The Honourable Reza Moridi
Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities
900 Bay Street
3rd Floor Mowat Block
Toronto, Ontario
M7A 1L2

Dear Minister,

I have completed my report on the Ontario College of Trades commissioned by you in October 2014 pursuant to Order-in-Council 1325/2014.

As you know, the issues encompassed by my terms of reference have a long and complex history and have attracted a considerable degree of interest. This, together with tensions between the College’s mandate as both advocate and regulator, has made the work interesting and challenging.

It is my hope that the report will contribute in some way to a stronger, more viable and focused College of Trades with better capacity to contribute to the economy and quality of life in Ontario. This is what the College and its stakeholders clearly want and it is what the trades and the public deserve.

Several factors have contributed to the review and my ability to deliver this report and recommendations.

First, I believe this was the right time for the review and I commend you for taking this important step relatively early in the trajectory of the College. This has been appreciated by a large number of College stakeholders.

Second, the requirement to consider the issues through the lens of the public interest brought considerable clarity to the analysis and helped in crafting recommendations. In the context of the College’s governing legislation, this lens must be applied more broadly in college decision-making and policy development and I hope this report might be helpful in suggesting how this might be done.

Third, the College, your ministry and a broad range of trades, employers, trade unions, apprentices and training associations stepped forward and offered their best advice in this review and I’m very grateful for this. The College, through its Chair, Board, Registrar and staff, is to be commended for embracing the review and providing seamless support to my work in parallel with maintaining its important work in serving its community.

None of us work alone, and that is especially true for me. In doing this work I have received first-rate professional support from a small team of skilled and dedicated professional staff drawn from your ministry and the College.

I must particularly recognize Samantha Anderson, the project director for the review, who has led the design and implementation of the consultation process and the work on research and analysis, and has drafted large parts of this report. She is a superb professional public servant and, in her role as director, has brought out the very best from a small and highly skilled team and worked alongside me in reaching out to a large number of stakeholders. I would not have been able to do this without her.

There remains only to thank you Minister for the opportunity and privilege to do this work.

With best wishes,

Tony Dean
Reviewer