NEWS AND INFO

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Last updated 10/27/2009

McGuinty Government Announces New Supports For Apprentices

Premier Dalton McGuinty today announced new measures to help workers enter and complete apprenticeships.

New supports and incentives include:

Grants of up to $2,000 to apprentices and $1,000 to employers when training is successfully completed.

Giving apprentices the choice to complete more of their in-school training up front if work placements are temporarily unavailable.

Grants of up to $1,500 per term to help apprentices with the cost of school if they are not eligible for employment insurance.

These steps are part of the government's plan to strengthen Ontario's apprenticeship and skilled trades system and ensure Ontario has the skilled workers it needs to succeed in tomorrow's economy.

Quick Facts

	These new measures represent an investment of $8.3 million from the 2009 Ontario Budget to provide additional help for apprentices, employers, and training providers.
	The 2009 Budget would make the Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit (ATTC) the most generous tax credit of its kind in Canada and increase the maximum credit to $10,000.
	There are 120,000 Ontario apprentices learning a trade today -- nearly 60,000 more than there were in 2003.

 

 

 

McGuinty Government Committed To Eliminating Workplace Injuries

 

October 15, 2009 11:10 AM

Ontario is working towards safer workplaces by focusing on protecting workers from hazards that can cause them to slip, trip or fall.

During a November blitz, health and safety inspectors will concentrate on transportation, education, industrial services, retail and wholesale workplaces.

Inspectors will look for fall-from-height hazards involving platforms, raised floors, mezzanines and ladders.  They will check fall-arrest equipment and guardrails and will be on the lookout for dangerous practices such as working on storage racks.  They will also check for proper use of ladders.

For each violation, the court can impose a fine of up to $500,000 against a corporation convicted under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.  Individuals face a fine of up to $25,000 or imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both.

This workplace inspection blitz is part of the province's Safe At Work Ontario compliance strategy.  Keeping more workers safe increases productivity for Ontario's economy and reduces strain on the health care system.

QUICK FACTS

	About a fifth of industrial workplace injuries are caused by slips, trips and falls - and about one industrial workplace fatality in four is the result of a fall.
	Education workplaces currently experience the greatest number of critical injuries within the "industrial" sector (which excludes mining, health care and construction workplaces). The most common cause of these is same-level falls or slips.
	In 2008, the average cost (direct and indirect) to employers of a lost-time workplace injury was $120,500. Between the beginning of April 2004 and the end of March 2008, declining rates of lost-time workplace injuries have saved employers more than $5 billion in direct and indirect costs. More than 50,000 incidents were avoided.

 

 

Ontario to Improve Skilled Trades System

May 13, 2009 10:00 AM

McGuinty Government Modernizing Apprenticeship Through Proposed College Of Trades

Ontario is taking steps to establish the Ontario College of Trades, a regulatory college that would help modernize the province's apprenticeship and skilled trades system.

Legislation to be introduced today, if passed, would establish this regulatory college.   Along with regulating its members, the College would encourage more people to work in the trades and help the system better serve employers, skilled tradespeople, apprentices and consumers.  

The College of Trades would give industry a greater role in recruitment, governance, certification and apprenticeship training, building on the significant role skilled trades already play in Ontario's prosperity.

Establishing the College would put skilled trades on a similar footing with teachers, doctors and nurses, who have their own professional regulatory colleges, such as the Ontario College of Teachers.

QUICK FACTS

 

	More than 150 apprenticeable trades in Ontario cover the construction, industrial/manufacturing, motive power and service sectors.
	Approximately 120,000 Ontario apprentices are currently learning a trade.
	Encouraging people toward careers in the skilled trades is a significant priority for Ontarians.

 

 

Modernizing Ontario's Skilled Trades System

May 13, 2009 10:00 AM

A strong and modern skilled trades sector is vital to Ontario's economic prosperity. The province will introduce legislation today that, if passed, would create a College of Trades to promote careers in skilled trades and modernize the apprenticeship and skilled trades system.

