The University of Toronto’s Building Tall Research Centre and the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) thought you would be interested in the following report and press release.

"Window Wall and Curtain Wall: An Objective Review"

Which one is superior: window wall or curtain wall? The debate rages on within construction circles about the two glass cladding systems for tall buildings. Building Tall teams up with RESCON for a report investigating the merits of both cladding systems.

On June 14, Hart-Well Electrical hosted a fun company outing to the Rogers Center to see a Blue Jays game in celebration of their achievements this past year related to safety.

With over 49 employees, the event focused on celebrating zero lost time injuries, the implementation of a re-vamped Health and Safety Program, nearing COR certification, and joining the League of Champions.

"We are very proud of the improvements we have made to our Health and Safety Program over the past few years and we are happy to get together to celebrate our success. And the Jays won!" said Mike Woolgar, Vice President of Hart-Well.

Hart-Well continues to advocate the importance of safety, and to raise the bar, they asked each of their employees to sign the Jersey of Courage to demonstrate their commitment to safety.

We are proud to have Hart-Well as Champions to the League.

The photo shows Brad Smith, third year apprentice, at the game.

The Ontario Association of Architects Headquarters (OAA) is a 22,300 sq.ft. 3-storey office building renovation project.

The work includes interior alterations, exterior improvements, replacement of major components of the HVAC system and addition of new HVAC components.

Bidders must be members of OGCA.

Click here for the RFQ Description of Project

Frey Building Contractors has released its latest project video. Please click here to view it.

Please click here to read the latest news from Bird Construction.

The latest issue of the McMillan LLP Newsletter can be read by clicking here.

Associate Partner Dan Lawrie Insurance Brokers is pleased to announce the offering of Group Home and Auto Insurance.

Yasir Naqvi, Attorney General and sponsor of the reform of the Construction Lien Act, has issued an invitation (click here to read) for all interested parties to comment on the proposals to overhaul the Construction Lien Act.

The proposal will overhaul the Act by updating the legislation and adding prompt payment requirements and mandatory adjudication for disputes. It represents a complete revision to current practices and will be a significant change to payments and the payment process.

The OGCA Construction Lien Act Committee has produced a comprehensive review of the legislation and is preparing to talk to the government. We have identified a number of issues, many that appear to be primarily drafting questions. We will make recommendations to clarify what we believe to be the intention and present our concerns with proposed requirements.

OGCA is preparing to present seminars this fall, specifically for general contractors, to explain and prepare you to deal with the new requirements.

click here to read the submission (tracked)

click here to read the submission (untracked) 

The Minister of Finance Charles Sousa has announced plans to introduce legislation in the fall to regulate pension plans.

Multi-Employer Plans will now be required to sustain a funding surplus to act as a safety net and ensure funds are available to pay future retirees.

Click here to read the press release.

The WSIB has just completed an open consultation on policy to implement entitlement for Chronic Mental Stress. The addition of stress will greatly expand compensibility and will add considerable costs. The WSIB has estimated that the draft policy will add about $200 million in compensation costs, which will require premium rate increases averaging eight to eleven cents, that is if they are successful in their plan for early intervention and return to work.

OGCA is concerned that under this program, it will be very difficult to provide timely support and return to employment. We are concerned that the WSIB proposal is not a workable template to distinguish work-related chronic stress from non-work-related chronic stress. We propose that Ontario follow the lead of other provinces and use the predominant cause test.

We have worked with other construction employer associations through the Construction Employers Coalition (CEC) to conduct extensive study and develop a comprehensive submission authored by Les Liversidge.

The CEC provides an outstanding analysis of the issues and proposes a very reasonable policy application. The submission can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

The Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development has just announced regional consultations on Apprentice Modernization.

Minister Deb Matthews is determine to complete a review and set new strategies in delivering a modern apprentice system.

OGCA encourages all interested members to attend and participate.

The links below provide information about the regional consultations.

July 18: London

July 19: Markham / Thornhill