Ontario College of Trades


The McGuinty government has moved to establish the Ontario College of Trades, a regulatory college that would help modernize the province’s apprenticeship and skilled trades system.

Legislation introduced on May 13 2009, if passed, would establish the College to encourage more people to work in the trades and help the system better serve employers, skilled tradespeople, apprentices and consumers.

Establishing the College was a key recommendation of the Compulsory Certification Review (Armstrong Report), released in May 2008.  Kevin Whitaker, Chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board,was appointed in September, 2008 to make recommendations (PDF, 481 KB) on the college’s governance structure, scope and mandate. 

The College would put skilled trades on a similar footing with teachers, doctors and nurses, who have their own professional regulatory colleges.

News

News release: Ontario To Improve Skilled Trades System

Backgrounder: Modernizing Ontario's Skilled Trades System

Statement to the Legislative Assembly: College of Trades