Reviews and Consultations

Creating a College of Trades was a key recommendation of the Compulsory Certification Review (Armstrong Report) released in May 2008. Following the release of this report, the government announced it would introduce legislation to move forward on the recommendation.

Kevin Whitaker, Chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, was appointed in September, 2008 to advise on the college's governance structure, scope and mandate. Whitaker made recommendations after consulting with employers, skilled tradespeople and training providers.

The recommendations in Mr. Whitaker's report are reflected in the proposed legislation.

Ontario College of Trades

The proposed Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act, 2009 takes a balanced approach to governance that considers the needs of employers, employees, apprentices, the economy and the public.

The College would: 

	Promote careers in the trades and attract more people to them, especially youth and underrepresented groups;
	Help make it easier for internationally trained workers to get certified and find work in the trades in Ontario;
	Set training and certification standards to serve the skilled trades sector and the public interest;
	Conduct research to help make sure Ontario trains the right workers for the future;
	Give the skilled trades sector ownership of critical decisions on issues such as compulsory certification and apprenticeship ratios.

The College's membership would include certified journeypersons and persons who employ them or who sponsor or employ apprentices.

Supporting Apprenticeship

The McGuinty government recognizes that encouraging apprenticeship and skills training is essential to Ontario's future prosperity.

The 2009 Ontario Budget invests $700 million over two years in new skills training and literacy initiatives and increases to existing programs. These measures are designed to respond quickly to the immediate challenges of the global economic slowdown while preparing the province's workforce for the new economy.

Ontario's labour force growth is projected to decline over the coming years as workers retire and fewer young people enter the workforce. To ensure Ontario has the skilled workers it needs for the future, the government has taken significant steps to support apprenticeship growth.

Through the Apprenticeship Enhancement Fund and the Ontario Skills Training Enhancement Program, the government is providing $55 million over three years for infrastructure and equipment at community colleges and training centres - so that apprentices and journeypersons can train in state-of-the-art facilities.

Initiatives to encourage apprenticeship participation include:

	Creating innovative programs to attract youth, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities to apprenticeship training;
	Providing more ways for out-of-school youth to get the qualifications they need to begin apprenticeship training;
	Encouraging employers to hire apprentices through the Apprenticeship Scholarship and Employer Signing Bonus and the Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit.

As a result of the government's investment in apprenticeship, there are 120,000 Ontario apprentices learning a trade today - nearly 60,000 more than in 2003. New annual apprenticeship registrations have increased from 17,100 in 2003 to more than 28,000 in 2009.

The proposed Ontario College of Trades would build on this success and give the sector a more prominent role in recruitment, governance, certification and training.

 

 

John Milloy, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities:
Statement to the Legislative Assembly

Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009

May 5, 2009

Speaker, I am pleased today to be introducing some very important legislation for Ontario’s workers and employers – and for our economy as a whole.

The proposed Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009 would support full labour mobility in Ontario and allow people to work where they find opportunity.  

It would make it easier for certified workers to come to this province and begin to work without long delays.

This is good news for Ontario. More workers would be free to move to find work where opportunities exist or where their skills are needed.  Employers would have a broader pool of qualified candidates and enjoy a simpler process for hiring workers from other parts of Canada.

Speaker, by introducing this legislation today, the McGuinty government is meeting a commitment made last July by all premiers. Premiers, meeting as the Council of the Federation, agreed to amend the Agreement on Internal Trade to ensure certified workers in professions and trades have full labour mobility across Canada. 

At that time, Premier McGuinty said that full labour mobility will help Ontario workers and industries succeed in a challenging economy by strengthening our competitiveness and productivity and removing artificial barriers to opportunity. 

He went on to say that our government aims to implement full labour mobility in Ontario, with only the most necessary exceptions.

In January, the provinces, territories and the federal government all endorsed the amendments to the Agreement on Internal Trade.

And today, we are taking the next important step. We are proposing a bill, which if passed, will meet Ontario’s obligations under this important initiative.

