The Provincial Government has launched a review of occupational cancer to ensure that best practices are considered with respect to workers' compensation.

The government has hired Dr. Paul Demers, through Cancer Care Ontario, to conduct the review and report back to the Ministry of Labour by the end of the year.

The review will address and provide recommendations on three basic questions:

• How can scientific evidence best be used in determining whether a cancer is work related, particularly in cases of multiple exposures?
• Are there any best practices in other jurisdictions that Ontario should consider adopting?
• As scientific evidence evolves around occupational cancer, what criteria should the Ministry of Labour consider in developing legislative policy?

The review and recommendations will also help the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) with important advice as it reviews occupational disease claims.

The government is also launching an Occupational Disease and Illness Prevention Strategy.

The Ministry of Labour is working with the WSIB to:

• Further understand occupational disease and hazardous substances in the workplace
• Strengthen workplace protections
• Build awareness and education among Ontarians about occupational illness prevention
• Establish partnerships to help improve management of occupational illness in the province.

David Frame of OGCA recently participated on a panel at the annual meeting of the ORCGA (Ontario Regional Common Ground Alliance). The event was the ORCGA Damage Prevention Symposium and the panel was on the Impact of Marijuana Legislation. Also on the panel was Dr. Melissa Snider-Adler of DriverCheck and Matthew Badrov of Sherrard Kuzz.

The session was well received with many excellent questions about compliance and protecting your business.

The latest issue of the Consulting Engineers of Ontario newsletter can be found here. Articles include:

• Engineers Canada Online Workshop
• PEO external regulatory review
• 2019 OCEA Gala | Save the date
• Eight-storey timber build slated for Toronto’s Junction

The latest issue of the Ontario Electrical League newsletter can be found by clicking here. Some of the items included in this issue are the following:

• Lobby Day Report from February 20, 2019 
• WSIB’s ‘call centre model’ is ‘failing vulnerable workers,’ board staff say
• Power being restored after 'proactive' inspections at 240 Wellesley

League of Champions will be joining the annual COR^TM Open House and OGCA Leadership Day. It will include recognizing current and new League members, and current members who recently received their COR certification.

League of Champions will have a booth. Please don't hesitate to drop by and say hi. Looking forward to see all the League of Champions leaders. Please don’t forget to bring your Jersey!

To League of Champions members who haven’t registered yet, please register here.

In partnership with MySafeWork, the League of Champions (LOC) will be heading to the University of Toronto on March 27, 2019.

The LOC has an exciting opportunity to promote health & safety to 1,000 students from engineering.

Get ready to field industry questions from the best and the brightest.

To RSVP for this event, please contact Marjorie Javier by email at marjorie@theloc.ca.

Date: Wednesday, March 27
Time: Champions arrival time: 1:30 pm; Presentation time: 2 – 4 pm
Location: University of Toronto, Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship
(55 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 1A4 – just north of College) – This is the new building in engineering.
Room: MY150 – the large lecture hall
Audience: Approximately 1,000 engineering students

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.

Would you like to be on a PAC (program advisory committee) for Occupational Health & Safety at Lambton College in Toronto?

We need members from the construction industry to give valuable advice to the committee! The committee meets approximately three times per year, from 5 - 7 pm, after hours and we provide supper!

This committee is fun and provides good industry experience and an opportunity to advise the future of our students. Please email below if you are interested.

Jane Snyder, Chair of Committee
Lambton College in Toronto,
Program Advisory Committee, Occupational Health & Safety

Email to: Jane Snyder, Snyder Construction (905 655 5000 for questions)

If your company is having an anniversary this year, like Buttcon, celebrating 40 years in the industry, we want to hear from you.

This space usually sits empty in the newsletter, so let's fill it with your amazing achievements!

Simply email mary@ogca.ca with your accomplishments and we will include it in the bi-monthly newsletter!

OGCA is pleased to welcome three new members, all approved at the last Board of Directors Meeting.

Chandos Construction Ltd., Toronto
Image Construction Inc., Niagara Falls
Niacon Ltd., Niagara Falls

We hope that our current members will welcome them next time we all get together!

OGCA and the Associate Partners committee are pleased to welcome Procore Technologies, FTI Consulting and Petrela Winter & Associates as the newest members of the Associate Partners Program. Be sure to watch for them at the Symposium in April!

Also, the APP committee held its first Annual General Meeting to which all APP members were invited. Almost half of the full complement of members attended, which is a great turnout for the first meeting!

Among items on the agenda was the need to appoint a new member to the committee. Jeff Kienapple of Gallagher, who has been the Chair of the committee since inception, has stepped down and will sit as the Immediate Past Chair. John Marshall of Lafarge now takes over as Chair for the next year. We have received three nominations for the next position on the committee, and will be sending out a survey to the members of the APP to find out who will be taking this position. We would like to thank Jeff Kienapple for his leadership in setting up the committee and the program. (John Marshall is shown on the left, with Jeff Kienapple)

Also discussed was the number of events that the APP members can participate in, as well as what is avaialble for them as a return on their investment. Members were advised that they can hold webinars either at their offices or at ours, they can add articles to the newsletter – whether it is a notice of a new product or service, or a change of address, or an upcoming event they want promoted, and they can also contribute to the Generals Magazine, as several members did for the Spring/Summer issue (available soon).

FCA Insurance Brokers is hosting a Coffee with Colleagues session on March 13, 2019.

Our panel will be presenting an insightful seminar on the recent changes to the Construction Act and how these changes affect your business.

We will be specifically focusing on:

1. Understanding the Transition Rules (s. 87.3 of Construction Act) – Does your contract fall under the new rules or old rules?
2. Deadlines to Preserve and Perfect Liens – All contractor must be aware of the new timelines!
3. Release of Holdback – Tired of waiting for your holdback?
4. Labour & Material Bond on public projects – What you need to know about the new bond wordings?

Please come prepared with questions if there are any specific issues you require clarity on.

To register, please click here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The latest issue of Ontario Legislative Reports is now available. Click here to access. For issues prior to 2019, please contact Mary Wademan at the OGCA.

Last week, OGCA staffer Steven Crombie joined Ed Sikkema, Jonathon Quinn and John Westerhook of Maple Reinders for an exciting curling bonspiel, hosted by the Barrie Construction Association. In past years, OGCA won one time, but that didn't happen this time. While we did manage to beat COCA and the team from Grand Valley Construction Association, we ended up far from first place! But it was a fun event nevertheless! Even Chairman John Dawson went up to catch the finals.

Thank you to the local construction associations who organize this annual event, and especially Alison Smith from the Barrie Construction Association for her help in setting this up.