OPEN TENDERING FOR THE BROADER PUBLIC SECTOR
Ask: In the OCC’s blueprint letter to the Minister of Labour, we advocated for amendments to the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (LRA) that would ensure a more open and fair tendering and procurement process. Specifically, we have called on the Ontario government to immediately amend the LRA to clarify that municipalities and school boards are not construction employers.
Win
: In April 2019, the Ontario government passed Bill 66, the Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018. Among other things, this will amend the LRA to explicitly deem public bodies, including municipalities, school boards, hospitals, colleges and universities, as “non-construction employers.” For too long, municipalities and public entities have been burdened by a closed procurement process that hindered economic development and innovation. By permitting open tendering, the government is developing a system that fosters economic growth through greater competition among suppliers and helps municipalities maximize their infrastructure investments.