The proposed Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009 would establish a Labour Mobility Code, which reflects the mobility requirements under the Agreement on Internal Trade. The code would govern how Ontario regulators, such as the College of Nurses Ontario or Professional Engineers Ontario, deal with people already certified elsewhere in Canada.  

Speaker, I am proud to say that Ontario is one of the first provinces to introduce legislation regarding labour mobility. This underlines our government’s commitment to ensuring Ontario is ready for the gains that will come from attracting skilled workers to the province.

Through the Agreement on Internal Trade, the premiers are preparing Canada for the future. With this proposed legislation, our government is preparing Ontario for the future.

The growth of Ontario's labour force is expected to slow in coming years. Through to 2025, growth is projected at less than 1 per cent each year or about half the growth of the past 25 years. 

As a result, labour mobility will become more important in helping us meet the demand for workers with key skills. 

Our proposed legislation would benefit about 80 regulatory authorities and 300 occupations, including the skilled trades. Doctors, dentists, architects, engineers, plumbers and mechanics are some of the professions that would benefit from rules that make it easier to live and work in Ontario.

Speaker, we have worked and will continue to work with the regulatory authorities to ensure they understand their obligations under the national agreement. We have consulted with them to identify barriers and ways they can be removed.

These barriers include requiring workers from other provinces to have additional material training, testing, experience or assessment before being qualified to practice in Ontario.

Sometimes these barriers have meant long delays in being certified for people who have moved to Ontario, ready to start a new life.

At the same time, we have also recognized the important role regulatory authorities play in helping to ensure public health and safety and to provide consumer protection.  

Our approach has been a balanced one. We have worked with our regulatory authorities to identify a small number of occupations where an exception to full labour mobility is important to protect the public. These exceptions are currently in development, and will be published in the months ahead.

We have also talked to leaders in the skilled trades to help them understand labour mobility and what it means for them.   

However, the majority of our skilled trades workers already understand – and enjoy – the benefits of full labour mobility through the Red Seal program. 

The Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program sets common occupational standards across Canada for the skilled trades. These standards are developed and endorsed by industry.

Workers with the Red Seal can work wherever their skills are needed. They are highly employable because employers know they have the skills and knowledge to get the job done. Ninety per cent of all registered apprentices in Canada and 75 per cent of registered apprentices in Ontario work in Red Seal trades.

The Red Seal is highlighted as a model for labour mobility in the Agreement on Internal Trade and our commitment to the program is clear in the legislation I introduced today.

Workers with the Red Seal will continue to enjoy full labour mobility. 

For those workers in non-Red Seal trades, we are working with other provinces to match trades. Certified workers in trades that have been matched across jurisdictions will also be entitled to full labour mobility.

Speaker, I want to highlight another important element of our proposed Act. Once a worker is certified in one jurisdiction in Canada they will be able to be certified in the same occupation in other jurisdictions in Canada, allowing them to move freely across the country.

It doesn’t matter if they were Canadian-trained or internationally trained workers. This is good news for qualified internationally trained workers.

Governments across Canada are taking these obligations seriously.

Recent changes to the AIT also include penalties which can be imposed on a province or territory for non-compliance.  Jurisdictions that don’t change their rules to improve labour mobility face strong enforcement measures, including penalties ranging from up to $250,000 for the smallest provinces and territories to up to
$5 million for the largest.

Let me underline again – our government is committed to labour mobility. Ontario is currently negotiating an economic partnership agreement with Quebec to eliminate trade barriers and improve labour mobility between both provinces.

This proposed agreement is consistent with the AIT and reflects the high level of commitment both Ontario and Quebec share to ensuring full labour mobility.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I want to repeat that the proposed Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009 is good news for Ontario.

Full labour mobility will strengthen our productivity and competitiveness. It will help us to meet changing labour market needs in the future. 

And importantly, it supports the right of all Canadians to live and work where they want in this country.

Thank you.

 

 

Proposed Ontario Labour Mobility Act

May 5, 2009 11:00 AM

The Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009 will be introduced in the Ontario Legislature today to strengthen support for full labour mobility for Canadian workers.

