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I’m not going to sugarcoat things and state that this pandemic has been anything less than unsavory, disruptive and absolutely abysmal. I can actually think of other choice superlatives to use as adjectives, but I do want to keep the content of my addresses of a higher caliber for our members.
Several of our members from across Ontario have received offers from people with the following messages: Would you like to Purchase Ontario General Contractors Association- (OGCA)Mailing List.? Just to clarify again – OGCA does not provide anyone with your information nor would we ever sell the information to anyone with the email address @tradeshowvisitorlist.com. These people are misrepresenting themselves by saying that OGCA provided them with the database. If you receive an email similar to this, please simply delete the email.
OGCA and League of Champions Chair Craig Lesurf, along with OGCA’s David Frame, presented to the committee. Jane is Parliamentary Assistant to Minister McNaughton and has been a regular participant in our Leadership Conference and Safety Awards breakfasts. In her comments to the committee, she said that the legislation was inspired by her experience with OGCA and Rob Ellis. Craig Lesurf focused on the importance of not only having a Day of Mourning to reflect on workplace tragedy, but then to follow it with a focus on commitment to excellence in health and safety. Rob Ellis presented for MySafeWork and focused on working with industry leaders to take action and getting students involved by advocating for their own safety. It is anticipated the Bill may be passed into law in the next few weeks so it can be celebrated on Tuesday, May 4, 2021.
There were three levels of sponsorship - Overall Sponsor (full), Session Sponsors (full) and Table Sponsors (still open), and they are offered at APP Member pricing and non-APP pricing. We are using a new program called Airmeet as the foundation for the sessions and the networking or social lounge. This program allows us to offer better networking for you and the sponsors. More information including the schedule and the sponsorship form can be found by clicking here. Please email Mary Wademan if you have any questions. To register for this event, please click here. If you have any issues, please review this short Youtube video.
Industry News
This year, the OGCA has been working with industry partners to inform our members about energy efficiency and green building techniques. Passive House Canada is a national non-profit professional association advocating for the Passive House high-performance building standard. Passive House is recognized internationally as the proven best way to build for comfort, affordability and energy efficiency of residential, institutional and commercial buildings, through all stages of design, construction and livability. To help GCs learn about green building techniques and the opportunities available in green building, Passive House is hosting a free monthly webinar called Building Conversations focused on key projects or issues. They also recently launched their Cold Climate Webinar aimed to inform and prepare tradespeople in Ontario telling the story of a Passive House project led by Parks Canada. Following the election that took place during the Annual General Meeting yesterday, the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) issued the following press release to welcome incoming Chair, Ray Bassett, and the rest of the 2021-2022 Board of Directors. Please click here to see the full Board of Directors.
We are thrilled that EllisDon has joined us as our first lead sponsor and event partner. Please click here for the full press release. To learn more about the nominations process and to get insights about the benchmarks used to decide the winners or to register for the free online information sessions, please click here.
innovation Corner
The construction industry has long been frustrated by the lack of visibility, consistency and transparency into permitting processes. While the Ontario government issued a standard Application for a Permit to Construct or Demolish form in 2014, which all municipalities are required to use, it is only the first step in the submission process. Uncertainty on submission requirements due to varying jurisdictional rules and timelines has led to delayed or cancelled projects and subsequently higher operational costs for development.
The 2021 North American Health and Safety Week is being recognized from May 3 – 10. We are encouraging our membership to plan either virtual or on-site events promoting health and safety initiatives and to celebrate your successes. Safety week is a great time to reconfirm your commitment to safety! Although none of this was possible in 2020, we are looking forward to the upcoming Safety week events, both virtual and in-person. If you are planning an in-house or on-site event and would like to schedule a site visit from the LOC team, email judith@theloc.ca for details. Are you a Safety Champion? Do you know a Safety Champion? Do you know a company who would be a great addition to the LOC? 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. Email judith@theloc.ca for more information. The 2021 Steps for Life walk is a short six weeks away. There are a number of LOC Members and Patrons who are annual sponsors of this event, and many more who have already registered their teams for the 5 km walk. Every year, Threads of Life hosts its annual fundraiser – Steps for Life. The goal is to educate the community about the devastating ripple effects of workplace tragedies and how we can work together to improve safety awareness. Who is walking? Everyone! Families, friends and colleagues of those affected by a workplace tragedy, teams from injury prevention organizations, labour, businesses and the general public all participate. Join us on Sunday, May 2, in support of Threads of Life and their annual fundraiser (Steps for Life - Threads of Life). 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 3,000 family members from across the country. To learn more about becoming involved with the LOC and the Steps for Life walk, contact judith@theloc.ca or call us at 905.671.3969 x 7. 
