January 12, 2021
Ontario Declares Second Provincial Emergency to Address COVID-19 Crisis and Save Lives

TORONTO - In response to a doubling in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks, the real and looming threat of the collapse of the province's hospital system and alarming risks posed to long-term care homes as a result of high COVID-19 transmission rates, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, is immediately declaring a second provincial emergency under s 7.0.1 (1) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA).

  • Non-essential construction is further restricted, including below-grade construction, exempting survey.

The shutdown come into effect between Tuesday January 12, 2021 and Thursday, January 14, 2021, including the provincial declaration of emergency under the EMCPA, orders under that Act, and amendments to regulations under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020.

Click here to read the complete news release.

Ontario Building On Supports for Employers During COVID-19

New Ontario Small Business Support Grant to Provide up to $20,000 for Eligible Businesses

The Ontario government continues to provide a variety of supports to employers facing challenges as a result of COVID-19. The government will now be providing even more support to small businesses that are required to close or severely restrict their operations due to the necessary Provincewide Shutdown.

The new Ontario Small Business Support Grant, will provide a minimum of $10,000 and up to $20,000 to help small business owners during this challenging period.

Small businesses required to close or restrict services under the Provincewide Shutdown will be able to apply for this one-time grant. 

Eligible small businesses include those that:

  • Are required to close or significantly restrict services due to the Provincewide Shutdown being imposed across the province effective 12:01 a.m. on December 26
  • Have fewer than 100 employees at the enterprise level
  • Have experienced a minimum of 20 per cent revenue decline in April 2020 compared to April 2019.

Click here to read the complete news release.

Joseph Brant Hospital opens regional pandemic response unit

Joseph Brant Hospital’s Pandemic Response Unit (PRU) – the first of its kind built in Ontario – opened in response to a heightened need for COVID-19 care across the Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand, Norfolk, Brant and Burlington (HNHBB) region.

The field hospital was built in April as part of the hospital network’s capacity plan. It cost about $2 million and can accommodate 93 patients.

Hospitals will begin identifying and working with patients who have progressed in their care and could receive care in the PRU, a state-of-the-art, all-season field hospital located on JBH grounds.

Click here to read the complete news release.

2021 Preview: Stakeholders ruminate on COVID’s future impact on Canada’s construction sector

The coronavirus pandemic dramatically transformed the Canadian construction landscape in 2020 with more disruption clearly to come in the new year. The Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce invited stakeholders to assess COVID’s continuing impacts for 2021 through the lenses of leadership, health and safety, the economy and projects, and innovation.

Respondents were Ian Cunningham, president, Council of Ontario Construction Associations; Darrel Reid and Karen Renkema, with the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada; Chris Atchison, president, BC Construction Association; Giovanni Cautillo, president, Ontario General Contractors Association; Tania Johnston and Ken Lancastle, CEO and COO respectively of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada; Mary Van Buren, president, Canadian Construction Association; and Sean Strickland, executive director, Canada’s Building Trades Unions.

Click here to read the complete news release.

Exclusive Discount for TCA Members on publishing Certificates of Substantial Performance (CSPs) in the Daily Commercial News (DCN)!
All certificates and notices published in the Daily Commercial News (DCN) are a flat fee of $300 (plus tax). Special Affinity Pricing of $200 per certificate is available to all ConstructConnect subscribers and TCA members.
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TCA Resources on COVID-19

To access TCA dedicated Covid-19 Updates, click here.