Representatives of the skilled trades are raising concerns about a direction the Ford government appears to be moving.
The Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities - Marie Fullerton - is developing legislation that includes the winding down of the College of Trades.
It's the regulatory agency that ensures skilled trades have the necessary certification to do the job.
Unifor and other allied unions that represent skilled trades believe the government will roll the clock backwards and reduce safety on job sites.
IBEW Local 773 Business Manager Karl Lovett says they're concerned about the plan to have one apprentice per journeyman.
Karl Lovett, Business Manager IBEW Local 773,Unifor Hall, turner Road, October 26, 2018 (by AM800's Peter Langille)
"The suggested reform regarding a ratio of one-to-one with apprentices only weakens the quality of our trained Ontario workforce by limiting the number of quality educators on the job, the licensed trades people the people who train these apprentices"
Lovett says the biggest problem is that the government is moving ahead without information.
"If they'd like to sit down with consultation and have consultation meetings with the people in the industry, that's what should have happened. Reform shouldn't have happened before they sat down with us, we have the answers. If they need to define some things or bring 'em in tighter we can help them do that, we know what has to happen in the industry"
Unifor Local 444 President Dave Cassidy says there are already too many businesses that are using unskilled labour to do skilled trades jobs.
Unifor Local 444 President Dave Cassidy, Unifor Hall, October 26, 2018 (by AM800's Peter Langille)
"If you went through there, you're going to see people that are low paid, that are not skilled that they need to have the skill for it and that's what's making Ontario potentially going backwards. And that's what this will do, it will put us backwards based on what the ratio numbers will be"
Cassidy quoted the phrase " skilled trades aren't cheap and cheap trades aren't skilled" when speaking about the issue.
Ontario is the only Canadian jurisdiction that has a regulatory body for skilled trades like the College of Skilled Trades.
The Ontario government intends to have revised legislation early next year and Cassidy says they'll continue to speak out against what they see as dangerous reforms.