Letter to Minister Rod Phillips re Opening the ICI Sector

On April 30, the OGCA sent a letter to Minister Rod Philips, Ontario’s Minister of Finance, regarding the imminent need to re-open our ICI construction sector.

The purpose of the letter was to show that Ontario’s general contractors are prepared to go back to work, safely re-open their worksites and drive economic growth forward. You can read the full letter here.

The letter explains three key considerations: 

1. That ICI construction is a key economic driver of the Ontario economy and will be instrumental to its recovery.
2. Ontario should use construction as a means to rapidly retrain and employ people in impacted jobs outside of the construction industry.
3. ICI Contractors’ expertise in health and safety and our implementation of the government’s COVID Safety Protocols make us a prime candidate to re‐open in stage one of economic recovery while maintaining worker safety.

The letter concludes with a final recommendation that the Government of Ontario must make the re‐opening of the ICI construction industry a priority and ease restrictions as soon as public health measures are met. The OGCA will continue advocating for our members until all worksites are operational and ensure that workers are kept safe as restrictions are lifted.

If you have questions about these advocacy efforts or the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please contact David Frame.