A key piece of legislation known as Bill 190, the Working for Workers Five Act, 2024, is set to be voted on by MPPs soon, as the parliamentary session returns at Queen’s Park. The bill was introduced by David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, with the goal of cutting red tape.
The bill aims to do this by creating a new pathway to enter the trades (allowing the use of “alternative criteria” equivalent to current academic standards), and by extending authority to the Registrar of Skilled Trades Ontario (STO) or another qualified person to evaluate whether the alternative criteria have been satisfied.
“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, in a statement. He added that Piccini is “bringing forward a modernized system to help attract the next generation of auto technicians and auto body repairers.”
In a news release, the MVRO said extending authority to the Registrar of STO would allow them to assess the competency of potential skilled trade workers that would like 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,” they said.
As of the first quarter for 2023 there are more than 3,000 automotive trade vacancies in Ontario, according to a report by MNP. That’s up from about 1,500 pre-pandemic. So far no date has been set for the third, final vote on Bill 190, although the MVRO said it is likely to happen in the coming weeks.
