The Federal Budget, introduced on March 22, has slowed down early commitments to move on infrastructure investment in order to stimulate the economy. Phase II of the infrastructure plan will be initiated this year but will require a-cost sharing arrangement with each province before funds will be allocated. As a result, only $645 million has been allocated this year for long term major projects.

Last week I had the pleasure as OGCA President to attend this event. As part of the celebration, firms with over 100 years-experience were being recognized. As part of the event, attendees dressed in the attire popular at the time of their inception.

OGCA was proud to see Hayman Construction Inc. recognized. They have been strong members and supporters of the OGCA since prior to 1967.

In 1872, operations of the firm began when John Hayman started working with his brother William under the name "Hayman Brothers, Masonry Contractors." In 2003, they incorporated as "Hayman Construction Inc." 

 

Frank Barratta first received the LDCA Member of Distinction award in 2012. Frank was an LDCA Director for 26 years and served as President from 1992 – 1993. He was a model business, community and family man. To best recognize Frank’s memory, the LDCA renamed the Member of Distinction Award in his honour.

The Frank Barratta Member of Distinction Award is given to honour people who have made an outstanding contribution to the construction industry in London and the surrounding area.

This year’s recipient is Brian Waltham, who spent an outstanding career at EllisDon. As well as being an exceptional industry leader, he is an outstanding businessman, community supporter and is endlessly dedicated to the Construction Industry. Congratulations, Brian!

 

One of the more enjoyable tasks I have at the OGCA is to visit the many training facilities around the Province. It is truly a very enjoyable experience to see these venues, the dedicated staff and the large numbers of men and women looking to join our industry.

Last week the OGCA and other industry stakeholders received the following update from the Government. "Since receiving the report of the expert review of the Construction Lien Act, our government has been working hard to develop a plan to strengthen Ontario’s construction sector by addressing issues with payment timelines and dispute resolution."

On March 22, 2017, the federal budget entitled: Building A Strong Middle Class was presented by Finance Minister Bill Morneau. Innovation was the theme of the day, with key focus on infrastructure, housing strategy, skills, health, and gender balance.

As expected, the budget posts a significant deficit of $28.5 billion, expected to peak this year, and with the debt-to-GDP ratio to peak in the next 2 years at 36.1% of GDP before slowly decreasing starting in fiscal year 2019 – 2020.

This year was very much a ‘Stay the course’ budget with very few major changes of policy direction. In fact, the anticipated large-scale tax measures were nowhere to be found. There were also no changes to small business tax from the pre-budget framework. There were also small tweaks to corporate tax; mostly technical in nature.

Download CCA's 2017 budget briefing

OGCA and IHSA are pleased to announce the results of the Leadership Day survey, which was distributed to all attendees who participated in the event on March 3, 2017.The questionnaire allows respondents to report their levels of satisfaction with sessions, location and overall organization of the event. A total of 40 people responded to the survey and the answers fell overwhelmingly in the "Very Satisfied" and "Satisfied" categories. There were some constructive comments provided to us which is important because it allows the associations to improve next year’s event to the needs of the members we serve.

We thank all those who participated in Leadership Day and those who took the time to provide us with their feedback. As this event continues to grow, it has been decided to move Leadership Day to a larger facility in 2018.

A Save the Date will be sent out soon.

A young worker is defined as a person between the ages of 15 and 24. Almost everyone enters the labour market as a young worker. Young people are new workers, entering the workforce for the first time or holding temporary jobs and these jobs are typically low-paid, low-skilled and are known to be associated with higher levels of stress relating to poor income, a lack of security and a lack of job satisfaction. Approximately half of the accidents involving 15 to 24-year-olds happen during the first six months of being employed in a new job. Young workers lack awareness about workplace health and safety and their rights. Young workers do not always receive training and when they do, it is often through a videotape. Young workers are seldom conscious of the risk of workplace injury. These are all facts.

Mr. Rob Ellis would like to invite all Champions to come out and speak at two upcoming High School events, both held on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.

