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If I were to ask you, “What is the true power of teamwork?” how would you respond? Would you tell me that teamwork is “a collective group of individuals working together toward a common outcome?” Would you see it as “all participants sharing a common vision and striving for that mutual goal?” Or would it be, “like-minded individuals homogeneously collaborating with the prospect of achieving success?”
The OGCA team is delighted to welcome an exciting new addition to our ranks to further deliver on the member-first approach our association endeavours for our contractors. I am proud to introduce our membership to Daniela Polsoni, who has joined our organization in the capacity of Office Manager.
Please join us on February 16, beginning at 1 p.m. for the second webinar in our Campaign for Health and Safety. “Measuring Your Safety Culture” will take a deeper dive into the culture survey that is being offered to League of Champions members. Our presenters include Dan Fleming, Manager GTA, NORCAT; Elias Makhoul, Health, Safety and Research Excellence Specialist, Modern Niagara; and Craig Sparks, Director Health and Safety, Maple Reinders Group. Our presenters all have experience measuring safety culture using the S-Cat survey. They will introduce the survey, provide an overview of how it works, and demonstrate how LoC members will be supported. Presenters will also show how organizations can benefit from using the survey and practical steps to engage employees in the survey. To Register: Webinar Registration - Zoom The STEP to ICI Construction Program allows students to gain hands-on experience in ICI construction while earning their high school diploma. This program has been developed to improve school-to-work transition for high-school students by providing them with the essential skills they need to prepare for future construction careers. This program is a link for employers and potential new youth to enter into construction.
The Ontario government is seeking advice on designing a plan that provides workers with benefits such as health, dental and vision care, even if they change jobs. Currently, millions of people, including those working in retail, the gig economy and hospitality have limited-to-no benefits coverage. To start, the government intends to create and appoint an advisory panel to recommend a system — making Ontario the first province in Canada to pursue such a comprehensive benefits program. Click here to read the full News Release.
Industry News
We are reaching out to share with OGCA members and staff, that the GBC pop-up vaccination clinic is open until Sunday, February 13, 2022. To pre-register and book appointments, individuals can click here.
Feel free to share this with OGCA members and their sites in the area as you see appropriate – our doors are open! Canada’s only national trade show serving the concrete, aggregates and construction industries is back, better and stronger, Wednesday and Thursday, May 18–19, 2022 at The International Centre, Toronto CCE is quickly becoming a must attend national event with over 300 national and international exhibitors. CCE has over 30 co-sponsoring and supporting sponsor associations representing the concrete and construction industry. Each of these associations contributes to the educational sessions provided and promoting CCE to their members. Attendance has increased by almost 30% each year due to high quality exhibit floor, excellent conference sessions and an abundance of networking opportunities. For details, please click here. ICI per Permit values increased overall in 2021 in all three ICI sectors in Ontario. Industrial permit values increased by 20.7% (+$578 million) compared to 2020, while institutional permit values increased by 14.2% (+$419 million). In the commercial sector, 2021 permit values were up by 2.1% over 2020, an increase of $185 million. It should be noted that some of the major increases or decreases at the metro level are knock-on effects of unusual numbers in 2020. For more information, including regional permitting levels, please visit the Ontario Construction Secretariat Website
innovation Corner
The construction industry has a complicated relationship with technology, and perhaps nowhere is that complexity more felt than when it comes to autonomous robots. The industry continues to face a labor shortage and is now facing a whole new set of challenges brought on by COVID-19. Firms are being pushed to get more creative and innovative.
