The Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association, has commended the Ontario provincial government for reassessing and retaining the industrial exception under the Professional Engineers Act.
By retaining the industrial exception, Ontario manufacturing will actually be in a better position to compete relative to other jurisdictions and retain the high level of worker protection called for under the already existing, Ontario-exclusive Pre-Start Review (PSR) requirements. CVMA member companies place a strong emphasis on worker safety and have firmly entrenched highly sophisticated worker health and safety programs in their plants in Ontario.
“A repeal of the long standing industrial exception would provide no clear safety enhancement for Ontario and create an unnecessary overlap with existing employer obligations under the existing Occupational Health and Safety Act PSR regime as required by the Ministry of Labour,” remarked CVMA president Mark Nantais.
The CVMA said that, taking into consideration all the existing regulatory regimes to protect public safety, as well as the cost implications and impact on human resources, the repeal of the industrial exception would have substantially increased the cost of doing business in Ontario. The result would have been a reduction in productivity and competitiveness, weakening the province’s position as a positive place to do business.
Additionally, the association said that the repeal of the industrial exception would detract from the government’s intention to reduce red tape and would fail to meet the objectives of the Open for Business initiative to enhance competitiveness.