Safety
IHSA has developed several different resources to help employers prevent and deal with incidents of discrimination in the workplace. Racial discrimination in the workplace is a form of harassment. Racial discrimination is any action, intentional or not, that singles out people based on their race and causes them to be treated differently. March 21 is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. IHSA has provided these resources so that companies can take some time to reflect on this important issue and work toward ridding our workplaces of this type of discrimination. Visit the IHSA Workplace Violence and Harassment topic page. Toolbox Talk: http://www.ihsa.ca/pdfs/safety_talks/racial-discrimination-in-the-workplace.pdf Dear Occupational Health and Safety Partner, As Ontario’s Chief Prevention Officer, I am pleased to share the Occupational Health and Safety in Ontario: 2019-2020 Annual Report. My gratitude goes out to all system partners for the hard work, the partnership and the perseverance. I look forward to working with Ontario’s occupational health and safety system partners to address current and emerging challenges, and to continue to build on past successes. To maximize the number of people who are aware of the report, please share with your networks: https://www.ontario.ca/document/occupational-health-and-safety-ontario-april-2019-march-2020 The progress we have made would not have been possible without the collaboration of the whole system. I look forward to continuing working with you to improve the health and safety in Ontario workplaces. Sincerely, Ron Kelusky For those who missed the latest Leadership Conference webinar entitled Building an Effective Strategy to Manage Worker Safety Panel, you can now view it by clicking the link below. Safety starts with leadership, and you are helping to make a difference! To watch the three webinar series again, please follow the links below! Friday, March 5, 2021 - Recognition Day 
Associate Partner News and Events
With COVID-19 vaccination within reach for most Canadians, many employers want to know if they can require employees and, in some cases, customers to be vaccinated once vaccines are readily available. Employers are also uncertain about the information they can collect about vaccination and whether widespread vaccination in the workplace means fewer health and safety protocols such as distancing, masking, disinfecting, etc. This briefing note addresses four common vaccination questions:
In Ontario, most workplaces with 20 or more workers are required by law to have a joint health and safety committee (JHSC). The JHSC must include at least one worker and one manager that has been certified by the Chief Prevention Officer (CPO) from the Ministry of Labour, Training & Skill’s Development (MLTSD). To be certified by the CPO, you must successfully complete a CPO-Approved JHSC Certification Training Program. Please click here to see the full description, curriculum and benefits. Workplace absenteeism creates some of the most challenging issues faced by employers. For example, when is absenteeism culpable, human rights considerations, how to obtain meaningful medical information, how to design and implement a defensible attendance management program, and at what point is there “cause” to terminate? Using interactive learning and real-life scenarios, this half-day workshop examines the following topics:
Dear Members, 4Special Price for Re-opening Businesses: Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) Certification Training eLearning Bundle: OFFER ONLY VALID UP TO: Apr 02, 2021 What's included?
Why should you enroll now?
How to enroll?
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. Education & Events
The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, will sit down with CCA President, Mary Van Buren, for a tête-à-tête at this year’s annual conference. The discussion will feature comments from the Cabinet Minister on the lessons learned from COVID-19, the role workforce development will play in recovery efforts in Canada, and how the pandemic has shifted how the federal government works with provinces. Register today to watch this exclusive conversation. Calendar of Events
CCDC2 Stipulated Price Contract has been the most extensively used construction contract document within Canada, formed in 1974. The majority of the updates to the CCDC 2 were made to reflect prompt payment legislation that has been introduced in Ontario and to incorporate changes that were commonly made by parties to CCDC 2 contracts by way of supplementary conditions. Click here to register to attend this session, presented by Clive Thurston, former President of the OGCA, and Geza Banfai of McMillan. 
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ONTARIO GENERAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
180 Attwell Drive, Suite 280 | Toronto, Ontario M9W 6A9 Tel 905-671-3969 |
MPP Jane McKenna's bill to make the first Tuesday of May Occupational Safety and Health Day received support from OGCA at the Standing Committee on Social Development, where it is in second reading.
Sponsorships are now open for EDUCATE ME! a virtual OGCA symposium, being held on Friday, April 9, 2021 starting at 8 a.m.
Toronto Community Benefits Network, in partnership with community, labour and construction industry partners, is pleased to announce the launch of the first annual province-wide Building Diversity Awards (BDA) and Recognition Program. Nominations will be accepted until March 30, 2021.
