These are this week’s top stories, regarding the construction industry in Ontario, that you need to know.

CURRENT NEWS

April 24 – April 30, 2020

Day of Mourning

Every worker has the right to return home safe and sound at the end of each workday but sadly, that is not always the case. On April 28, the industry commemorated workers who have died, been injured or suffered an illness in the workplace. Please click here to watch a brief video from Ontario Construction Secretariat CEO, Robert Bronk.

Virtual Day of Mourning ceremony reinforces need for safer workplaces during pandemic

The global pandemic will make us stronger by making all workplaces safer. That was the message from the Ottawa District Labour Council’s virtual Day of Mourning ceremony held on April 28 to honour those killed, injured or made ill at the workplace.

Stay on top of delayed projects

 It’s a fact: COVID-19 is disrupting construction. Are your projects getting pushed, put on hold, or outright cancelled? Click on your state or province to find out.

Now is the time to turn our focus towards mitigation

Whether your project has been slowed down due to COVID-19 or your project site has been shut down completely, there are many ways for project teams to look for opportunities to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 as well as other risks. To the extent possible, there are opportunities for parties to use this downtime to reassess their projects, by both revisiting existing project risks and identifying new project risks.

Ontario unveils guiding principals to reopen the province

The Ontario government released A Framework for Reopening our Province, which outlines the criteria Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and health experts will use to advise the government on the loosening of emergency measures, as well as guiding principals for the safe, gradual reopening of businesses, services and public spaces.

The impact of COVID-19 on the construction industry: A reference guide to the changed landscape

In these unprecedented times, access to current information is crucial to ensuring your safety and making informed business decisions.  This is particularly the case in relation to essential services, like construction, which continue to operate through the COVID-19 pandemic.  In this bulletin, you will find a reference guide to the changed construction landscape that COVID-19 has affected through consideration of six subjects.

To rebuild the economy after COVID-19, we need to push ahead with major projects like expanding the electricity power grid in partnership with First Nations

 The COVID-19 crisis has upended the daily routines of Canadians and devastated the economy. As public health officials work to contain the virus, many of us have turned our thoughts to where the bottom lies and what a recovery will look like.

Ontario providing employers with workplace safety guidelines

The Ontario government is ensuring employers have the safety guidelines they need to protect workers, customers, and the general public from COVID-19 as it prepares for a gradual reopening of the provincial economy.

Good News

Builders impacted by COVID-19 shift gears to aid in plexiglass contracts

When the coronavirus first made headlines in Ontario, contractors scrambled to shut down jobs, but some saw a potential silver lining. One of the new opportunities arising from the outbreak was the design and installation of plexiglass screen protectors between employees and customers at supermarket chains.

A new partnership to support construction workers during pandemic

The Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN) is pleased to announce it has partnered with Aecon, a leader in the construction industry, to significantly increase access to pivotal training and mentoring programs for members of the workforce who have been laid off due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Quebec to reopen construction, manufacturing and retail businesses

Quebec’s economic recovery plan, unveiled Tuesday, aims to reopen the province’s retail, construction and manufacturing sectors by mid-May, allowing roughly 500,000 people who had been temporarily laid off during the pandemic to return to work.

Despite the fact Quebec has more than half of Canada’s total number of deaths related to COVID-19 and continues to record hundreds of new cases per day, Premier Francois Legault said the pandemic — outside long-term care homes — “is under control.”

Canadian Construction Association resolved to keep industry resilient for post-COVID-19 recovery

No one could have imagined the challenged COVID-19 would bring to Canadians. This pandemic not only threatening the health and well-being of our population, but it is also changing the way we live our daily lives and how we work. Our industry is rising to the occasion – putting the safety and well-being of our workers, their families and friends, and the communities in which we operate as our first priority.

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