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The ability to influence and motivate people to work toward a common goal is the essence of leadership. And for anyone who has held a position of leadership and tried to accomplish this act, they can attest that it is not as simple as it sounds.
Industry News
As a continuation of the OGCA’s efforts to keep our members abreast of issues that may affect the progress of work on ICI construction projects, the OGCA would like to remind our members of legislated changes that either come into effect or exemptions that expire July 1, 2022.
CSA Group is inviting interested expert stakeholders to apply for membership on a new Technical Committee (TC) on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Apprenticeship Programs. This TC will be responsible for the development and maintenance of a new Standard, CSA Z301, Equity, diversity and inclusion in apprenticeship programs. The development of this National Standard is being funded by the Canadian District of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBCJA).
The OGCA has been made aware that multiple suppliers in the construction supply chain are issuing letters to our members noting that they would be subject to additional Fuel Surcharges commencing April 1, 2022.
Concrete is the most used construction material in the world and has resulted in a dramatic increase in our quality of life over the past 100 years, but it has a history going back thousands of years, which is why the material is synonymous with both strength and durability.
Working for Workers Act 2, formerly known as Bill 88, has now received Royal Assent in the Ontario Legislature.
The 2022 Federal Budget fell short on providing the right conditions to deliver on the government’s build back better objectives, says the Canadian Construction Association, the national association representing Canada’s non-residential construction industry.
The Ontario government is working for workers by launching the first-ever review of the province’s occupational illness system. Conducted by the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, an independent research centre with expertise in studying complex community health issues, the review will evaluate how occupational illnesses in Ontario are identified, monitored and prevented. The review will deliver lasting change for injured workers and their families.
As part of the changes related to the definition of road-building machine (RBM) under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) that came into force July 1, 2017, temporary hours of service exemption certificates have been available to eligible vehicles to help support a smooth transition toward operating as a commercial motor vehicle.
These temporary exemption certificates issued by the Ministry of Transportation will expire June 30, 2022.
On May 2, Infrastructure Ontario released it’s latest Market Update affirming Ontario’s commitment to modernizing the province’s public assets, including hospitals, highways, public transit, children’s treatment centres, courthouses and correctional facilities.
We are one week away from the Canadian Concrete Expo (Canadian Concrete Expo | Canada's only national trade show serving the Concrete Construction Industry). If you are planning on attending, we hope to see you at the LOC session titled ‘Improving your Safety Culture with the League of Champions’ May 18. The LOC is proud to support the Canadian Concrete Expo 2022 as a Co-Sponsor, and we are pleased to offer you complimentary admission to the show by clicking on the following link: Join the League of Champions MAY 18, 2022 at the Canadian Concrete Expo (theloc.ca). Darryl Cooper, President, Cooper Equipment Rentals, Craig Lesurf, Chair, League of Champions, and President, Gillam Group, and Tracey Mooradian, Health & Safety Manager, Eastern Construction will be introducing the League of Champions and what membership means to them. They will also share their thoughts on Safety Culture, and what it means at their companies. We will also look at how Culture impacts a company/workplace, as well as what are some Culture challenges in the industry. The panel will wrap up with an introduction to the recently launched Safety Culture Survey at the LOC.
We are happy to see more LOC members registering for the Safety Culture Survey initiative. All League of Champions members are encouraged to participate in this survey as a way to gauge how employees think of your work culture.
For any questions or further information, please Click Here, or contact Judith Reda, judith@theloc.ca
The LOC would like to take this opportunity to welcome our newest Champions at Flynn Group of Companies About Flynn - Flynn Group of Companies (flynncompanies.com) 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.
WSIB President Jeff Lang addressed changes coming to the organisation when he spoke at the OGCA May 6 Leadership Conference. He confirmed that the WSIB has now delivered surplus rebate to qualified employers accounts. As a result, employers should now have in their accounts the equivalent of 34.02% of their 2020 or 2021 premiums which ever year is the greatest.
The OGCA is excited to deliver members up-to-date information regarding the Provincial Election. From now until election day and beyond, our Government Relations team will be providing important information to members regarding party platforms, announcements, resources and everything General Contractors during the writ.
The OGCA has been directly advised by numerous OGCA contractors that they are very concerned with the onerous provisions contained in the tender issued by the Unity Health Toronto.
The letter references the ‘Unity Health Tender’ request for proposals number: UHT 729-009.
Labour market challenges could be an ongoing preoccupation across Ontario as unemployment rates return to pre-pandemic lows, and construction demand in the residential and non-residential sectors is sustained through at least 2026. innovation Corner
Safety is only as good as the records you have! For many generations, safety has been deflected to the foreman or the supervisors.
Studies show that having all the workers contributing to safety record keeping increases safety awareness and ownership!
There are a lot of benefits to having site staff fill out safety forms and some other paperwork on their own.
Even though BIM is now talk of the industry and is being widely discussed for its contribution, there are still many confusions and uncertainties around how it can contribute to contractors immensely, especially in context with Small to Medium Size GC’s.
