Suite 600 toronto, on M5G 2K4

telephone: (647) 847-3000 toll free number: 1 (855) 299-0028Fax: 1 (866) 398-0368E-mail: info@collegeoftrades.ca

What is the College doing to promote the skilled trades to youth?

The College has spent a significant amount of energy sharing with young people all that a career in the trades has to offer.

In May, the College was featured in the Toronto Sun’s ‘Your Future Your Choice’ special supplementary piece, as well as Metro newspaper’s ‘Trades and Apprenticeships’ pull-out career section.

The College also sponsored and attended the annual Ontario Technological Skills competition in Waterloo. The event was the largest and best-attended in its 25-year history, and College representatives had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of students, parents, teachers, guidance counselors and industry stakeholders.

Additionally, College Registrar and CEO David Tsubouchi has been visiting high schools, colleges and training centres across the province to reach out to youth, and encourage young people to think carefully about pursuing a rewarding career in the skilled trades.

For those young people that are interested in the trades, the new ‘Road to Apprenticeship’ webpage on the College website outlines step-by-step how a potential apprentice can begin their career in the skilled trades. For more information, please visit http://www.collegeoftrades.ca/public/road-to-apprenticeship

Is there a way to simply explain journeyperson-to-apprentice ratios?

In fact, the College is developing an easy to use ratio calculator. The calculator, which will be accessible via

the College’s website, will allow employers to quickly and accurately establish how many apprentices they are able to hire. The tool is designed to take the ‘guess work’ out of the ratio process, and create a more efficient, easy-to-understand system for employers.

Currently, only 20% of employers take on the maximum amount of permitted apprentices. The College hopes that the new ratio calculator will contribute to both a rise in the number of employers willing to take on apprentices, and an increase in the total amount of apprenticeships in Ontario. or more information, please visit http://www.collegeoftrades.ca/public/journeyperson-to-apprentice-ratios

What is the College doing to increase transparency?

In keeping with the commitment from Register and CEO David Tsubouchi to increase transparency and information sharing, the College recently began publishing to its website the minutes of Trade and Divisional Board meetings. The College feels that posting this information is an important step in fulfilling our responsibility to protect the public interest. For more information , please visit http://www.collegeoftrades.ca/about/governance

Is there a way to show the public that I am a member of the ontario College of Trades?

The College is in the process of developing a sticker/window decal that Members and employers can use to demonstrate their good standing within the College. More information will be available in the coming months.

you asked, we listened!The College welcomes and values your feedback. These are some of the questions we’ve been getting from our Members.