HVAC in Ontario

[carbine8]

Hello I live in Brampton about 15 min from Toronto just wondering how is work in Ontario is it skyrocketing? Does it really matter what city your in? We live in a city where it gets extremly cold and there is lots of snow. Does that mean that Ontario will have a little advantages over the places that a strictly hot?

The government said they are expecting a 400 000 ppl loss in trades over a 15 year period and they are going crazy with grants, paying for education and all that. Is there a strong possibility there is going to be a shortage in HVAC?

Also on what did u do to start in HVAC, did you obtain your gas license first?

[Paul Bee]

I signed up for electronics class at skills center as a junior in high school (it was 1971) class was full so I got my second choice,Refrigeration service. A few statistics, there is 4 times as much Air Conditioning work as Refrigeration work. But it can be more seasonal. If the Walk in cooler full of meat quits you have to fix it now! Shortly after I graduated trade school my dad's job moved us from L.A. to Portland Oregon. Everything was Union in those days. So I found a job at a Mom and Pop repair shop owned by 3 repairmen. There is going to be a shortage in HVAC. Old timers like me are retiring and a lot of youngsters don't want to do this kind of work. We don't have a gas license here in Oregon.(only for propane) I would join RSES and try to pass the Certificate Member test, this is equivalent to a 2 year degree in HVAC. If you can pass this test licenses will be easier to get.

[rojacman]

Hello I live in Brampton about 15 min from Toronto just wondering how is work in Ontario is it skyrocketing? Does it really matter what city your in? We live in a city where it gets extremly cold and there is lots of snow. Does that mean that Ontario will have a little advantages over the places that a strictly hot?

The government said they are expecting a 400 000 ppl loss in trades over a 15 year period and they are going crazy with grants, paying for education and all that. Is there a strong possibility there is going to be a shortage in HVAC?

Also on what did u do to start in HVAC, did you obtain your gas license first?

why are so many leaving the trades in the area?? I started on market refrigeration , ours was a turnkey operation , all the cases , walkins , meat cutting rooms , checkout counters ,etc: got my license after my apprenticeship......Regards , Jack

[gruntly]

Hello I live in Brampton about 15 min from Toronto just wondering how is work in Ontario is it skyrocketing? Does it really matter what city your in? We live in a city where it gets extremly cold and there is lots of snow. Does that mean that Ontario will have a little advantages over the places that a strictly hot?

The government said they are expecting a 400 000 ppl loss in trades over a 15 year period and they are going crazy with grants, paying for education and all that. Is there a strong possibility there is going to be a shortage in HVAC?

Also on what did u do to start in HVAC, did you obtain your gas license first?

I've been in the trade near 30 years. The government has caused the mass exodus. There are fewer and fewer HVACR tradesmen with complete credentials simply because of the time and costs involved compared to 20-30 years ago. I got all my tickets at a young age... except for my electronics, which I completed 10 years ago... and since I was on my way to mech technology, I have all the benefit of that as well. That makes me a busy man in this trade... I have no time for installs... I spend a lot of my time now picking up the pieces of post-installer screw-ups. Seriously.

Who is willing to put that much effort into an outdoor physical trade these days? Few, very few. Many just want a paycheque without having to freeze their arse off on a roof in January... which will be here soon.

As you can see, I live in Barrie. Born in Weston, I was raised in Bramalea and moved up here when I was 26 in 1986... Sometimes I think I'm still to close to the city... I work for myself, by myself and haven't been out of work since I finished the pre-apprenticeship course at GBC in 1981.

Moral of the story... Like anything else... The more you know, the more you're worth.

[raveon]

I own a refrigeration business, the government is the single biggest problem. We work in TO all the time, there is a shortage of people. All of us are 313A, 319, OBT-1's and G1's but we are stupid - just ask them. They are driving people out of the trades. We had an apprentice that went to Mohawk - got his first cheque in week 7. He was done school in week 8. Good thing UI is expedited now. Should have been an autoworker, would have had his money the next day. Sorry about the rant, it is a great job though

[Pete_Zahutt]

Are you guys saying that the only excess of HVACR techs is in Minnesota? There won't be a shortage up here because most of the guys are young. If the guys who are retiring are baby boomers born in the late 50's I could see the shortage happening fairly soon and also quickly, but if they were born in the middle to late 60's it might be a while. 400,000 seems like an ok estimate. It would average out to be 27,000 people per year spread out over 15 years.

[blitz]

there is a lack of SKILLED trades ppl in ontario. a lot of butcher around, but lack of ppl who want to learn and willing to take the extra minutes to do a decent job (at least in my town anyway). there's contractor in my town installing furnace with no license left right and center. then we got called to fix it. so far it's been pretty steady for my place of work. my boss' dad is the last batch of ppl who got paid apprenticeship, and that was in the 60s. so go figure. kids have them to easy these days.

[tyreman]

Well theres a couple of reasons

The utiliites or their independent offshoots do the lions share of domesic installs and service now.

Gas customers can put the installs, furnaces and ac jobs as well on the customers gas bill.

Government appointed not for profit regulatory agency clears throat loudly.

Nobody wants to deal with them

The day of the small independant contractor is going, those that remain

Oh I forgot all the hours you have to put in.