Amendments to the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) endorsed by Canada's premiers in January 2009 commit all provinces and territories to improving labour mobility for certified workers in professions and trades.

If passed, the legislation would support Ontario's commitment to implement the labour mobility provisions of the AIT in Ontario. It would establish a Labour Mobility Code to govern how Ontario regulators will support full mobility for out-of-province workers who are already certified. Regulators include such organizations as the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Professional Engineers Ontario and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority.

The proposed legislation would ensure that a worker certified to practice in one province or territory will be entitled to be certified in that occupation in Ontario without having to complete additional material training, experience, examinations or assessments.

The Act would recognize that Ontario regulators can set standards that are considered necessary to protect the public. At the same time, it would encourage regulators to work with their colleagues across Canada to achieve common standards, where possible.

Other key elements of the proposed legislation include:

• Allowing workers to apply for certification in Ontario without having to be a resident of Ontario.

• Allowing the responsible Minister to review a regulator's practices and take all necessary steps to ensure those practices comply with the Labour Mobility Code that is set out in the proposed Act.

• Enabling the Ontario government to impose fines on regulators who do not remove mobility barriers such as additional material testing and training, and to recover any fines imposed on Ontario by an AIT panel because a regulator did not work with the government to comply with the Code.

• Amending existing Ontario laws to conform with the Labour Mobility Code.

• Enabling the Ontario government to comply with the AIT's dispute resolution process.

 

If passed, the following provisions will take effect immediately upon the Act coming into force:

• The Act would override provisions in any other Act, regulation or bylaw that conflict with the Labour Mobility Code.

• The Act would apply to applications made on or after the day the Act comes into force or to any application where a final decision has not been made by that date.

• To make it easy for workers to get information, the Act would require regulators to publish on their websites all certification requirements for workers already certified in Canada.

 

Furthermore, if the Act is passed, regulators will need to amend any inconsistent regulations and bylaws within 12 months of the Act coming into force

 

May 5, 2009 11:00 AM

Full labour mobility will strengthen Canada's productivity and competitiveness, help meet changing labour market needs and support the ability of all Canadians to live and work where they want in Canada.

By introducing the Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009, the McGuinty government is meeting a commitment made last July by all premiers to eliminate the barriers that prevent workers from moving easily between provinces to find work.

Under the Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT), certified workers in professions and skilled trades will be able to move freely to work where opportunities exist or where they choose to live in Canada. Under the proposed legislation, workers who are already certified in another province or territory would be entitled to be certified in that occupation in Ontario. In the past, many qualified workers have faced lengthy delays before being able to work in Ontario.

Labour Mobility under the 2009 Agreement on Internal Trade

On January 16, 2009, Canada's premiers agreed to amend the AIT to remove labour mobility barriers for certified workers across the country.

In Ontario, changes to the AIT will apply to about 80 regulatory authorities and 300 occupations, including skilled trades. Doctors, dentists, architects, engineers, mechanics and plumbers are some of the professions and trades that will benefit from rules that make it easier to work in Ontario.

Provinces and territories can maintain additional requirements for those occupations where it is necessary to protect the public interest in areas such as health and safety or consumer protection. Exceptions will be posted at www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/tcu/ this summer and can be challenged by other provinces and territories.

Labour Mobility and the Skilled Trades

The AIT supports the Red Seal Program as a model for achieving full mobility and national standards of excellence for training and certification in the skilled trades. Ontario's commitment to the Red Seal program is confirmed in the proposed Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009.

The Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program sets common standards across Canada for the skilled trades. These standards are developed and endorsed by industry. Workers with the Red Seal are highly employable because employers know they have the skills and knowledge to get the job done.

Under the AIT, workers with the Red Seal will continue to enjoy full labour mobility. Certified workers in non-Red Seal trades that have been matched across jurisdictions would also be entitled to full labour mobility.

Labour Mobility between Ontario and Quebec

Ontario is currently negotiating an economic partnership agreement with Quebec, reflecting the high level of commitment for greater co-operation in both provinces.

