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So much discussion has been focused lately on the skilled trades and how can we attract youth and those displaced by COVID-19 into construction. The OGCA has participated in many provincial committee discussions facilitated by our government on the subject of skilled trades, and our association has always been a huge advocate of not only the skilled trades, but construction, as a destination.
With just under a year to go before next June's provincial election, and with over 21 percent of adults in Ontario fully vaccinated, Premier Doug Ford has announced significant changes to his cabinet.
Five ministers were moved out of cabinet, including former environment minister Jeff Yurek, and former infrastructure minister Laurie Scott. Several younger caucus members, meanwhile, were promoted to more prominent portfolios. The OGCA has been made aware of a legislated requirement that was enacted in 2017 that reclassified some Road Building Machines to Commercial Motor Vehicles (Highway/Road Vehicles), specifically the requirement for an annual inspection and certification of the vehicle portion of mobile cranes, concrete pumps and all other such vehicles. Regulation 611 (Safety Inspections) under the Highway Traffic Act. Please click here to access the Member Bulletin.
You can access the magazine by clicking here. The article is entitled Converging Market Factors Boost the Economic Case for Concrete, and features quotes from Alex Carrick of ConstructConnect, Len Overbeek of TiltWall Ontario, Dr. Mark Hagel of the Alberta Masonry Council and our own Giovanni Cautillo.
Industry News
The Gold Seal Certification program certifies estimators, foremen, owner’s construction managers, project managers, safety practitioners and superintendents working in, or with, Canada’s non-residential construction industry. When you earn your Gold Seal Certified (GSC) or Professional, Gold Seal Certified (P.GSC) credential, you demonstrate excellence through certified experience and nationally-recognized validation of your skills, competence and knowledge. In the spring of 2021, we introduced changes to the Gold Seal Certification program framework and mandatory requirements while adding tools that will help applicants on their journey to certification. Read more about these exciting changes!
The full Economic Bulletin can be found here. Attached, please find the latest press release from Beacon announcing that Stephanie Pouse is the winner of its inaugural North American Female Roofing Professional of the Year competition, shining a spotlight on inspiring women in the roofing industry across the U.S. and Canada. Stephanie is a partner at Brahma Roofing & Construction in Windsor, Colorado. Attached is the updated Concrete Driver Pump Safety Guidelines that Concrete Ontario developed last year and updated this spring. Concrete Ontario is currently working with a number of concrete pumping companies to try to address issues such as supplementary guarding of the piping where the driver has to stand (since it is the high-pressure location that tends to fail first) and to address the practice of “pumping back into concrete trucks,” which some of their members allow. Fleming College has posted a Request for Supplier Qualifications for General Contracting Services on MERX. The MERX reference number is 202853, and the project is the construction of a new Aquaculture Lab at Fleming College’s Frost Campus. For years, the Procurement Project has been successful in enabling the collaboration and discussion around the importance of fair procurement practices, methods and strategies. It has done so by identifying and addressing top-priority issues encountered in the procurement process by the design and construction industry. While Procurement Day was a very successful event and provided education by expert panels and collaborative, cross section discussions between industry and buyers, the CDAO recognizes that it is time to formally expand the efforts and impact of the Procurement Project. Qualifications Please click here to download the specifications for this project.
innovation Corner
If you are in construction and a member of the OGCA, or work for one of their members, then you understand the importance of an effective Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) management system to your organization. It is critical in protecting and ensuring the health, safety and overall well-being of your workforce; and achieving an Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) Certificate of Recognition (COR™) is how you demonstrate the effective implementation of such a system.
Are you a Safety Champion? Do you know a Safety Champion? Do you know a company who would be a great addition to the LOC? Have you considered joining the League of Champions? If you have any questions or want to learn more about the League of Champions, just let us know. We are here to help. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Judith Reda.
Thus far in 2021, I have experienced the full spectrum of life events; my daughter got married, I moved my not-so-elderly father with dementia into a retirement home right in the middle of the third wave, and just over a month ago, I lost a dear friend of 25+ years to the UK variant. We all hear the constant conversation regarding vaccinations and after what my family and I have experienced in the past months, I am not afraid to speak up and tell you that I’ve had both of mine. On a more positive note, I really never thought I’d be so happy to see morning traffic on the southbound lanes of Hwy 400. All lanes are pointing to a busy second half of 2021. During Stage 1 of Ontario’s reopening plan Reopening Ontario | Ontario.ca, LOC staff are focusing on connecting with our membership. We are happy to announce that all of our postponed visits and events are coming together for Stage 2 and 3 where we will be able to finally get out to meet. Let’s focus on small, sensible in-office or on-site visits and jersey signings. Please contact me directly at judith@theloc.ca or call 647.998.4151 to discuss opportunities.
