The latest edition of our Builders' Digest Magazine is here!
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In the in the latest edition of the
Builders' Digest
our President & CEO, John Mollenhauer shared some important insight on how COVID-19 is impacting the construction industry. Read the President's Message "A Storm is Coming" and more!
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Ontario Provides Urgent Relief for Small Businesses and Landlords
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TORONTO — The Ontario government is partnering with the federal government to provide urgent relief for small businesses and landlords affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The province is committing $241 million through the new Ontario-Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program (OCECRA). The total amount of provincial-federal relief that would be provided is more than $900 million, helping to ensure small businesses are ready to reopen their doors when the emergency measures are lifted.
Details of the new program were announced today by Premier Doug Ford, Rod Phillips, Minister of Finance, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, and Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care.
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CCA resolved to keep industry resilient for post-COVID-19 recovery
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No one could have imagined the challenges COVID-19 would bring to Canadians. This pandemic is 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. We can all take pride in the generosity of our many firms who have donated urgently needed personal protective equipment (PPE) in support of our front-line workers across the country. It is just one example of how construction cares.
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COVID-19 – Now is the time to turn our focus towards mitigation
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As the current COVID-19 situation continues to affect the construction industry, Revay would like to remind all our clients of another important consideration: the duty to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 related disruptions. Looking beyond the duty to mitigate, Revay also sees an opportunity for the construction industry to come back stronger after COVID-19 by taking time to address other common construction risks.
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. Revay offers the following considerations and opportunities, some of which relate to common issues affecting projects, even during normal times:
REDUCE COMMON DESIGN AND PROCUREMENT RISKS
- Advancing project designs and collaborating with suppliers and contractors;
- Engaging with contractors more regarding constructability in design;
- Advancing procurement to address common supply chain issues such as late supplier engagement or late material delivery; and
- Resolving design issues to reduce Requests for Information (“RFI”) when work resumes.
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Physical Distancing Posters for Construction
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The Office of the Chief Prevention Officer has asked that we share physical distancing posters that multiple ministries are sharing with construction stakeholders across the province (linked below).
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These posters are available in English and French in two (2) sizes (8.5” x 11” and 11” x 17”).
Please distribute these posters with your networks as appropriate.
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COVID-19 - Frequently Asked Questions for Employers - Updated as of April 21, 2020
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As the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread around the globe, employers need to know their legal rights and obligations as it relates to the Canadian workplace.
Click here
to view the COVID-19 - Frequently Asked Questions for Employers - Updated as of April 21, 2020 - Sherrard Kuzz LLP Employment and Labour Lawyers
Please Note: Information changes daily (sometimes within a day), including the details of the various government initiatives, announcements and regulations. As such, it is important to carefully review each updated Briefing Note to ensure you are aware of current information. Some content in older briefing notes may no longer apply.
If you have additional questions and/or require assistance, please contact your Sherrard Kuzz LLP lawyer or, if you are not yet a client of Sherrard Kuzz LLP, our firm at
info@sherrardkuzz.com
with the re line: COVID-19. We’ll respond promptly.
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PCL develops mobile virus testing centers
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For Sean Scott and his colleagues at PCL Construction, social distancing is about more than keeping at least 6 feet away from other customers in a checkout line or avoiding groups of 10 or more people.
Scott, a manager at PCL’s Minneapolis office, is part of a national team that’s rolling out mobile testing facilities that can screen employees and customers for COVD-19 and help businesses create safer work environments.
Known as Portable Virus Testing Centers, the prototypes are designed to serve end users that include large manufacturing facilities, office towers, and retail centers, Scott said in an interview.
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Industry Perspectives Op-Ed: Why construction is Canada’s economic heavy lifter
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Finally, there’s reason for cautious optimism as federal and provincial governments begin to consider the gradual reopening of Canada’s battered economy.
As health officials gain confidence that COVID-19 is waning and the curve is flattening, what’s following are massive government infusions to stimulate recovery and get Canadians back to work. The fixer during times like these is our construction industry. It’s the proven heavy lifter that’s been keeping our economy moving and ready for takeoff.
Since the pandemic started, the construction industry has been on the frontlines. Declared in most jurisdictions as an essential service, thousands of men and women have worked day in and day out at construction sites across Canada to keep our economy alive. They’re maintaining and improving critical infrastructure from energy plants to hospitals; keeping our water running, ensuring our homes are powered and our broadband is up to speed.
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Service Canada Virtual Labour Market Partners Liaison Service for Ontario Region
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Service Canada has announced the implementation of Service Canada, Ontario Region’s Virtual Labour Market Partners Liaison Service (VLMPLS), offered via a Regional General Delivery (GD) Mailbox as an additional point of access.
This GD mailbox offers a virtual channel for employers, unions and associations to submit questions, points for clarification, or expressed interest in assistance with ESDC / Service Canada programs and services, as well as a request for a dedicated callback. The service standard for response is one business day.
This service is available from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time, Monday to Friday until further notice. Please submit your enquiries to the following GD Mailbox address:
ESDC.ON.CSE-ECC.ON.EDSC@servicecanada.gc.ca
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The above noted GD box is not intended for individual client enquiries or to provide assistance with EI claims.
Please refer to the links below, as a point of reference for various contacts within the organization.
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Ontario names members of Construction Advisory Panel
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TORONTO — The Ontario government has released a list of 14 members named to its Construction Advisory Panel.
The committee was initially announced Sept. 26, 2019 and will meet with Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton three times a year, a release said.
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Statement on Infrastructure Ontario CEO Position
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On Thursday, April 21, 2020, Laurie Scott, Minister of Infrastructure issued the following statement:
“Ehren Cory’s appointment as the CEO of Infrastructure Ontario has been extended for six months. Ehren will remain in his role until October 31, 2020. I thank Ehren for agreeing to extend his tenure at Infrastructure Ontario and look forward to his continued strong leadership during this challenging period.”
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The Economy Under COVID-19: Notes from the Trenches - April 23, 2020
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There are currently two crises underway simultaneously. The advance of the novel coronavirus is taking a terrible toll in terms of physical and emotional well-being. At the same time, job losses resulting from ‘social distancing’ are sending the economy into a tailspin. To fight on both fronts, governments are advancing rescue packages of never-seen-before dimensions. Every day, the tremendous number of factors in play reconfigure in a new way. These ‘from the trenches’ notes attempt to shed some light along a murky pathway.
- There seem to be nearly unlimited ways in which society can separate into diverse factions (e.g., along lines tied to income, race, religion, sexual orientation, culinary taste, etc.). There’s one split, though, where the degree of difference exposed by the coronavirus crisis is being magnified to the ‘nth degree’. There are those who have acquired a degree of proficiency in using new high-tech tools, across a wide spectrum of applications, and those who have not. The age composition of the ‘not’ group is inordinately older. (I’m allowed to say that because I’m in the older demographic; they’re my ‘peeps’.)
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TCA Resources on COVID-19
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To access TCA dedicated Covid-19 Updates,
click here
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