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A steward of our industry, Clive has worked tirelessly with his team to promote the industry, facilitate disputes between project partners, promote education and provide advice on work related issues such as contracts. A champion of bringing folks together, he is endeared by OGCA members through the years for leading the Association as its President by being a pro-active voice for general contracting issues across the Province of Ontario. So please join Sanjeev in toasting Clive’s achievements on behalf of our industry and share your good wishes as he approaches retirement at the end of June. For more details, to invite your colleagues and to find out how to watch the LIVE broadcast, please click here. OGCA has partnered with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and other associations to identify business concerns and needs in rebuilding our businesses. The sample included 22% contractors, and included manufactures, retailers, distribution and other business leaders from across the province. Common concerns include the fact that 69% are concerned employees will be reluctant to return to work, and 67% are concerned they will not have access to PPE required to keep workers safe. The employers surveyed strongly support the government's involvement in mandating required COVID safety training (72%). There is a focus on training as an important component of maintaining safe workplaces. Moving forward, 66% of responders would like to be able to test their workforce to more effectively manage the problem, and 57% support a requirement that they use digital software to support contact tracing. This leads us to a discussion with the industry and government about an employer’s management of the health of their workers, their ability to quickly identify workers testing positive, and manage the safety of with those whom they work. OGCA will use this data for our discussions with government about keeping our worksites safe and open. Thank you to our members who participated. As the economy gradually reopens, the Ontario government is helping people affected by COVID-19 get back to work. The province is investing in Ontario's first Virtual Action Centre, an online counselling and training portal, to support laid off and unemployed hospitality workers, and is helping apprentices by providing grants to purchase tools, protective equipment and clothing for their trade, along with forgiving previous loans to purchase tools. The announcement was made today by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development.
As you may be aware, CDAO has joined with a number of provincial and national industry associations to engage Ryerson University for research into the relationship between a project owner’s upfront investment in pre-project activity and the resultant quality of design documents, along with key project performance indicators over the whole project lifecycle. The results are expected to provide an objective framework for a change in the project delivery policies in public infrastructure. From a neutral, third party perspective, the study also provides an opportunity for the design and construction sector to improve communication, awareness and build further trust among all project stakeholders. A more detailed research project overview from Ryerson University is attached. One of the research activities is a nation-wide online survey to collect data and opinions on the current level of upfront investments and their impacts on the quality of design documents and project delivery efficiency. A unique feature of the online questionnaire is the focus on objective project data. Unlike many similar studies before that sought general opinions, this questionnaire asks participants to provide their feedback based on their experience on the most recently completed project in which they participated. In order to capture a holistic picture, professionals representing project owners, architects, engineers, general contractors and subcontractors are invited to participate in this online survey, which should take between 15 and 20 minutes to complete. The survey has launched and will be open until June 30, 2020. The survey can be found here.
Industry News
The Passive House building standard is gaining popularity in Canada because the standard is applicable to almost any building type or design and is the only internationally recognized, proven, science-based energy standard in construction. The main feature of Passive House construction is the ability to heat and cool buildings better and less expensively without any loss of comfort. These buildings consume up to 90% less energy compared to other conventional methods.
The survey provides insight on how the ICI construction industry is beginning to recover during the coronavirus pandemic. Health and safety of workers remain top concern for contractors who are facing the impacts physical distancing has on productivity and project costs. Survey Highlights:
Click HERE to view the Survey. Click here for an anonymous article (from the ORCGA magazine) by a health & safety manager for a utility contractor. This article lists “troubling” issues that contractors deal with on a daily basis, including:
Late locates, through Ontario’s One Call service, have been a common occurrence on construction sites. The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO) is attempting to ascertain what the situation is during COVID. Now that a fuller reopening of construction projects has been given the green light by the Province of Ontario, they are also interested in the experience of general contractors. They particularly want to hear “worst cases” or examples across the province where locates from utility companies have taken several weeks, rather than the mandated five business days. Please see the attached survey and complete it, so that they can compile the data from the contractor community on a timely basis. Should there be any questions, or if you complete the survey, please send it to Andy Manahan - Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario
You will hear from Harold Reinders, President and CEO of Maple Reinders Group, Bryan Arnold, President and Chief Executive Officer of Eastern Construction Company, and Frank Perricone, President of Percon Construction. They will each provide their unique perspective of managing their firm through the pandemic crisis and positioning it for the new challenges of ensuring a safe environment for their workers and all on-site. The discussion will include comments on their corporate commitment to health and safety and how that guided their actions, and how COVID-19 has changed construction safety for years to come. Please join us on Wednesday, June 3 at 3:00 pm for “A View from the Top,” a discussion of how the pandemic has changed our industry and what it means for you and your company. Please register through the League of Champions at the following link. 
Safety
OGCA has now provided (for members only) a link to a listing of PPE Equipment available from several providers, showing the items available, the provider, the sizes and quantities and the prices. Please click here to access that information. Be sure to click to open all columns. Over the next few days, it appears that some areas of our province might be experiencing some severe heat. For that reason, we suggest you check out IHSA's website for Frequently Asked Questions about Heat Stress. 