Under the proposed agreement, both provinces agree to improve labour mobility for certified workers, similar to the approach set out in the AIT. The agreement builds on the 2006 Construction Labour Mobility Agreement between the two provinces.

 

 

May 5, 2009 11:00 AM

McGuinty Government To Introduce Legislation To Attract Skilled Workers

Full labour mobility will help Ontario workers and industry succeed in a challenging economy by removing barriers to opportunity.

Under proposed legislation to be introduced later today, workers certified in any Canadian province or territory would be eligible for the same certification in Ontario without additional training or testing.  If passed, the Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009 would make it easier for workers to commence employment without long delays, with a few exceptions.

Earlier this year, all provinces and territories agreed to eliminate the barriers that prevent certified workers from moving between jurisdictions to work.  The proposed legislation would strengthen Ontario's economy by improving productivity and competitiveness.

QUICK FACTS

 

	Approximately 80 regulatory authorities and 300 occupations in Ontario would benefit from labour mobility legislation.
	If the legislation is passed, workers certified by another province or territory would be able to work in Ontario without additional training or testing. Some exceptions to full labour mobility may be necessary to protect such things as health and safety and consumers. Ontario’s exceptions are currently under consideration.
	All provinces and the federal government endorsed changes to the Agreement on Internal Trade in January 2009 aimed at creating full mobility across Canada.

 

 

Ontario Budget 2007: Highlights

Education
Class sizes are down, test scores are up and more students are graduating and moving on to post-secondary education. This is a big step forward from education chaos under the Conservatives. We're helping students achieve even more with another $4 billion investment in Colleges and Universities and more funding for schools.

	$18.3 billion investment in our schools
	Hiring 6,700 new elementary school teachers
	Increasing financial aid to post-secondary students and limiting student debt
	6,800 projects to repair existing schools and build new ones

Health
We're making more progress to help you get the health care you need, when you need it. Wait times are down and more Ontarians have a family doctor. We're hiring more than 8,000 nurses by the end of 2007-08 and boosting the number of medical school graduates. And we're investing another $135 million to further reduce wait times, including funding for pediatric surgery.

	We're creating 150 Family Health Teams to provide care to 2.5 million more Ontarians
	Improving efficiency of emergency departments with an additional $143 million investment
	Funding 100 projects to build new hospitals, modernize older hospitals, and reduce wait times

Helping our Most Vulnerable
Everyone deserves the opportunity to grow and prosper. That's why we're helping almost 1.3 million children and families through the new Ontario Child Benefit, raising the minimum wage in a balanced and responsible way and making it easier for families to find good, decent homes by investing in affordable housing.

	$2.1 billion Ontario Child Benefit
	Increasing the minimum wage to $10.25 by 2010
	Helping a total of 35,000 families with affordable housing allowances

Environment
The McGuinty Liberals are the first Ontario government in a decade to make the environment a priority. Ontario is the only jurisdiction in North America to start shutting down coal-fired plants and we're #1 in Canada when it comes to investing in wind power. Now the 2007 Budget immediately invests nearly $125 million in the environment.

	$150 rebates for home energy audits
	Funding for over one million trees to help clean the air we breathe
	$200 million for new projects to reduce greenhouse gases
	Investing close to $1 billion in public transit

Seniors
We're putting more money into the pockets of seniors. We're making it easier to access retirement savings with a new life income fund, which would increase income and allow more money in locked-in funds to be unlocked. We're allowing more couples to split pension income and boosting tax credits for seniors.

	Saving couples $170 million in Pension Splitting
	25% unlocking of life income funds
	Enhancing property and sales tax credits for seniors

Keeping Business Competitive
Ontario is back on its feet. Our business education property tax cut will benefit over 500,000 businesses. And we're stabilizing the Conservative's flawed property tax system because residents and business owners deserve property taxes that are fair and predictable.

