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The Ontario General Contractors Association is calling on all contractors to immediately meet with their management teams and workers to deliver a message that nothing is more important than safety, to use caution and to stay focused on the job at hand. Our commitment must be that every worker returns home safe to their family.
Yesterday, Premier Ford announced a province-wide 28-day shutdown starting Saturday, December 26, 2020, at 12:01 a.m. Construction activities or projects and related services that support construction activities or projects, including demolition services and land surveyors, have been deemed essential and will remain open.
The construction industry as a collective whole is grieving. Although the industry is expansive and covers multiple sectors, we are all connected and know one another in some form or another. Our industry shares common bonds, experiences, workforce, issues, and above all, pride and passion. We also share in the tragedy and pain of loosing anyone to a workplace accident.
Ontario General Contractors Association was featured in the November 2020 edition of Business View North America, and the article is now available for viewing on their website and in the digital publication. Please join the OGCA staff as we celebrate the holidays with a couple of little videos for you to enjoy! Stay safe and enjoy the holidays. The office will be closed until January 4, but we can all be reached by calling the office or sending us an email. Click here to view A Christmas Carol. Click here to view Feliz Navidad.
Industry News
The Canadian Institute invites you to attend the 13th Annual VIRTUAL Symposium on Managing Risk in Construction Contracts & Projects on February 25 – 26, 2021! Join Canada’s leading project managers, risk specialists, and counsel for a dynamic event designed to bolster your team’s contracting and managerial skills. SAVE 10% with code D10-397-397EX01. Click here to register. December 9, 2020 – Mississauga, ON – The Surety Association of Canada (SAC) held its 29th Annual General Meeting virtually on December 3, 2020 where the slate of officers was presented and approved by the SAC membership as per the attached. OGCA offers its congratulations to the new Board. innovation Corner
The OGCA is pleased to launch a new Innovation page on their website. The page provides useful tech connections through an archive of “Innovation Corner” posts, guides for general contractors, resources and more. The site’s goal is to provide relevant information to OGCA members on new technology solutions impacting construction and better understanding ICI general contractors’ technology needs in Ontario. The OGCA innovation page is made possible by our dedicated Innovation Committee, with industry experts members including Alberici Constructors, Berkim Construction, Bird Construction, Chandos Construction, Collaborative Structures Limited, Eastern Construction, ECAO, Kenaidan Contracting, Matheson Constructors, Melloul-Blamey Construction, michael + clark construction, Nith Valley Construction, PCL, Pomerleau, Ritestart Construction and Romag Contracting. A very special thank you to our association partners Procore Technologies and AON. If you are interested in joining the Innovation Committee, please contact Erich Schmidt.
This moment is to encourage teams to reflect and refocus on the safety of each and every individual. It is through this commitment that we, as an industry, will continue to improve safety culture as Ontario continues to be a leader in construction safety. In this photo, Bird has raised a safety vest and is flying it at half mast out of respect for those who have lost their lives recently. The LOC is very happy to welcome our newest Champion, 1st Choice Disposal. Welcome to the League! From the League of Champions family to yours, we wish you a wonderful holiday season and we are looking forward to a working with you in 2021. Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. Stay Home. The LOC Webinar Series began in April 2020 in response to the Province of Ontario’s declared State of Emergency stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. From April 23 to December 14, 2020, the LOC hosted 12 webinars with over 3000 registered participants. If you’ve missed any of the webinars, they can be viewed on our website WEBINARS | League of Champions. Stay tuned for a continuation of the series, early in 2021, providing updated information as it becomes available, and best practices from industry leaders. 
Safety
IHSA’s sectors (construction, electrical and utilities, and transportation) have been deemed essential services throughout the entire COVID‐19 pandemic, and IHSA would like to thank all workers for their efforts and contributions in both building and supplying key services to Ontarians during these challenging times. Tragically, the month of December has seen an alarming number of workplace fatalities in the industries IHSA serves. In this last week alone, four workers died in three separate workplace incidents. Please click here to read the full letter from IHSA. As we continue to look for ways to make it easier to work with us, people now have two new ways to report online.
On December 8, 2020, the Ontario government introduced the Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act, 2020. If passed, this legislation would protect employers from an unexpected increase in Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) premiums while maintaining an increase to the maximum earnings cap for worker benefits.
Ontario’s Prevention Council and Chief Prevention Officer Ron Kelusky released the following statement today: "As we are managing a second wave, we would like to commend you, the workers and employers of Ontario, for your hard work and dedication and the many ways you have stepped up during this unprecedented pandemic. From healthcare, to retail, and in every other sector, you have worked tirelessly to serve the people of Ontario while keeping them safe and healthy. Your dedication is inspiring." Please click here for the full report. Ontario’s Prevention Council and Chief Prevention Officer Ron Kelusky released the following statement today: The end of the year is quickly approaching and we’re all looking forward to a brighter 2021. It is important that all Ontarians to remain focused on safety and to use the year end as a time to review safety plans for the New Year. It hasn’t been an easy year, mainly due to the challenges we all faced related COVID-19 and how it has impacted our lives and our work. In addition, some hard-working Ontarians lost their lives while doing their day-to-day jobs. In December alone, there have been jobsite fatalities in London, Oshawa and Toronto. These recent jobsite fatalities highlight the fact that we need to proactively apply a safety lens to everything we do. For the full statement, please click here. 
