CEO's peer roundtable registration, member news and more.
CEO eGlance
June 25, 2020
“Off the Record” Round 2 - Peer Discussion on COVID-19 Issues
CEO held it’s first set of roundtables earlier in June - seats were full, opinions were shared and an exchange of knowledge took place. We heard the request loud and clear from participants, "These roundtables are of value and need to continue!".
We are facilitating another round of “Off the Record” events on July 20, 21 and 22
nd at 8:30 AM.
This next discussion will focus on looking at the future state of projects in the market. Let’s discuss what top concerns you have? How are you planning for a best/worst case scenario? What information do you need to see that CEO can advocate for public owners to provide?
Discussion groups will, again, be organized by size of firm and the group size will be limited to a maximum of 10 participants. This event is included in your membership. Reserve your seat today!
CEO is reminding firms of the increasing prevalence of uninsurable terms and conditions being included in professional services agreements across Ontario. Many clients appear to be unaware of the limits of professional liability insurance available to our industry. Consequently, CEO is seeing an increasing trend of terms and conditions that exceed the limitations of professional liability insurance in an attempt to aggressively and disproportionally transfer risk away from the client and onto consultants. For more information on foundational concepts that consultants can use to develop and execute equitable contracts
please click here.
CEO is recommending that member firms communicate clearly to clients about the confines of professional liability issues and should reach out to CEO through our Rapid Response program when confronted with difficult clients.
CEO encourages member firms to review project documents for undue and inappropriate pandemic-related obligations
In what is undoubtedly a time of cautious enthusiasm the majority of Ontario has entered Stage 2 of the province’s economic reopening framework. While welcoming this step toward greater economic activity, CEO is reminding member firms to be aware of their project duties and responsibilities, especially those pertaining to pandemic-related public health and occupational health and safety.
During these challenging times some clients are seeking to transfer additional pandemic-related risks to proponents. CEO is encouraging member firms to be mindful of these potential additional risks and to remember that in Ontario occupational health and safety liability, as stipulated by the
Occupational Health and Safety Act, resides with the party who is deemed to have care and control of the project. All parties, are prohibited from contracting out of this obligation and/or transferring it to another party.
Member firms are encouraged to review their incoming project-related documentation. This includes but is not limited to; standard forms of agreement, contracts, RFX documents, tender documents, purchase orders and other project-related papers. Firms need to be vigilant that their acceptance of these documents does not result in the inadvertent assumption of undue and inappropriate pandemic-related risks and responsibilities.
CEO also reminds everyone that their ability to reopen their businesses is contingent upon their adherence to public health guidelines. These sector specific guidance documents can be found at
Ontario.ca/covidsafety and CEO encourages all member firms to be familiar with the relevant requirements.
As always, should you have any questions or concerns on these issues, do not hesitate to contact David Zurawel at dzurawel@ceo.on.ca or Catherine Morrison, cmorrison@ceo.on.ca.
D.M. Wills Associates Announcement
D.M. Wills Associates' Bruce Bonner, P. Eng. retires after 30 years of service and dedication. Today is Bruce's last official day, congratulations are in order!
This month, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is starting to rebuild the Calabogie Generating Station (GS). The original 5-MW GS, constructed on the province’s Madawaska River in 1917, was already nearing the end of its operational life when it was extensively damaged in 2018 by a tornado in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
A joint venture (JV) between Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin’s engineering services business and local construction company M. Sullivan & Son has won a design-build contract for the new facility. Read more.
Niblett Environmental Associates (NEA), a biological consultancy based in Lindsay, Ont., has become part of GHD, an international consulting engineering firm with offices across Canada.
NEA has provided expertise in the fields of terrestrial, aquatic and wetland ecology throughout Central and Eastern Ontario, including part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), since 1985.
The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers Goes Virtual this October
The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers is hosting their annual Diversity & Inclusion Forum virtually on October 20 and 21, 2020.
Please visit www.ospeedi.ca for full details on the Forum thus far!
Similar to their past annual Diversity & Inclusion events, the 2020 edition will include speakers and panelists, workshops and special guests, plus virtual table-top displays for partners and supporters.
Infrastructure Ontario has released the Spring Market Update. This update includes a total of 37 P3 projects, valued at more than $60 billion. Thirteen of these projects are currently in procurement and another 24 projects are in the pre-transaction phase. In addition, 13 additional projects are currently included in the planning phase.
Dr. Ralph C.G. Haas passed away suddenly on Friday, June 19, 2020, leaving an extensive community of colleagues, friends and family in mourning.
Dr. Haas was Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Waterloo, a member of the Order of Canada, the Royal Society of Canada, the Engineering Institute of Canada and a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, among many other honours and distinctions he earned throughout his life.
ACEC is participating in the Construction Industry Roundtable created in response to the COVID-19 crisis and convened by the federal government and hosted by the Parliamentary Secretary to Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). Read more.
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce released a report on June 22, 2020, Small Business, Big Impact: How SMEs are Pivoting During COVID-19. The report highlights a range of Ontario’s SMEs that have successfully adapted during this difficult time. Read the report.
With the path forward for Ontario’s economy still uncertain, SMEs across the province are rapidly adapting their business models and operations to survive the crisis.
Another recently published report by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, "In Data We Trust Unlocking the Value of Data in Ontario", can be found here.
Does your firm have an interesting article or news that you want the Ontario Engineering world to now about? Please have 'your people' talk to 'our people", email us at
mwest@ceo.on.ca.
