OCTOBER 21, 2024
Ontario’s new car and truck retailers are eager for the return of the parliamentary session at Queen’s Park today as a key piece of legislation is set to be voted on by MPPs soon.
Bill 190, the Working for Workers Five Act, 2024, introduced by David Piccini, the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, aims to cut red tape in two key ways:
- Creating a new pathway to enter the trades by allowing the use of “alternative criteria” that will be deemed equivalent to current academic standards. The definition of “alternative criteria” will be established once the Bill passes and the regulation is created; and
- Extending authority to the Registrar of Skilled Trades Ontario (STO) or another qualified person to assess whether the alternative criteria have been satisfied. This would allow STO to have the authority to assess the competency of prospective skilled trade workers wanting to enter the workforce. The MVRO believes STO is best equipped for this responsibility as they are the one-stop shop for licensing and regulating the trades.
“Minister Piccini understands an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ approach is required to address Ontario’s critical automotive trades shortage and Bill 190 is a big part of that,” said Frank Notte, Director of Government Relations for MVRO. “Minister Piccini is cutting red tape and bringing forward a modernized system to help attract the next generation of auto technicians and auto body repairers.”
A report by professional services firm MNP found over 3,000 automotive trade vacancies in Ontario as of Q1 2023, up from about 1,500 pre-pandemic.
No date has been set for the third and final vote on Bill 190, but its likely to happen in the coming weeks.
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The Motor Vehicle Retailers of Ontario has been the voice of Ontario’s new car and truck retailers since 1908, offering industry leading advocacy and member support. MVRO’s 1,100 members generate and support 85,300 jobs and contribute $14 billion in GDP to Ontario’s economy every year.
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