Member News
EllisDon has transformed itself from an old school 'concrete and cranes' contractor into an entrepreneurial pioneer striving to change the way construction projects are conceived, executed and maintained over their lifetime. The company is renowned for consistent execution on the most difficult projects but also has a well deserved reputation for challenging conventional wisdom at every opportunity. Join Canadian Club Toronto on January 12 to hear CEO Geoff Smith talk very candidly about how the company got there, how it very nearly didn't, how to keep an entrepreneurial culture alive in a growing organization and why EllisDon is convinced that fully realized ‘Employee Capitalism’ is its key to a prosperous future in a digital world (and also the right thing to do). This event is free of charge. You will receive the access link on the morning of the event. Date: Tuesday, January 12, 2021 Online only. Click here to register. Mississauga, ON, Dec. 18, 2020- EllisDon's Alliance of Black Employee and Leadership (ABEEL) launches the inaugural Shaping the Future Sponsorship Program enabling Canadian students to share their vision for a community that is more inclusive of the Black experience and without racism. This initiative will serve some of the most underrepresented and underserved communities in different areas of Canada. Pleae click here for more details. Eastern Construction has provided us with information about a supplier of these items.
Associate Partner News and Events
Ontario has once again extended the relief for employers from the temporary layoff provisions under the Ontario Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) in the hopes of protecting businesses from the costs associated with terminating employees and ensuring that employees retain their position while on leave due to COVID-19. Please click here to read the full report. In Ontario and many other Canadian jurisdictions, an employer is required by law to conduct an investigation in response to an allegation of workplace harassment. A well-planned and executed investigation will help management make sound and defensible decisions and minimize any liability that may arise.
This seminar is being offered by WeirFoulds LLP. The new regulation forms part of a broader regulatory framework the Province is putting in place to govern the management and reuse of excess soil excavated from large construction and development sites. We invite you to join our expert panel, Janet Bobechko and Jeff Scorgie of WeirFoulds together with Krista Barfoot of Stantec for a discussion about how to navigate the new regulation and its implications for the various stakeholders in construction projects. To register for this webinar, please click here. You are invited to Fasken's 8th annual OHS Year in Review on January 14, 2021, organized by Norm Keith, Canada’s leading OHS lawyer.
Legislative & Legal Updates
The latest issue of the Ontario Legislative Reports is now available on the OGCA website. Please click here to access the latest issue. On May 29, 2020, the Government of Ontario introduced a regulation under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (“ESA”), that provided relief to any employer that had temporarily laid off or reduced the wages and/or hours of a non-union employee, due to COVID-19. The regulation largely exempts any such layoff or reduction from being deemed a termination of employment, such that there is no obligation to provide ESA notice or severance pay. The employee is deemed to be on an Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (“IDEL”).
Education & Events
On Wednesday, December 9, the OGCA hosted Addressing Racism in Construction: A Conversation with EllisDon. Giovanni Cautillo, president of the OGCA, was the moderator for the panel, which included Jennifer Khan, head of inclusive diversity, Geoff Smith, president and CEO and Samuel Ajobo, an estimator with the firm, who is leading its new Alliance of Black Employee Experience and Leadership (ABEEL). You can find a full video of the webinar here. At the event, Geoff Smith talked about the acts of racism on the Michael Garron hospital project in June when nooses were found on construction equipment being used by Black workers. Since the incidents, EllisDon has started an anonymous reporting line. It has made it easier to bring forward concerns on-site, enhanced security features at sites and provided education such as toolbox talks and webinars on microaggression and unconscious bias. The event is also part of an industry-wide movement towards addressing issues of racism in the construction industry. The OGCA recently launched a new page on their website oriented towards respectful and inclusive worksites with resources like template diversity policies. OGCA also has a new YouTube page, where you can check out all of the webinars posted online. Now that Christmas is a few days away, it’s time to relax and enjoy the holidays. It is unique that we are being told not to visit others, with an exception for single people who can visit one other household. Three important words: Connect, connect, connect. With family, friends and loved ones. Over the phone, online or in a parking lot practicing social distancing. Elderly people and anyone living alone are particularly important to connect with. Wishing you all a safe and healthy holiday season! By Julian Toy, H.S.C. Substance Abuse Professional 
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ONTARIO GENERAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
180 Attwell Drive, Suite 280 | Toronto, Ontario M9W 6A9 Tel 905-671-3969 |
In light of the recent tragedies that have taken place in our industry, we at the LOC fully support the OGCA and all industry partners in the call for a Safety Stand Down and a Pause for Safety.