	$540 million Business Education Property Tax cut
	A fair property tax system
	Balanced budget
	Ending GTA pooling
	Accelerating the elimination of the capital tax

 

 

Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
McGuinty Government Invests In Union-Employer Training Centres

   Meeting The Skills Training And Apprenticeship Needs Of The Economy

    WOODBRIDGE, ON, April 12 /CNW/ - The McGuinty government is making a major investment that will help union-employer training centres modernize equipment and train more workers, apprentices and journeypersons to industry standards, Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges & Universities, and
Greg Sorbara, MPP Vaughan-King-Aurora announced today.
    "Today's investment will help more apprentices gain skills that will last a lifetime," said Sorbara. "Ontario's new economic strength is being built on access to quality postsecondary education and enhanced skills training." "Our unions and employers know exactly what skills their workers need to get the job done," Bentley said. "That's why we're recognizing their training expertise by investing in up-to-date learning equipment so they can hit the ground running when they arrive in the workplace."
    Through the Skills Training Infrastructure Program, Ontario is making $25 million available in 2007-08 to enable union-employer training centres to replace or upgrade equipment to meet industry standards. The funding will allow the centres to keep pace with changing technological requirements, encourage collaboration and leverage additional training resources from industry partners.
    "This announcement recognizes the important contributions that unionized labour and employers make in developing a highly skilled construction workforce that can meet the demands of Ontario's economy," said Patrick Dillon, business manager of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario. "The Skills Training Infrastructure Program will help produce more highly skilled tradespeople, training apprentices and upgrading journeypersons on the most technically advanced equipment available."
    Union-employer training centres are key partners in Ontario's apprenticeship system, training thousands of apprentices each year. Bentley and Sorbara made today's announcement at the opening of the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program Conference being held by the Toronto District School Board at Carpenters Union Local 27 Training Centre. The McGuinty government is investing $8.25 million in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program in 2006-07, providing opportunity for 24,000 students.

 

News Release

Ministry of Labour Ministère du Travail

For Immediate Release

April 18, 2007

WORKPLACE SAFETY STRATEGY PREVENTING INJURIES AND SAVING MONEY
McGuinty Government On Target In Improving Worker Safety

TORONTO--The McGuinty government’s workplace health and safety strategy continues to produce dramatic results by preventing the human cost of workplace injuries and avoiding costs for businesses, Labour Minister Steve Peters announced today.

"Our plan is working--we are well on track to reduce the lost-time injury rate by 20 per cent by 2008. In 2006, there were more than 15,600 injuries prevented,” said Peters. "And we continue to take strong, aggressive action to ensure that when Ontarians go off to work they come home safe and sound.”

As a result of the strategy, there have been 30,340 fewer lost-time injuries to Ontario workers over the past three years than there otherwise would have been. This has resulted in Ontario businesses avoiding more than $2 billion in costs associated with workplace injuries. A lost-time injury occurs when a worker loses wages as a result of a temporary or permanent work injury.

Peters made the announcement today at the opening of this year’s annual conference of the International Association of Labour Inspection. It was Ontario’s success in workplace health and safety that attracted the association to hold its conference here--the first time ever in North America.

The strategy involves initiatives by the government and its health and safety partners, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), Health and Safety Associations, and Ontario employers and workers.

The government and its partners have taken bold steps to meet their goal to reduce workplace injuries by 20 per cent by 2008, including:

	Hiring 200 new health and safety inspectors.
	Focusing ministry inspections on firms with the highest injury rate and highest WSIB costs--up to 6,000 annually--and inspecting them up to four times a year.
	Giving more than 5,000 other workplaces per year a "last chance” to voluntarily improve their health and safety records with the help of the WSIB and 12 health and safety associations.
	Promoting the on-going Pains and Strains Campaign to help reduce ergonomic-related injuries, which account for 42 per cent of all lost-time injuries in Ontario.
	Promoting young worker health and safety.

"The workplace health and safety strategy is saving thousands of workers the pain and suffering of serious workplace injuries,” said Peters. "And with fewer workplace injuries, employers are benefiting by avoiding costs associated with lost production, retraining costs and equipment damage. The many partnerships we have formed in our workplaces, with labour, companies, business associations, health and safety organizations and others are key to our success.”