Fresh from his provincial budget delivery, Ontario premier Doug Ford showed up at the Ontario General Contractorsโ Association (OGCA) Symposium on April 12 to tout his governmentโs โopen for businessโ initiatives, with a focus on โcutting red tape and regulationsโ and tax savings to encourage โbusinesses to invest in Ontario and create jobs.โ
And infrastructure spending will be a top priority.
โGet your shovels ready, because weโre going to be pouring money into infrastructure,โ Ford said in a lunchtime speech to the OGCA gathering at the Blue Mountain Resort.
Planned changes to the apprenticeship system, which will allow for more flexible training and certification in a full trade or in a portable skill set, drew mixed reactions, including observations from OGCA government relations director David Frame that he needs to study the actual budget legislation (Section 40) very closely to understand the implementation and details of the proposed new training model.
Notably, the Ontario Building Trades, representing organized labour, expressed support for the governmentโs infrastructure spending, even as it expressed concerns about the training provisions to replace the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT).
โThe provincial budget delivers on key infrastructure investments to support jobs in Ontarioโs construction industry based on the $14.7 billion projected for 2019-20,โ said Patrick Dillon, business manager of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario.
The government says its current plans are part of a $144 billion 10-year infrastructure commitment. โSeeing continued funding for projects reinforces new opportunities for skills training that Ontarioโs construction workers are key to embark on,โ Dillon said. โThe Building Trades look forward to working with the government to promote apprenticeship in the skilled trades as a first-choice career path.โ
In his OGCA speech, Ford summarized some aspects of the proposed new apprenticeship and training approach. โUnder our new portable approach, apprentices and journey people will be able to work in a variety of industries, (and be) trained in skills across different trades.โ
โSmall businesses can employ apprentices through employer groupsโ and a new โchief training and skills advisor will be appointed to support new programs,โ he said.
These changes have won the approval fo the Progressive Contractors Association (PCA) of Canada, which advocates for non-union employers and those whose workers are represented by the Christian Labour Alliance of Canada (CLAC) which encourages workers to develop multiple skills.
โThe Ford government has shown in this budget that it understands the challenges facing Ontarioโs construction and skilled trades sector,โ said Sean Reid, PCAโs vice-president and regional director, Ontario. โPCA has for years been calling for a new approach to apprenticeship and skilled trades training in Ontario. We need a system that is less bureaucratic, more focussed on job-ready skills for workers, and more responsive to shifting market needs. This budget shows that the Ford government is answering our call.โ
The budget document shows a commitment to creating โdynamic labour markets and safe workplacesโ with plans to develop a โnew governance frameworkโ to replace the OCOT, the Building Trades said in a statement.
โThus far, indicators are that there has been a lack of consultation between the government and the legitimate apprenticeship trades training providers in Ontario,โ Dillon said. โWe intend to work with the government to improve the trades training system insofar as the government shares that intent.
โThe Building Trades training providers will work with any and all interested parties, including government, consumers, employers and owner-clients to further strengthen the most highly trained, safest and most productive construction workforce in North America.
โThis involves establishing a robust trades regulation system that will effectively sere customers, owner-clients, construction employers, and especially apprentices at a time of solid economic performance.โ
In his speech, Ford said: โWeโre giving people the tools to bring people in to accelerate their training, and give them an opportunity โ and we got rid of the College of Trades which was a pain in the backside.โ
However, the actual structure of the training system to replace the OCOT is still unclear and the details will determine how the construction industry is able to adapt and implement the new procedures, OGCAโs David Frame indicated.
The budget indicates significant capital contributions and planned expenses for both transit and heath care, though municipalities are expressing concern that the originally expected revenue from gas tax increases wonโt happen, now that the government has cancelled these taxes.
Among allocations are $28.5 billion for transit in Toronto, including a new 15-km. Ontario Line, replacing an originally planned much shorter TTC relief line.
The budget also includes a Health Capital Investment of $17 billion in capital grants over the next 10 years to increase hospital capacity and address urgent issues, and close to $13 billion in capital grants over the next decade to build new schools in high-growth areas and improve the condition of existing schools.
The government plans to cut red tape and end delays that have blocked the development of the Ring of Fire area in Northern Ontario by working with willing partners to ensure sustainable development in the North, the PCA says in its statement.
In his speech, Ford railed against the Carbon Tax, saying โit does nothing for the environment.โ
โItโs a tax with the word carbon in front of itโ but it simply makes everything more expensive. โHow do you compete in the worldโs economy with one hand tied behind your back,โ he said.
Ford said the province can quite easily achieve its greenhouse gas reduction targets without forcing the tax on Ontarioโs population. He said the government will fight the tax in the โSupreme Court with the support of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick and other provinces. . . this is going to kill our competitiveness.โ