Kathleen Wynne And Dalton McGuinty's College Of Trades Cash Grab

 Check out those guys in the pictures. That's Courtney, Riad, and Victor. All are licensed technicians here in the province of Ontario, and good ones at that. All three work long and hard hours to support their families with housing, food, and life's necessities. And all three are perfect examples of the McGuinty/Wynne College of Trades tax grab

 Let's start with Courtney first. Courtney renewed his license back in May 2011. The cost was $60 for three years. The College of Trades issued card shows an expiry date of May, 2014. So you would think that Courtney would not be subjected to the McGuinty/Wynne tax increase until May 2014, right? Wrong. Not that long ago, Courtney received a letter stating he owed $120 to remain licensed with the College of Trades. Now Courtney knows his current certificate does not expire until May/2014. He carries the card in his wallet, as do almost all trades persons with certification. So Courtney's not really impressed with the fact that he was paying $60 for three years has abruptly changed to $120 for one year. Think about that. An increase from $60 to $360 for a three year period. But it gets worse. Courtney gets a letter telling him his license is suspended because he didn't send in the $120, even though the card issued to him shows his license is valid for 5 more months. So now they want $130 to reinstate his license, plus the $120 for the year for renewal. Yep, Wynne thinks this guy should fork over $250 to reinstate his license, which according to the government issued card is still valid. Brilliant, right?

 Next, let's get to Riad. He's the youngest of the 3. Riad worked hard throughout his apprenticeship and became certified last year after writing his final test. That test carried a price of over $100. Riad passed the test, and paid his $60 for his trade certification. That $60 was to cover the following three year period. So what happens? Riad gets an invoice in the mail demanding the $120 to keep his license valid just months after paying the $60. Like Courtney, his card shows an expiry date, only his is 2016.

 And finally Vic. I fine hard working family man with young children at home. Like Courtney and Riad, Vic had paid his $60 to keep his certification for the following three year period, and just months after received the invoice demanding the new fee of $120. Now to put this in perspective, imagine going down to the Ministry of Transport and plunking down the money for your license plate sticker renewal, which by the way has risen around 40% under McGuinty/Wynne's government. So you've paid your renewal fee and think you are good to go. A month down the road, the MOT sends you and invoice demanding payment for the new fee, which has doubled while only covering you for 33% of the renewal time your previous sticker did. Failure to pay the new amount, even though your receipt shows you paid up until the following year, will result in your license being suspended.

 Pretty outrageous right? And not something the McGuinty/Wynne government could get away with. So why is it acceptable to screw trades people? And why, oh why, does the cost suddenly need to rise from $60 for three years to $360 for three years? Could it be that the provinces finances, which appear to be in very dire straights are actually far worse than Wynne is telling us? There's a new rumor circulating in political circles regarding Wynne's proposed Ontario retirement plan. That rumor is the province faces another credit rating downgrade, which would be damaging to McGuinty/Wynne's Liberals re-election chances.

 Whether discussing the College of Trades ridiculous increase in fees, or Ontarios proposed retirement plan, there is a distinct bad odour, and it's only going to get worse.