OGCA recently held its latest Strategic Planning Session for the period 2019 to 2021. The 2-day retreat was held at the Millcroft Inn in late January. The report will be going to the Board of Directors for their upcoming meeting on February 22, and will be shared with members once finalized. OGCA reached out to members to conduct a survey prior to the planning session. Thanks to those who participated!

Pictured on the left are the members who participated. (left to right: Daniel Aquino, Bryan Arnold, Al Youmans, Francis Pomerleau, Clive Thurston, Frank Perricone, John Dawson, Paul Raboud, Joel Melloul, David Frame, Mary Wademan, John Goffredo, Raymondo Mollica)

OGCA is pleased to welcome Steven Crombie to our Government Relations team.  

Steven comes to us after working as a former political staffer at Queens Park.

Steven also spent his summers working as a labourer in heavy civil construction during university.

Steven is a hardworking new addition to the OGCA! 

The latest issue of the Ontario Electrical League newsletter can be found here.

The BuildForce annual projection of skills and trades is out, and Ontario will continue to experience high demand.

It reports that the construction industry will need to recruit and maintain 103,900 new workers over the next ten years. Much of the demand is a result of 21.5% of the existing workforce expected to retire (click here to read more).

OGCA is working with the Ontario Skilled Trades Alliance to express the need for the Ford government to take a long term strategic approach to address the skills challenge. We expect legislation in the coming session to close down the Ontario College of Trades, and provide a new direction for our skills and apprentice system.

League of Champions member Pomerleau Inc. held their Health and Safety Quality Day in Calgary on February 5-6, 2019.

Rob Ellis, from MySafeWork, partnered with Pomerleau executives from Alberta and Quebec as the start of a national tour for the League of Champions. The event was also joined by executives from Potash Canada-Nutriens USA - by invitation from MySafeWork.

The presentation by Rob was focused in building a strong safety team in Alberta by developing strong coaching and efficient communication skills. There was a high-level of engagement by Pomerleau Champions in both sessions.

Congratulations to Pomerleau – Calgary for their successful Health and Safety Day event! We are looking forward to presenting at your next event on Feb 19 and 20 with Pomerleau - Ottawa League of Champions.

For more information about the League or to apply to become a Champion, contact Marjorie Javier by phone at 905 671 3969 or email at marjorie@theloc.ca.

You are cordially invited to the 2019 Leadership Conference! There is still room for you to register!

This year the conference will focus on leading change in your workplace by letting you know what is new from government and the safety industry.

We have a lot of great speakers and learning opportunities this year! You can find a detailed schedule in the brochure - click here!

Jane McKenna, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Labour, is in the process of conducting a review of Employment Standards, and the Occupational Health and Safety inspections function of the Ministry of Labour.

The goal is to understand what the inspection experience is like, as well as uncover issues that have arisen. MPP McKenna is open to hearing any suggestions from OGCA members.

Please call our office or submit your comments to steven@ogca.ca

Lots of interesting articles in this issue. Click here to read more.

Here's a quick update on JHSC Certification Training from the Chief Prevention Office (CPO).

Click here.

PCL Construction, one of the largest contracting organizations in North America has, in joint venture with BEUMER Group, a global leader in baggage-handling systems, signed a master agreement with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) for Toronto Pearson International Airport’s Baggage 2025 initiative.
 
Click here to read more.

Lind Equipment is the creator of the LED Jobsite, a temporary lighting system that brings state-of-the-art LED lights that are purpose-built to provide many years of service on the toughest construction sites.

The LED Jobsite pays for itself on the first project, and will dramatically reduce energy costs, downtime, site injuries, and maintenance & installation costs. Adopting the LED Jobsite has a huge impact on reducing the carbon footprint of any project, and with the benefit of reusing the lights on multiple projects, you will further increase your ROI. www.ledjobsite.com

Sherrard Kuzz has provided a brief paper on "Construction Labour and Employment Legislative Update: What's New (and Coming Down the Pipe)". Click here to read the latest information.

Fasken is excited to announce the release of Fasken Edge - our cloud-based collaborative platform. It is designed to make it easier for our clients to work with us and to manage their legal matters.

We know that you are busy with multiple projects and often need information quickly. With Fasken Edge, you will have the information you need in a matter-specific context, conveniently across one platform. Fasken Edge is a “next generation” collaboration tool that will let you provide direction and collaborate on the execution of your matters – right down to the level of individual tasks or documents. A suite of matter management tools supports project teams to deliver on time, on budget and on point. You can also check progress (including fees) on your matters at any time – quickly, securely and on the move.

Click here to read more about it.

Privacy and Surveillance: Understanding an Employer's Rights and Obligations

As arbitrators and courts continue to struggle to balance an employer’s right to manage its business with employees’ right to privacy, employers are often left wondering what they can and cannot do.

Join us at this HReview, as we address employer rights and best practices in the world of privacy, monitoring and surveillance, social media and IT-related misconduct. Click here to register.

The latest issues of the Ontario Legislative Reports are now available on the OGCA website - check out the Government Relations section. Earlier issues are available by contacting Mary Wademan at the OGCA.

The Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSC) Certification Training Standard is being amended to reduce the burden on business while maintaining standardized high-quality training accessible to all workers across Ontario. 

These amendments will simplify requirements for certification, improve access to training, and save employers and workers time and money. The improvements include:

• Allowing Part One JHSC training to be fully delivered via eLearning;
• Adjusting the minimum duration for eLearning to utilize technology and reflect self-paced learning;
• Extending the time to complete Part Two JHSC training to within a year of completing Part One JHSC training, providing more time for employers to schedule training; and
• Simplifying rules to create straightforward timelines for training and eliminating the need to submit forms.

Please see the News Release link for more information.

Metrolinx is pleased to be speaking at this event - February 28, 2019

Morning Keynote: George Bell
As Vice President of Safety and Security for Metrolinx, George is the senior executive in charge of providing strategic leadership and development of a corporate-wide working culture of safety and security.

This includes the implementation and delivery of the safety and security management systems, in line with best practices and regulatory requirements, and a corporate governance structure for safety and security decision-making and authorization.

Click here for more information.

New speakers are being confirmed every day! A listing of the sessions we are confirming can be seen here. (Please note that sessions and speakers are subject to change.)

Remember to register - April 11 - 13, 2019 at Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood. CLICK HERE for the new registration form.

Entertainment on Thursday night will be Graham Chittenden - here's what they say about him:

Fresh and clean…but still relentlessly funny, Graham Chittenden is one of Canada’s most exciting comedic performers. A familiar face at the Just For Laughs festival, on television and on the radio in programs such as Match Game and The Debaters, Graham has shared tours and stages with Howie Mandel, Andrea Martin, and Louie Anderson (to name just a few). And when it comes to corporate audiences, Graham never disappoints, boasting performances for clients ranging from the Foundation Fighting Blindness to the Ontario Home Builders Association.

The winners have been advised for this year's Ontario Builder Awards.

Thank you to all who submitted their projects, and thank you to the judges this year: Bruce Matthews, John Stephenson, John Marshall and Raymondo Mollica.

Be sure to attend the symposium in April when the awards will be presented. Andrew Younghusband, host of Canada's Worst Drive and Canada's Worst Handyman, will be presenting the awards on Friday, April 12.

Congratulations to all the winners!