The COReXchange forum was created to offer a safe space for health and safety professionals to discuss topics related to the COR™ and build a strong network of health and safety advocates. The immediate focus of this partnership will be to help OGCA members develop effective health and safety best practices and enable Ontario's safest general contractors to provide information and answer questions related to COR™ certification and auditing procedures. A team of Health and Safety Mentors, including general contractors from Maple Reinders, Pomerleau, Aecon Group Inc., Alberici Constructors, Matheson Constructors, PCL Construction, and Bird Construction, will moderate the forum to ensure we answer questions accurately. Any OGCA member can join this forum at no cost! Go to COReXchange.ca and click the green "Create Account" button if you want to join. Visit COReXchange now! May is quickly approaching, and we are very excited to be able to participate once again in the Steps for Life 5km walk. Registration opened on February 1, 2022, and we are very excited to be a part of this important event! The Association for Workplace Tragedy Family Support, known as Threads of Life - Association for Workplace Tragedy Family Support, supports the healing journey of families who have suffered from a workplace fatality, traumatic life-altering injury or occupational disease. Every year Threads of Life hosts its flagship fundraiser – Steps for Life. Steps for Life is traditionally a 5km family walk that aims to educate the community about the devastating ripple effects of each workplace tragedy and how we can work together to prevent others from being injured or killed on the job. For more information about the event, use this link: Steps for Life: The Event - Threads of Life WE ARE, and we’re asking for your support! All proceeds from Steps for Life support Threads of Life, a national charitable organization dedicated to helping families heal after they’ve been affected by a traumatic workplace fatality, life-altering workplace injury or occupational disease. Threads of Life currently supports more than 3,200 family members from across the country. We also want to recognize our incredible champions at EllisDon, Graham Construction, and PCL Constructors for continuing to lead the charge as National Sponsors for this very important event. We hope that you register a team to walk, but if you don’t, your support of this great charity would be appreciated. You can donate to my page by clicking this link Steps for Life 2022 - Toronto: Judith Reda - Threads of Life The LOC is continuing to grow in 2022, and we would like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest Champions at Alcumus North America and Northfleet Concrete Floors Ltd. Welcome to the League! Are you a Safety Champion? Do you know a Safety Champion? 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 at judith@theloc.ca 
Member News
OGCA members are always trying to make a difference in their communities; be that local, cultural or global. Our members continually strive to affect positive change and work toward the betterment of all. EllisDon, in conjunction with Raising the Roof are looking for other organizations to support the 2021/2022 “Shaping the Future Program.”
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 2021, please contact Mary Wademan at OGCA. Clarity in Contracts
To register for this event, please click here. Education & Events
On February 16 and 17, Prince’s Trust Canada is hosting a Discover: Mass Timber, a two-day online learning session that will introduce participants to a variety of opportunities in the mass timber sector. Geared for equity deserving young people aged 18-30, participants will also learn about the benefits of the green trades sector, take part in skill building activities and be able to network with mass timber experts. Our Discover: Mass Timber will take place on February 16 and 17 from 11-2 p.m. PST / 2-5 p.m. EST and those interested can register by clicking here. The CCDC 9 Statutory Declaration of Progress Payment webinar was held this past October, the first of CCA's new CCDC Document Webinar series. This document is one of our most popular, and the Q&A was overflowing with your inquiries. For this reason, we decided to compile the top ten frequently asked questions from the Q&A into an easy to read document, attached to this email. We invite you to read through this document to refresh your knowledge and to ensure you have all the correct information when filling out your future Stat Decs. This course explores the threats to security on smartphones. Smartphones are fully functional computers as well as communication devices. As such, they are subject to the same types of IT security threats as computers, as well as more specific threats. Learn to recognize threats, configure your smartphone to mitigate the risks and use your smartphone in a secure way. Please click here to access the course. Please reach out to Norm Vokey if you would like to see a free demo of any of the IT Security courses listed below:
Calendar of Events
The inaugural Chair's New Year's Event has been moved to Thursday, March 31, 2022, at the Loft on King in Toronto. More information can be found on the OGCA website by clicking here. To register and pay for this event, please click here. This event is open to OGCA members and Associate Partners only.
Registration is open for the 13th Construction Symposium, being held April 7-9, 2022 at the Blue Mountain Resort in Blue Mountains, Ontario (near Collingwood). The OGCA website will be updated with upcoming sessions as they are confirmed and will include the speakers or presenters. Click here for more updates. Accommodations are, as usual, additional to the registration fees. If you plan to attend, please book your accommodations quickly as we don't you to miss out! Please click here for the registration form and remember that the early bird pricing has been extended to February 18, 2022, or click here to download the sponsorship guide. Spots are filling up, so register now! 
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ONTARIO GENERAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
180 Attwell Drive, Suite 280 | Toronto, Ontario M9W 6A9 Tel 905-671-3969 |
mit values in Ontario ended 2021 at an all-time annual high at $15.9 billion, just edging past the previous high from 2019. ICI permit values increased by 8.0% compared to 2020 (+$1.18 billion).
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The OGCA is proud to join Auditsoft, NORCAT, Maple Reinders, and The League of Champions to launch 
President Giovanni Cautillo invites you to attend this upcoming session presented by the Canadian Institute February 24-25, 2022. Among the highlights of the event are:.png)