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As we continue to battle the pandemic virus that has impacted our country, our province and all of our livelihoods, your Association, along with others, has continued to be proactive in representing you in doing what is necessary to protect the future of your industry, your business and the safety of your employees.
OGCA has been providing regular updates on information that we are hearing regarding tendering. For the most part, it has been positive, with most owners being realistic and accommodating. However, there are those that still see that the bottom line is the only goal for which they exist. Both public and private sector owners have been pressuring contractors and trades to continue working while finding all kinds of excuses to deem their projects essential.
Your Association, along with the CDAO, has been working diligently to ask the government for clear direction on what is and what is not essential for construction. Most recently, we wrote to the Minister of Education, the Premier and the Ministers of Infrastructure and Labour for clarification on schools, because the mixed messages and the threats that we're receiving from certain school boards should we not continue working, could not be ignored.
The Emterra Hand Sanitizer contains 80 per cent ethyl alcohol (ethanol) concentration and has Health Canada approval. It is a safe, non-toxic and effective antibacterial skin cleanser to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and bacteria. Proudly made in Hamilton, Ontario, their current production capacity is 20,000 litres a week. OGCA is confident that this company can meet the short and long term personal sanitization needs of the members of the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA). The division of Emterra Group that makes the product is Canadian Liquids Processors. Collectively, they are a group of recycling and waste management companies that provide essential services across Canada, like our members. They can appreciate what you are going through, especially front line workers. As such, this product is formulated, sized and priced to reflect industrial users’ needs. Click here to review the product. Three sizes of hand sanitizer are available. The totes are effective for refilling smaller bottles from a central location/facility. Pricing FOB Hamilton is as follows:
This past Sunday morning, CDAO member Richard Lyall, CEO of RESCON, was interviewed on the Dave Trafford show on CFRB. During the interview, Richard recounted the efforts being made by the CDAO in preparing for making recommendations to the government on how we can plan our economic recovery. Click here if you would like to hear the interview.
Industry News
Beginning on March 23, 2020, Les Liversidge drafted a series of updates to their clients to provide updates of the changes / issues related to COVID-19 and WSIB/WSIAT as they unfolded. In the event you did not receive the updates, we have posted them on their website – you can visit the L.A. Liversidge News page by clicking here. This bulletin contains a legal opinion obtained by the Ontario Building Officials Association in regards to questions on how they should carry out their projects and duties, as well as which projects are considered essential. This is a legal opinion offered by a law firm engaged by the OBOA. As stated, members should also consult with their own internal legal advisors. This does give us some clarity on how building officials may be carrying out their duties during this time. The link in the bulletin does not work. Please click here to access the same link. We know that COVID-19 has changed everything, and the League of Champions is responding. Beginning this week, we will start to present best practice webinars, delivered by our members on important health and safety challenges. This is available to all LOC and OGCA members, and your association members. On April 23, at 1:30 pm via Zoom meeting, we will present “Sharing Best Practices to Manage COVID-19” featuring LOC Health and Safety professionals. In the weeks to follow, the League of Champions will roll out more webinars. We encourage you to request from us subject matter that you would be interested in learning about. Thank you for your support of the League of Champions. We are working to provide excellence in Construction safety to you and our industry. “Sharing Best Practices to Manage COVID-19” is a FREE webinar. See list of speakers and details by clicking here. Register here. Registration is open until April 22. On April 9, the League of Champions, OGCA, Alliance Creative Marketing, OSPE, Remo General Contracting, Dineen Construction and Gen-Pro were recognized by Premier Doug Ford on his Twitter feed for donating PPE to the Province. The industry leaders came together to donate 10,000 surgical masks to frontline health care workers in Ontario through the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. Thank you to all the League of Champions members for your continuous support and partnership. #LeadersNeedToLead #InspiringLeaders #SafetyChampions #SafetyLeaders #HealthAndSafety #WeAreInThisTogether Please check the Ontario Premier’s tweet by clicking here.
As Ibrahim said, “We truly appreciate the support of all the people involved in facilitating this experience from George Brown’s Industry Liaison Office, The League of Champions, Gillam Group and of course Mr. Alexander Frame for the knowledge, experience, and time that he was so eager to share with us. Indeed, it is only through interactions such as these that we can ensure that "soon to be" construction industry employees graduate to become safety conscious construction leaders. Read full story here. Is your company or association a Safety Leader? Are you a Safety Champion and want to make a difference in the Ontario construction industry? Do you want to join an organization that inspires leaders to be health and safety champions? League of Champions Members and Patrons are committed to inspiring leaders to be health and safety champions. Please visit the LOC website, Facebook and Twitter page for more information about the League of Champions. To apply to become a Safety Champion, please contact Marjorie Javier or phone 905-671-3969. 
Associate Partner News and Events
In response to an article in the Daily Commercial News on April 7, Norm Keith of Fasken has written an article which you can read by clicking here. In their last webinar, The Family Business Institute made reference to the importance of stress testing. You’ve heard about how the Fed stress tests banks, but what does it mean in the context of your construction company? We propose to dig deeper into exactly how to go about the process of stress testing and give you a one-hour tutorial on how to get the job done right. Please join us on Monday April 27 at 2:00 PM ET for “Stress Testing Your Construction Business” featuring Dennis Engelbrecht, John Woodcock, and Wayne Rivers of The Family Business Institute. Date: April 27, 2020 Thanks to Travelers for bringing this to our attention. Attached please find Briefing Note #5 – as of April 21, 2020 - Answers to Frequently Asked Questions for Employers regarding COVID-19. Please Note: Information changes daily (sometimes within a day), including the details of the various government initiatives, announcements and regulations. As such, it is important to carefully review each updated Briefing Note to ensure you are aware of current information. Some content in older briefing notes may no longer apply. The attached is provided by Norm Keith of Fasken, and contains an updated summary of answers to important OHSA/WSIB questions that you may find of interest. This has also been posted on our website. Our APP member Procore Technologies today announced six ways to help the construction community during COVID-19.
For more information please visit www.procore.com or reach out to Sanjeev Dhillon at sanjeev.dhillon@procore.com or on his cell at (604) 306 3020.
Education & Events
Here is a listing of some of the programs being offered through webinars for CCA members:
Learning Outcomes
Topic: Learning Outcomes: What steps you should take to preserve and protect your rights to insurance coverage Topic: Learning Outcomes:
To review these programs on the CCA website, please click here.
Courageous is a 1-hour broadcast that empowers students and workers to stand up to unsafe work. It features inspirational stories and practical advice from public leaders and safe work experts. If you would like to have a preview of this years broadcast please click here. To register for this year's Courageous,on April 27, click here. |
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ONTARIO GENERAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
180 Attwell Drive, Suite 280 | Toronto, Ontario M9W 6A9 Tel 905-671-3969 |
Find out how the League of Champions made a difference to Ibrahim Mughrabi and his team from George Brown College - Construction Engineering Technology.
Topic: Construction worksite protocols for health & safety
Managing insurance coverage and claims for losses resulting from the pandemic
Financing programs for construction under the Economic Response Plan