February 13, 2012

KELLY LAPOINTE

Red tape and ratio changes are issues which need changes, says Tim Hudak, leader of the Conservative opposition in the Ontario Legislature, who spoke at the Ontario Road Builders’ Association’s (ORBA) 85th annual convention at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.

Ontario Road Builders’ Association Toronto convention

Ontario College of Trades will drive up infrastructure costs: Conservative leader Tim Hudak

KELLY LAPOINTE

staff writer

Reducing red tape is one way to create a better Ontario, the province’s Progressive Conservative leader recently told attendees of the Ontario Road Builders’ Association’s (ORBA) 85th annual convention.

Hudak said he would disband the Ontario College of Trades, an issue he campaigned on during the recent provincial election.

“This is impacting on our job situation, it’s going to be more red tape to business,” he told the crowd.

The College of Trades was legislated in 2009 and was formed as a response to one of the recommendations suggested in the 2008 Compulsory Certification Project Review by Tim Armstrong.

ORBA has lobbied, along with a coalition of construction employers from across the province, for the overhaul or complete abolition of the College of Trades.

“If we really want to make sure that businesses are free to invest and innovate with projects done on time, the last thing we need to is to be creating more regulations,” said Hudak.

The College will be in charge of apprenticeship to journeyperson ratios and compulsory certifications, among other responsibilities.

“I don’t think this is about public safety this is about giving more power to the union bosses, with special interests and job creation,” he said. “No other province has this, for good reason. It’ll be a new expensive business that will drive up the cost of infrastructure and will slow us down and hurt us.”

The mandatory membership to Ontario One Call was another election issue for Hudak. The bill would establish a not-for-profit call centre and a single point of contact for all underground utility location services in the province. The bill has passed second reading in the Ontario legislature.

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“It would cut down red tape, it would streamline confusing systems, promote collaboration and communication between business, government safeguarding infrastructure it keeps your workers and the public safe,” he said, adding that failing to identify underground and overhead utilities incur costs which get passed on to taxpayers.

Hudak said that Ontario’s stature as one of the world’s economic powerhouses has eroded. He said two big challenges are the debt crisis and jobs crisis.

Hudak added that changing the current apprenticeship system to a universal 1:1 ratio would create an extra 200,000 jobs.

He explained that road builders must have confidence in the government so they can plan their projects. He pointed out that that the Ontario has always been an exporting and trading province.

“Part of maintaining that competitive advantage is investing in our roads, highways and bridges, getting the right balance back in between highways and transit funding. Fifty-year grand visions no funding and commitment don’t move people faster, don’t move goods faster, they don’t make a city more competitive.”

Hudak believes Ontario’s best days are still to come and that people just need a different approach to get behind.

“With the right mix of pro growth policies, a regulatory framework that actually promotes private sector freedom in innovation and most importantly the philosophy that rejects defeatism we can solve our current jobs crisis, resolve our current debt crisis.”

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