Associate Partner News and Events
As the Ontario economy reopens and employees are permitted to return to work on-site, the potential for increased absenteeism is real. At the height of the pandemic scare, the Government of Ontario introduced a new COVID-19-related protected leave under the Employment Standards Act, 2000, to complement the general duty to accommodate disability and family status under human rights legislation. Join us for a practical, half-day workshop in which you will acquire knowledge and tools to address a range of absenteeism and attendance issues related to COVID-19 including: when is an employee entitled to time off of work, what is an employer’s entitlement to medical (and other) information, and are there best practices to manage a request for time off, or a refusal to return to the workplace? Using interactive learning and real life-scenarios, we will cover:
DATE and TIME: LOCATION: Zoom Virtual Workshop COST: $400 plus tax REGISTER: Here [you will receive a secure Zoom link 24 hours prior] This is a small group workshop; space is extremely limited. This is an unprecedented time for every person and business in Canada and around the world. WeirFoulds LLP understands the challenges and are here to help you. Our COVID-19 Resources Portal includes the latest articles from our lawyers to help people and businesses navigate the situation. They include information on changes to legislation and the impacts on various industries. We will continue to monitor these developments and publish timely updates. We have also set up a dedicated COVID-19 email address where you can send us questions about your specific challenges. We will do our best to respond as quickly as possible. If there are other matters we can assist you with, please contact us or your relationship partner at any time. As workplaces are opening up in Ontario, the big question that many employers will have is how prepared they are to keep their workers safe from COVID-19.As workplaces are opening up in Ontario, the big question that many employers will have is how prepared they are to keep their workers safe from COVID-19. 4S Consulting, a Health & Safety consulting, online software, and training company, and our H&S partner, is conducting a Free Webinar on - Are you ready for getting back to work during COVID-19? Date: Friday, May 29, 2020 Key Takeaways:
Registration for the FREE WEBINAR is mandatory. The webinar link and log in details will be emailed only to the registered participants. Alliance Creative Marketing is a custom uniform, safety apparels and supplies company in Markham, Ontario. Our Team has over 30 years of experience servicing construction associations such as TCA, GVCA, EACO, OSPE, AWMAC. We are a member of Ontario General Contractors Association and Toronto Construction Association since 2007. They currently have Respirator Masks on sale. Alliance will offer free freight for orders over $250. They can order by contacting the office at 416-822-0222.
Legislative & Legal Updates
The latest issue of the Ontario Legislative Reports is now available on the OGCA website. Please click here to access the May 25 issue. The Ontario Legislative Report is updated every two weeks and explains the intention and status of legislation and regulations that could impact the construction industry. For issues prior to April 2019, please contact Mary Wademan at OGCA. Education & Events
Part 3: Employee Fear on the Jobsite Now that all jobsites are open, workers may be upset because they’re more concerned about catching COVID-19 than they were at home. Employers can reduce fear by giving clear safety information and direction to employees. Establish simple procedures for employees to follow. Spend time supporting and educating supervisors who can then set a positive tone with workers. For workers who need PPE, make it available with a minimum of red tape. Extra time should be taken reassuring workers who must be in close contact with each other. Listen to concerns even if you don’t agree with them or think they are misplaced. You don’t always have to let someone know that you disagree with them. The act of listening to an employee can make them feel safer even if you don’t agree with them. Actual safety procedures are vital but remember the feeling of being safe is also key for workers to perform well and feel good about their jobs. Next week, I will explain how to ask effective questions. If you have questions, need training or literature, please contact Julian directly: Direct Line: 905-866-7301 Thanks to Norm Vokey of VUBIZ for another complimentary course. In today’s uncertain times, anxiety and stress are being experienced by most of us. To access this complimentary course, click here. Conquer Your Anxiety was created specifically to help you assess and manage your anxiety. Once you have completed this module, you will have learned the basics of what anxiety is and how you can affect it. This is being run from their Sampler system so there is no need to register or provide any information about yourself. There is no tracking, certificates, or bookmarking. Please feel free to share this with anyone you feel could benefit from it. Calendar of Events
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the inability of us to gather more than 5 people at a time, it has been decided that we will postpone the July 6 Golf Tournament until sometime in the fall. It may be incorporated with the Annual General Meeting. Watch this space for more information. |
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ONTARIO GENERAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
180 Attwell Drive, Suite 280 | Toronto, Ontario M9W 6A9 Tel 905-671-3969 |
This Friday, join Sanjeev Dhillon of Procore, as he interviews Clive Thurston, where he will reflect on his brilliant career serving the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA), its members and the industry at large.
The Coronavirus Contractors Survey 2: Restart & Recovery is released as the second in a series of independent surveys conducted by the Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS). Between May 11 and May 15, 2020, the OCS led a Contractor’s Survey of 203 ICI (Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional) contractors from across Ontario. 
On Wednesday, June 3, at 3:00 p.m., the League of Champions will present the View from the Top. Three of our CEOs will talk about the challenges and solutions to operating and sometimes closing down and restarting while protecting their employees. The COVID-19 pandemic and the governments closure of most business have required our corporate leaders to find a new course in a health emergency that caught everyone unprepared.
By: Julian Toy, H.S.C.