The next guest of the podcast 'The BIM Student' - Season 3 features the OGCA’s very own Erich Schmidt - Manager, Public Affairs and Innovation. Take a listen and learn how we at the OGAC continue to advocate for the adoption of technology with General Contractors. To view, please click one of the following links: As a part of its Net zero initiative, CaGBC brought together like-minded members to form a Sustainable Materials Accelerator Group. It recognized that mass timber can have a role to play in many buildings and formed a Mass Timber Capacity working group to address opportunities and barriers for mass timber in construction.
Payments in construction are becoming an increasingly large concern: As discovered by PwC, the The Ontario government is working for workers by investing more than $13 million to provide free training and paid electricians’ apprenticeships for more than 2,500 people across the province who are unemployed or looking to earn bigger paychecks. With over $2 billion in infrastructure projects on the horizon, Ontario faces a shortage of electricians and other skilled trades workers. This investment will help the province deliver critical hospitals, schools and roads on time and on budget.
Tooey Courtemanche, Procore's Founder, President and CEO, sat down with Anthony Capkun of Electrical Business to talk about his mission to help modernize the construction industry that has been unfairly labelled as tech-averse. Tooey shares his insights into the advancement of technology on jobsites, as well as some of the work Procore is doing to help attract new professionals to the field, which includes efforts to see more women pursue careers in construction.
For more information, you can view the video and publication article here.
After two years of virtual Safety Week programs, this year’s events were a very welcome change. LOC staff were thrilled to be able to participate in events all week with Kapp Infrastructure, Gillam Group, Matheson Constructors, EllisDon, and Collaborative Structures Limited. Every event echoed the message of the importance of working safely every day. Hundreds of signatures were added to our jerseys, with everyone recommitting to safely every day. LOC staff would like to thank every company that took part in Safety Week, reiterating your organization’s commitment to ensuring a safe workplace.
If would you would like the LOC to visit your office or site, please reach out to Judith Reda judith@theloc.ca. We wanted take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank all LOC members, their families, and friends who participated in the 2022 Steps for Life walk. Every single person who took part in this event should be extremely proud of their combined accomplishment, as $715,798 was raised, over 140% of their fundraising goal.
Safety
Thank you to all Leadership Day attendees. It was a pleasure to host you all and join in on some insightful discussions surrounding safety in our industry. We would also like to thank our sponsors for their support in making this event possible. Photos from the event can be viewed here. Last Friday at Leadership Day, the IHSA presented a new report on the Ontario COR program.
The IHSA selected Dr. Chris McLeod to duplicate studies he completed on the effectiveness of COR in BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. The objective was “to determine if COR is associated with lower injury rates compared to similar firms.”
Each worker and family member who has been affected by a workplace tragedy is a thread in the quilt of life. The Association for Workplace Tragedy Family Support, known as Threads of Life, is a Canadian registered charity dedicated to supporting families after a workplace fatality, life-altering injury or occupational disease. Their network of family members and corporate partners believes traumatic workplace injuries, occupational diseases and deaths are preventable. 
Member News
Associate Partner News and Events
Procore has released the results of its 2022 Customer Return On Invest (ROI) report, which explores how the company is helping its global customers – including Canadians – tackle some of the industry's biggest challenges including sustainability, safety and the labour shortage.
Passive House Canada is hosting an Annual Conference May 25 - 27, 'In the Face of Climate Change', an in-person event in Victoria and broadcast online through a virtual platform as well.
The conference will address the increase in adverse climate change events, and how Passive House design and technology can create healthy, climate resilient buildings and homes. A number of important topics will be covered including: climate resilience, indoor air quality, building codes, technical, embodied carbon, unique case studies, and more!
Ryerson MASc student Steph Tzanis is conducting a survey as part of their thesis. The focus of the research, supervised by Dr. Mark Gorgolewski, is to investigate the level of awareness and perceptions of design for disassembly (DfD) in the Ontario building design and construction industry. The overall goal is to improve circularity in the industry through DfD principles. The research has been approved for Mitacs funding, partnered with Sustainable Buildings Canada.
Legislative & Legal Updates
Ontario is moving through the graduated Plan to Safely Reopen Ontario and Manage COVID-19 for the Long-Term. Workplace safety measures and public health measures under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act (ROA) are gradually lifting in the absence of concerning trends.
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 Daniela Polsoni at OGCA. Clarity in Contracts
The Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC) has presented several webinars explaining the use of our standard construction documents over the past couple of months. As previously mentioned, we would like to share the edited recordings we have prepared with you. These recordings are available to be re-sold to your members in conjunction with your other educational materials and are not to be posted publicly or given out for free. Please use the links below to access the webinars on YouTube. CCDC 31 – 2020 Service Contract Between Owner and Consultant Document Webinar: CCDC 21 – 2016 A Guide to Construction Insurance & CCDC 41 – 2020 Insurance Requirements Document Webinar : Education & Events
Now that the summer is upon us, it’s a great time for companies, supervisors, Human Resource and H&S Professionals to make sure that all their bases are covered with a Fit for Duty policy and Fit for Duty training.
Calendar of Events
Looking forward to the annual OGCA Golf Tournament?
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ONTARIO GENERAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
180 Attwell Drive, Suite 280 | Toronto, Ontario M9W 6A9 Tel 905-671-3969 |
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