Sprinkler and Fire Protection Installer soon to be compulsory trades in Ontario
April 22, 2016 | By HPAC
The Sprinkler and Fire Protection Installer trade is being reclassified and changing from voluntary to compulsory. The Ontario College of Trades (the College) is taking a two-year implementation approach to help ease this process, which began on February 2, 2015. Throughout the transition period, the trade has remained voluntary, but on February 2, 2017 there will be a number of requirements that will change.
When the classification becomes compulsory, individuals in the Sprinkler and Fire Protection Installer trade will need to be members who are in good standing in one of the College’s following membership classes in order to continue to work legally. The classes include: the Apprentices Class (statement of membership); the Journeyperson Candidates Class (statement of membership); and the Journeyperson Class (Certificate of Qualification/Provisional Certificate of Qualification) issued by the College.
Backgrounder
On March 19, 2013, skilled trades professionals in the Sprinkler and Fire Protection Installer trade requested a review of their trade’s voluntary classification through their Trade Board. Following an open and public call for written submissions and oral consultations led by an independent Review Panel, on April 23, 2014, the College received the Panel’s decision that the trade should be reclassified as a compulsory trade. The Review Panel considered all submissions received against a set of criteria that included public safety, economic impact of reclassification, and the health and safety of apprentices and journeypersons working in the trade.
After receiving feedback from industry through the Sprinkler and Fire Protection Installer Trade Board, the College’s Board of Governors worked with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to develop a regulation to implement the reclassification.
The regulations has now been posted to e-Laws (ONTARIO REGULATION 20/15, 21/15, 22/15 and 23/15), and the classification change will be fully implemented in 2017.
