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BCA News
Stop The Trades Tax
Publication date: 7th December 2012
Barrie Tradespeople Join Battle to Stop The Trades Tax
Tradespeople Try to Stop Rising Cost of Hair Cuts, Car Servicing & Calling a Plumber or Electrician
Barrie (December 4, 2012) – The Barrie Construction Association, representing over 3,200 Barrie construction workers and 380 business owners, has joined a campaign to stop the Ontario government from implementing a tax on tradespeople across the province. The trades tax will cost tradespeople and employers millions, kill jobs and drive up the cost of construction.
“We’ve seen little or no evidence that this trades tax will have any benefit,” said Katherine Van Leeuwen, Vice President of the Barrie Construction Association. “It will drive up construction costs in Barrie, feed the underground economy and drive people away from skilled trades. We joined the campaign because we can’t afford to let that happen.”
The McGuinty government has announced that a multi-million dollar trades tax will hit businesses and tradespeople in spring 2013. It will impact all Ontario apprentices, journeypersons and their employers by forcing them to pay membership fees to the Ontario College of Trades.
In response, the Stop The Trades Tax campaign was launched in 2011 and has grown to 21 organizations whose members represent more than 6,400 small, medium and large Ontario businesses and 113,200 skilled tradespeople across the province. The campaign is supported by tradespeople and business owners who fix our cars and roads, cut our hair, and build and renovate our homes and hospitals.
“The McGuinty government will use the trades tax to build another layer of government bureaucracy that no one needs or wants,” said Campaign Chair Sean Reid. “We’re encouraging tradespeople, their families and friends to help us stop the trades tax by writing to their MPP and signing our petition.”
To learn more about the Campaign visit: www.stopthetradestax.ca
For further information contact: Danna O’Brien, danna@playbookcommunictions.com
416-500-0699
Sean Reid, Progressive Contractors Association of Canada and Campaign Chair, sreid@pcac.ca 289-335-1181
Katherine Van Leeuwen, Barrie Construction Association, katherine@division15.ca,
705-424- 0203
CHANGES ARE COMING TO SKILLED TRADES IN ONTARIO. THESE CHANGES WILL IMPACT STAKEHOLDERS ACROSS THE PROVINCE –EMPLOYERS AND THEIR EMPLOYEES, EDUCATORS, TRADE ORGANIZATIONS AND APPRENTICES.
The Ontario College of Trades (OCOT) and Apprenticeship Act, 2009 was introduced to the Legislature in May of 2009 and received Royal Assent on October 27, 2009.
Under the legislation, the College has the mandate and powers to regulate all approved trades in Ontario, membership is mandatory for these trades persons and their companies, and it will perform standard regulatory functions such as:
• Issuing licenses and certificates of membership;
• Protecting the public interest through investigation and discipline mechanisms;
• Setting standards for training and certification;
• Conducting research and collecting relevant data to support future apprenticeship and certification policies;
• Removing barriers and increasing access for internationally trained workers.
Below are the conservative estimates of the Ontario College of Trades proposed annual membership fees:
• $50 - $100 for apprentices
• $100 -$200 for journeypersons
• $100 - $600 for employers depending on whether they are small, medium or large
• $50 - $100 for a new class of tradesworkers (compulsory and voluntary)
When fully operational, OCOT will represent 150 skilled trades in Ontario and is expected to be the largest regulatory body in North America with between 400,000 and 600,000 members in the construction, industrial, motive power and service sectors. It is expected to begin accepting members on Jan. 1, 2013. Various estimates predict that the fees will accrue between $20 and $100 million annually.
There is concern throughout the construction industry of the increased regulatory burden, decreased productivity due to strict scope of work definitions, the increased cost of construction and the increased incentive for construction.
This has become an extremely controversial issue and construction employers from across the province are uniting in the fight to stop the College and its tax plan. The Ontario Construction Employers Coalition has outlined several concerns in a formal submission to the Ontario College of Trades. Members of the Coalition employ more than 80,000 skilled tradespeople across Ontario.
The Coalition includes:
● Conestoga Heavy Construction Association
● Durham Regional Heavy Contractors Association
● Greater Toronto Sewer & Watermain Contractors Association
● Hamilton & District Heavy Construction Association
● HCAT - Heavy Construction Association of Toronto
● Heavy Construction Association of Regional Niagara
● Merit Openshop Contractors Association of Ontario
● OEL - Ontario Electrical League
● OGCA - Ontario General Contractors Association
● ORBA - Ontario Road Builders Association
● OSWCA - Ontario Sewer & Watermain Construction Association
● PCA - Progressive Contractors Association of Canada
● RESCON - Residential Construction Council of Ontario
● Sarnia Heavy Construction Association
For additional information on the Ontario Construction Employers Coalition contact:
Danna O'Brien, PlaybookCommunications. danna@playbookcommunications.com
416-500-0699
Sean Reid, Progressive Contractors Association of Canada and Coalition Chair, sreid@pcac.ca
289-335-1181
The Board of Directors of the Barrie Construction Association is obligated to inform its membership of these regulatory changes and to facilitate the process for BCA members to respond to this issue. Should you wish to challenge this legislation, a form letter has been made available for download for your convenience.
Link to list of current MPP's