Safety
A new regulation under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) will come into effect on July 1, 2021: Ontario Regulation 420 / 21 – Notices and Reports under Sections 51 to 53.1 of the Act – Fatalities, Critical Injuries, Occupational Illnesses and Other Incidents. The new regulation incorporates the critical injury definition and streamlines reporting requirements into a single regulation that applies to all workplaces covered under the OHSA. The amending regulations are:
In the past 18 months, COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of ensuring the health and safety of people at work. During these challenging times, we have seen, and continue to see, an unwavering commitment to workplace health and safety. Thank you for your ongoing leadership. Please click here to read the release from the MLTSD. From IHSA, the latest issue of 2-Minute News can be accessed by clicking here. The topics this month are as follows:
Member News
Congratulations to Paul Garro of Elite Construction, who was randomly selected by Naylor to receive the gift certificate for participating in the Communications / Readership Survey. And to all who participated, thank you! Associate Partner News and Events
From Sherrard Kuzz Six weeks after the Superior Court ruled a COVID-19-related temporary layoff deemed to be an Infectious Disease Emergency Leave (“IDEL”) could constitute a constructive dismissal under the common law, the same court (different judge) ruled the exact opposite. The latter decision, of Justice Jane Ferguson, dismisses the former as “wrong in law” and lacking in “common sense.” This stunning clash of two decisions of the same high ranking Ontario court will very likely make its way to the Court of Appeal for Ontario, and perhaps even to the Supreme Court of Canada. The stakes are high for all parties concerned and clarity is needed. Learn more in the attached Briefing Note. OGCA is pleased to continue spotlighting our Associate Partners. Cowan Insurance Group Procore Technologies Inc. It is no secret that current construction material prices are volatile, unpredictable and rising. The pandemic has given rise to supply and demand problems across the economy and the impact on construction materials is no exception. In an industry where most jobs are bid based on a fixed price, price volatility has the potential to hand contractors big losses, especially when jobs are awarded months after the tender date. The president of the Ontario General Contractors Association Giovanni Cautillo has been quite outspoken recently on material price escalation and the affect it is having on general contractors’ ability to properly price jobs. To read the full article provided by FCA Insurance Brokers, in the Daily Commercial News, please click here. At Cleveland Clinic Canada, we're always looking for ways to stay connected with our clients to help their teams live healthier, more active lives. That’s why we created our tHRive corporate newsletter. Each quarter, we deliver a carefully curated collection of the latest health and wellness news chosen to support you and your employees. In this edition, we will talk about the importance of sleep for your performance, provide advice for boosting engagement in your employee wellness programs, share ways we are supporting COVID-19 vaccination efforts in Canada, and a sneak peek at our centennial photography project. As always, if you want to discuss how we can help strengthen your employee benefits program or increase participation, we are here to help. Please click here to access the newsletter. From Sherrard Kuzz This week, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Divisional Court) set aside a decision of the Ontario Labour Relations Board (“OLRB”) in which the OLRB ruled that payroll means only Ontario payroll for purposes of severance pay entitlement under the province’s employment standards legislation. Describing the OLRB’s decision as “unreasonable,” “illogical” and “flawed,” the Divisional Court held the calculation of payroll includes an employer’s global payroll. The decision has broad, financial implications. It extends the obligation to pay severance pay to any Ontario employer whose global payroll is at least $2.5 million, including the payroll of any related entity such as a parent organization. While possible, it is unlikely this decision will be further reviewed. If it is, we will keep our readers apprised. For now, the law in Ontario has changed; payroll for the purposes of severance entitlement under Ontario’s Employment Standards Act, 2000, includes an employer’s global payroll, not its Ontario payroll. Click here to read the full briefing note. Preparing for Re-Opening in Ontario: Occupational Health & Safety and Employment Standards Act requirements June 24 | 9:30am to 10:30am EST | Virtual Roundtable Discussion Our Associate Member & Health and Safety partner, 4S Consulting Services Inc. is hosting a virtual roundtable to provide guidance for employers on reopening Ontario workplaces safely, including Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) and Employment Standards Act (ESA) requirements. Government Panelists: Industry Panelists: Audience: Expected Audience - 100+ Business Owners, Safety Leaders, Senior Managers Please write to info@4sconsult.com for any further questions. Don't miss this event and gain as many insights as you could.
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. 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 January 2020, please contact Mary Wademan at OGCA. Education & Events
The 9th Annual Women in Construction Golf Tournament will be held September 9, 2021 at Peninsula Lakes Golf Club in Fenwick. Please contact Karin Sheldrick for information. Link2Build Ontario has published an article today summarizing the June 10 webinar on material price volatility and supply chain challenges. If you missed the webinar, the article includes the LINK to see the recording. Every day, there is a minimum of three stories reported on the LINK2BUILD site. You can sign up for the daily news feed if interested at the NEWS webpage. 
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ONTARIO GENERAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
180 Attwell Drive, Suite 280 | Toronto, Ontario M9W 6A9 Tel 905-671-3969 |
The OGCA was featured in another article on supply chain issues with the Concrete Expo group.
Statistics Canada released new ICI investment and labour force data in the past week, providing clarity on the impact of government restrictions on the ICI sector. Highlights of the bulletin include:
Here we are at the end of June, and this pandemic rollercoaster that we have come to know has already taken us half-way through 2021. After months of restrictions, continued uncertainty and a vicious third wave, I, for one, am extremely happy to see a bright light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel.
