Construction Exemptions During the COVID-19 Shutdown

On Monday, March 23, 2020, the Province of Ontario announced it would shut down all non-essential services for two weeks starting Wednesday to help curb the spread of COVID-19. During his announcement, Premier Ford responded to a public outcry regarding sanitary conditions on some job sites and issued a warning that any construction site found in violation of the health and safety protocols would be shut down.

The Ontario government followed up the announcement Monday evening with a full, 74-point list outlining the businesses it considers essential. The list of exempted construction workplaces includes the following:

26. Construction projects and services associated with the healthcare sector, including new facilities, expansions, renovations and conversion of spaces that could be repurposed for health care space
27. Construction projects and services required to ensure safe and reliable operations of critical provincial infrastructure, including transit, transportation, energy and justice sectors beyond the day-to-day maintenance
28. Construction work and services, including demolition services, in the industrial, commercial, institutional and residential sectors
29. Construction work and services that supports health and safety environmental rehabilitation projects

For more information on the shutdown, read our briefing note here. The OGCA is committed to providing up to date information regarding COVID-19. Please visit www.ogca.ca for managing the virus at worksites and www.Ontario.ca/coronavirus for updates on the virus itself.