Details are:

• Cathedral Catholic High School, located at 30 Wentworth Street North, Hamilton at 8:30 am
• Northview Heights Secondary School, located at 550 Finch Avenue West, North York. at 12:00 pm

Please RSVP your attendance to Lyndsy Miceli at lyndsy@ogca.ca. We hope you’ll join Rob in helping to raise awareness.

March 23, 2017, Montreal, QC — Pomerleau Inc., one of Canada’s leading builders in the institutional, industrial, commercial, infrastructure and civil works sectors, unveiled its new corporate vision and new values today.

Local construction company Gateman-Milloy Inc. received the national award for corporate social responsibility, the CCA Community Builder Award, today at the annual Canadian Construction Association conference (CCA). CCA is the national body representing the construction industry to government and business. Annually, the association awards a dozen construction companies from across Canada for excellence in building, and with this award recognizes outstanding and sustained contributions to our communities.

For the most recent news from the Ontario Ministry of Labour, please click on the headlines below.

Blitz results: Falls

Ministry of Labour prosecutions

Mining health and safety conference

Register now for Steps for Life!

SASKATOON (CP) — A spokesperson for a Saskatchewan agency that provides insurance and compensation for workers and employers says businesses should have policies in place before Canada legalizes marijuana. Ed Secondiak with ECS Safety Services spoke Tuesday at a meeting of the Saskatchewan Workers' Compensation Board.

OGCA is pleased to announce that the Hon. Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario, will be addressing delegates on Thursday, April 6, 2017 at the OGCA’s 10^th Construction Symposium.

OGCA will be using this opportunity to "return" the Jersey of Courage, which has become the corporate commitment to building a Safety Culture in the Province of Ontario. Rob Ellis has impressively collected over 3,000 signatures, each signature symbolizing the importance of Health and Safety in the Construction Industry.

Rob Ellis, MySafeWork and OGCA will present Premier Wynne with this Jersey at OGCA’s Welcome Dinner on Thursday evening. Details on the Premier’s speaking engagement will be released shortly.

For more information on the OGCA’s Symposium, please visit www.ogca.ca

Upcoming Seminars 

This is the last opportunity for you to register for the OGCA’s 10^th Construction Symposium, April 6-8, 2017 at Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood.

You can sign up by visiting the OGCA’s website at www.ogca.ca under STORE, then EVENTS.

Sponsorships have been sold out for weeks, but if you are not a member of OGCA and still wish to attend, please select the Non-Member pricing online, and the non-member registration form. See you all in Blue!

This year, OGCA is using a new app from Attendify, to give you all the information you will need while attending the Symposium in April at Blue Mountain Resort.

The OGCA Attendify application is now ready for download. You will find the speakers, the sessions, the sponsors, and soon the schedule (still working out a few kinks).

You can access the application searching in the App Store™ and Google Play™ using keywords that are applicable to your application (such as the application’s title) or by following these links:

iPhone: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1189015625

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.attendify.conff1d1fg

WebApp: http://f1d1fg.m.attendify.com/

Landing Page: https://attendify.com/app/f1d1fg

If you are not yet registered to attend this year's 10th Symposium, you should visit the OGCA website - www.ogca.ca and go to Events to register.

Tips on how to use this APP - https://attendify.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/206594358-Tips-for-using-the-app

NOTE TO BLACKBERRY USERS:The app is NOT available. There is a web function (WebApp: http://f1d1fg.m.attendify.com/) that provides all schedules, speakers and sponsor content, but may not provide you with the same flexibility as a smart phone.

Those who experience trouble, please contact Lyndsy Miceli for assistance at lyndsy@ogca.ca

 

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for this year’s Golf Tournament, Monday, July 10, 2017 at Glencairn Golf Course in Milton. Every year, this is a sell-out event!

Sponsorship this year will be focused on the Associate Partners, giving them the first and best opportunity to sponsor this annual event.