Atlantic Premiers sign agreement to improve mobility of tradespeople in region

CITYnewshalifax \ By Dan Ahlstrand

Atlantic Premiers have signed an agreement that they say will improve technical safety, the flow of goods and services, and the mobility of tradespeople within Atlantic Canada.

Back on June 12, the Premiers from the four Atlantic provinces met in Prince Edward Island and committed to working towards enabling regulated technical tradespeople to work throughout the region as efficiently and effectively as possible.

This plan will include aligning training, certification, and licensing requirements and expediting registration processes for skilled tradespeople.

“This agreement will make it easier for skilled workers in technical safety trades to work throughout Atlantic Canada. It will help us attract and retain the workers we need to grow our economy while reducing barriers to labour mobility and maintaining high standards of technical safety,” said Tim Houston, Nova Scotia Premier.

The deal, which will come into effect on Saturday, will ensure that the Atlantic Provinces work to collaborate in:

• Seeking opportunities for regulatory alignment for all areas of technical safety across the region;
• Working toward harmonization or mutual recognition of safety standards, where appropriate, to remove barriers to operating between provinces;
• Building on current efforts to establish timelines to review, assess, and provide a response to completed applications submitted by certified technical safety tradespeople from another province or territory to facilitate labour mobility and support industry; and,
• Coordinating and sharing information on related issues, opportunities and challenges.

The Premiers say that the legislative authority of each Atlantic Province over technical safety will be respected, and the needs and circumstances of local stakeholders will continue to be recognized.

Regulatory bodies and professional associations will still be tasked to hold these professionals to a high standard of technical safety in the province in which they work.