OGCA will be closed from December 24 to January 2 so we can all spend time with our families. Most of the staff will be bringing home our computers so we can stay in contact.

We wanted to say a special goodbye to Andrea George who will be leaving the League of Champions as of December 31 to pursue other endeavours. We wish her all the best!

We also wanted to mention that Steven Crombie has joined the association for a period of time to assist David Frame in his government relations role. Steven has been busy writing articles and letters and doing some research as a GR intern. Welcome, Steven!

With over 40 Champion volunteers, 35 corporate and school visits, and thousands of event attendees, it has been an exciting year for the League of Champions (LOC).

We are looking forward to an even brighter 2019, which includes increased engagement with our membership, government officials, and students.

On that note, the LOC will kick off the New Year with a request for feedback via a member value survey.

We would like to thank our Members and Patrons for their continued support and for all they do to improve health and safety culture in the Ontario Construction industry. All the best for the holiday season and beyond.

We are now accepting nominations for the Doug Chalmers Award for Safety.

The award will be presented at the Leadership Day Conference, March 1, 2019, at Verdi Banquet Hall.

If you, or someone you know, should be getting this prestigious award, please click here for the nomination form.

OGCA and the Associate Partner Program committee would like to welcome the last firm to join the APP: The APP committee has agreed to cap the number of APP members at 55 firms.

Susan Azevedo
Lind Equipment
150 - 145 Renfrew Drive, Markham, Ontario L6B 1E3

Lind Equipment was missed from the 2019 directory, but will be a welcome sponsor at the Symposium. Be sure to check them out!

The use of recreational cannabis is now legalized and this raises new challenges for those in the construction industry, where safety is paramount and multiple employers and contractors may be operating on the same project or work site.

Please join Singleton Reynolds’ workplace law Partner Melanie Samuels as she discusses the unique challenges faced by employers in the construction industry, and how they can be practically managed.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019
8:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. 
Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP
150 King Street West, Suite 2500, Toronto

Breakfast will be served. Seating is limited.

Please click here for the registration form, and send it to Elizabeth@ogca.ca 

The December 10 issue of Frank Zechner's Ontario Legislative Reports is available here.

Earlier issues not shown on the website, can be requested by contacting the OGCA (info@ogca.ca)

Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton – January 22, 24, 25, 2019
Toronto, Ottawa – February 14, 15, 2019
Montreal, Quebec – February 18, 19, 2019

Earn .7 Continuing Education Units / 7.0 Professional Development Hours

This course covers detailed information from the conception to the final design of a Reinforced Concrete Shear Wall building using a performance-based seismic design (PBSD) approach. It includes hands-on experience in the application of PBSD on several building projects on the West Coast of USA. It goes over the concept of PBSD, its development and key aspects of the general approach. It also presents an overview of the latest PBSD guidelines currently used and a brief review of current code requirements and how they differ from the PBSD approach.

The instructor is Freddy Pina, Ph.D., P.Eng., President of PBRV Consulting Ltd., a company that offers professional services to structural engineering firms with the main focus being in the seismic design of tall buildings using a performance-based design approach and in the assessment of the potential risk of failure or damage of existing buildings. Dr. Pina has been involved in the seismic design of numerous tall buildings as well as in the seismic risk assessment of several existing buildings. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia.

Please click here to view the brochure and to register. Thank you.

Don't forget that the registrations are now open for the 11th Construction Symposium, April 11 - 13, 2019 at the Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood.

The initial brochure was distributed during the Construct Canada show, and if you missed it, please click here to review it. We've added more sessions and are confirming speakers now.

The Early Bird price runs out on January 31, 2019, so be sure to register today. Click here for the registration form, and visit our website at www.ogca.ca to pay.

If you wish to be a sponsor of this extremely popular event, which brings in over 700 superintendents, project managers, estimators, architects, lawyers, suppliers, owners and health and safety personnel, this is your last opportunity to do so. We are filling up on the 54 booths we have been allotted, and if you want to be able to display your products or services, now is the time! Please click here for the sponsorship package.