The OCOT power grab continues. Who is their next target?

Home renovators are dodging the OCOT/carpenters’ union grasp, but for how long?

Sounds to me like it’ll be only a matter of time before Ontario home renovators will have to add licensed carpenters to their list of OCOT-approved trades. They already need licensed electrician and plumbers. How would the addition of carpenters possibly help either home owners or the self-employed home renovator?

Perhaps it will push more self-employed renovators underground. It certainly could increase the cost of jobs for homeowners! Remember; union workers are paid handsome hourly rates plus pension and benefits, costly items that a self-employed contractor can currently escape.

The carpenters union appear pleased with the recent 150 page Dean report on the Ontario College of Trades, at least to a certain degree. The only fly in the ointment for them are the forthcoming recommendations from a new 5 to 7 person review panel regarding the next compulsory trade. Who will their first target?

This so-called review panel will, I believe, be comprised of rank and file members, plus an added sprinkling of an outsider for window dressing. Some might call this a kangaroo court, since the outsider would have little or no bearing on any voting outcome.

Finally OCOT can rub its hands with joy! It has been given the green light to go after hundreds of existing trades in this province who are not already under their thumbs. For them, this could be compared to working at the Royal Canadian Mint, printing endless amounts of money for themselves.

Wynne’s Liberals received support in the last Ontario election from both the OCOT and the carpenters union. Their prize was the potential of one day making home renovating, in particularly carpentry, a new compulsory OCOT trade. That day is coming soon.

Once the carpenters’ union finds work for their members in the home renovations industry, where will they stop? Who will be next? Drywallers and tapers? Painters? Is it possible that one day, homeowners will need ten union trades to carry out their washroom renovations?

Ontario runs the risk of becoming the new Quebec, controlled by unions in all sectors in construction.