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Important Update: Repeal of the Industrial Exception

On January 25, 2013, the Attorney General of Ontario proclaimed in force as of March 1 the repeal of the "Industrial Exception" – Section 12(3)(a) of the Professional Engineers Act. CME wrote to the Attorney General immediately calling for a halt to the repeal and requested a regulatory impact analysis by the government. Feedback continued to pour in from members concerned about the change. CME and 27 other industry associations wrote to the Attorney General again calling for a stay of execution.

The AG responded by extending the enforcement date by six months, to September 1, 2013. While this is a welcome delay, CME remains concerned that there is no justification for the change. The cost of implementing it, meanwhile, could be significant – particularly in light of the vague definition of what constitutes "engineering work" under the Act. As such, we are asking for a permanent stay of execution and a return to the status quo with respect to the Industrial Exception.

While we have made great progress in demonstrating these concerns to government, the restoration of the Industrial Exception will be significantly challenging, and continues to be vehemently opposed by the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO).

Now, we need your help. On April 30, CME met with the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG), the PEO and other stakeholders.  The government has stated that they understand our concerns and want to find a speedy resolution to this issue. They have asked for companies to provide information regarding the impact of the repeal of the Industrial Exception. We have said that this will be a challenge given the uncertainty, but that we would make every effort to provide this information. Please let us know in either qualitative or quantitative terms, what you believe the impact of this change will be for your company, and send your comments to CME Ontario Director of Policy, Paul Clipsham, at paul.clipsham@cme-mec.ca.

Please don't hesitate to let Paul or I know if you have any questions. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Sincerely,

Ian Howcroft
Vice President, CME Ontario
Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters

 

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The Ontario Council of Manufacturing Executives is an exclusive group of senior industry leaders, who have come together to speak with one voice of issues impacting manufacturing in the click. Learn more at
ontariomanufacturing.ca.

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