Ontario pushing for key decisions at safety harmonization meeting

Safety harmonization being sought in ontario, represented by a Canadian flag.

On April 10 in Montreal, Ontario Labour Minister David Piccini will ask his counterparts across Canada to make concrete decisions that would put two core safety training requirements on a path to full national harmonization by January 1, 2027.

“We’re pushing for one Canada, one standard,” Piccini said in a pre‑meeting interview with Canadian Occupational Safety, arguing that fragmented training rules make it harder to staff major projects with skilled workers from across the country.

He linked the harmonization push directly to the demand for labour on hospitals, transit, nuclear and other large projects, saying governments have “built these walls” over time and now need to “tear them down” so workers can move more freely between provinces.

Ontario’s ask: decisions now, harmonization by 2027

Ontario will be seeking the following outcomes from labour ministers at the April 10 meeting of the Canadian Association of Administrators of Labour Legislation (CAALL):

    • A record of decision to harmonize working at heights training, leading to full harmonization across participating jurisdictions by January 1, 2027.
    • A record of decision to harmonize mobile elevated work platform (MEWP) training by January 1, 2027.
    • A record of decision to consult on harmonized hoisting and rigging standards, with consultations to take place before January 1, 2027.
    • A commitment that Ontario will propose harmonized standards for entry‑level construction and supervisor training to CAALL by May 2027, setting up a second wave of work.

Piccini stressed the initial list reflects feedback from workers and employers about which programs matter most.

“This list is an important start,” he said. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”

He singled out working at heights as “a biggie,” describing it as one of the top priorities identified when Ontario consulted “a cumulative total of millions of Ontario workers” on which training requirements cause the most friction when people move between jobs and jurisdictions. The Minister recently received support from Canada’s Building Trades Unions and met with the Canadian Construction Safety Council Secretariat in January.

“One reg, it’s the same” – but critics watching the fine print

Piccini argued harmonization needs to go beyond provinces recognizing each other’s courses and toward aligning the regulations themselves.

“We’ve got a great reg for working at heights in Ontario,” he said. “What I would say is it’s no more complicated than ministers at a political level directing their officials to work collaboratively and land on the regulation that mimics that reg across Canada… One reg, it’s the same. It’s easy to understand.”

Safety professionals who have spoken to Canadian Occupational Safety in earlier coverage agree that mobility and clarity are important, but warn that if ministers only harmonize training lists and certificates without committing to parallel changes in each jurisdiction’s OHS regulation, the result could be harmonization on paper that still leaves employers with uneven legal obligations and due‑diligence risk.

Those critics will be watching for signs that the CAALL process ultimately delivers:

    • Converging regulatory wording on key high‑risk work, not just shared course titles.
    • Explicit recognition of harmonized training in provincial and territorial regulations, so certificates earned in one jurisdiction are clearly valid in another.
    • A commitment that any “national” standard will lift up weaker requirements rather than pressuring higher‑standard provinces to move toward a lowest common denominator.

Federal Secretariat for Labour: focus on recognition and mobility

On the federal side, Secretary John Zerucelli’s office is framing the April 10 meeting as part of a broader economic project.

“The upcoming meeting of federal‑provincial‑territorial ministers responsible for labour is pivotal to continue working with provinces and territories to create a more unified and seamless Canadian economy,” the office of the Secretariat for Labour said in a written statement, pointing to pressures from national housing and infrastructure initiatives.

The Secretariat ties the discussions directly to a commitment by First Ministers “to accelerate work to recognise priority health and safety requirements in the construction sector by Fall 2026.” Rather than listing courses like working at heights by name, Ottawa is emphasising recognition of “training outcome frameworks” so that “no worker’s health and safety training is lost when they move across provincial or territorial borders.”

Zerucelli’s office also points out that jurisdictions have already aligned requirements for several types of personal protective equipment such as head, foot, eye and hearing protection, as well as first aid kits and first aid training, under national OHS reconciliation agreements signed in 2019 and 2021.

“Thanks to our continued, strong collaboration, these ongoing efforts will help us create a more agile workforce and economy where workers and businesses can operate safely and freely across the country,” the Secretariat said.

Digital certification: Ontario pushes, Ottawa cautious

Ontario has also been promoting the idea of a national digital certification system to verify workers’ training and credentials.

“I know that we feel certainly that that tech platform is best delivered at a national level,” said Piccini, adding that Ontario could help pilot elements that other jurisdictions could adopt.

The Secretariat for Labour isn’t making specific promises before the meeting but says the federal government “recognizes the importance of exploring what new technologies can do to help us enhance workplace safety and worker mobility.”

Consensus – and what happens if some provinces balk

Piccini says the political and stakeholder climate is favourable heading into the Montreal meeting.

“I would say we’re meeting the moment right now where we’ve got national consensus on this, from people of all different political stripes,” he said, noting he was invited to brief Canada’s Internal Trade Committee and that the federal government has been “really supportive” of Ontario’s efforts.

Asked what happens if one or more provinces or territories refuses to sign on to Ontario’s proposals on April 10, Piccini said he has no plans to walk away.

“If there’s a territory or province that for whatever reason can’t sign on to this, I’ll be on the next flight or the next car drive into that province to make sure we get and build consensus,” he said. “I’m not going to stop until this is done because there’s too much on the line.”

What employers and workers should watch for on April 10

For employers, workers and training providers, key questions in Montreal will include:

    • Do ministers agree to Ontario’s proposed records of decision on working at heights and MEWP, and do communiqués clearly point to January 1, 2027 as the target date for full harmonization?
    • How concrete is the commitment on hoisting and rigging—are ministers only launching consultations, or signalling where they expect those talks to land before 2027?
    • Is there any endorsement of Ontario’s plan to bring entry‑level construction and supervisor training standards to CAALL by May 2027?
    • And do ministers say anything specific about regulatory amendments and digital certification, beyond general support for recognition and mobility?

Piccini’s message heading into the meeting is blunt: “We’ve got a nation to build… and it’s about one Canada, one standard.”

The April 10 talks in Montreal will be an early test of how far and how fast ministers are prepared to go to turn that slogan into enforceable, harmonized rules on the ground.

Original Article – The Safety Mag

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