Published: October 16, 2019

The Progressive Contractors Association of Canada (PCA) announced on October 7 that Karen Renkema will assume the role of vice-president, Ontario.

“I’m delighted to take on a leading role with an organization that walks the talk, and truly is progressive and forward thinking,” said Renkema. “I am inspired by PCA’s mandate to ensure fairness and transparency for all contractors and workers, regardless of union affiliation. Industry, buyers, governments and the public have everything to gain by a progressive and diverse construction industry that includes PCA contractors.”

Renkema has played an active role in Ontario’s construction industry for more than twelve years, starting at the Council of Ontario Construction Associations (COCA) followed by the Ontario Road Builders’ Association as Director of Government Relations, and as the lead in Advocacy and Government Relations at PCA. Her vision is to build on Sean Reid’s legacy in Ontario and across the country by showing that there is a better and different way for contractors and employees to work together.

Reid will leave PCA effective January 1 to launch his own small business coaching and consulting company.

“On behalf of PCA, I’d like to welcome Karen into her new role, and thank Sean for his ten years of service,” said Paul de Jong, President of PCA. “Sean is to be congratulated for his tremendous successes in expanding fair and open tendering and improving skills training in Ontario. Thanks to both Karen and Sean’s hard work and diligence, PCA is a strong voice that has earned the respect of government and industry.”

Published: October 15, 2019

Canada’s labour force added 54,000 jobs (or 0.3 percent) in September. Of that total, nearly 10,000 jobs were created in the construction industry.

The findings come from the latest edition of Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. In it, the national agency shows that the national employment rate dropped by 0.2 percentage points to 5.5 percent. Employment was particularly strong in Ontario, where jobs creation rose by 41,000, mostly among full-time workers.

Ontario’s unemployment rate dropped by 0.3 percentage points to 5.3 percent. On a year-over-year basis, employment in Ontario grew by 253,000 or a gain of (3.5 percent).

Construction employment added 9,800 workers across the country, for a monthly gain of 0.7 percent. National employment levels in our industry now stand at 1.48 million, or a gain of 35,500 (or 2.5 percent) from a year before.

Ontario’s construction industry was by far the strongest gainer in September. It added 12,000 jobs (or 0.7 percent). Alberta’s construction industry lost 5,600 jobs.

Posted October 15, 2019

The City of Brampton announced earlier this year that it will expand the project threshold under which contractors will be required to be certified under the Certificate of Recognition (COR) program.

Brampton’s COR requirement has been in place since January 2019 on construction projects valued at over $25 million. Beginning January 2020, that requirement will be expanded to include projects valued at more than $10 million.

In a release, the city called the expanded scope “a reaffirmation of its ongoing commitment to health and safety for contractors, employees and residents.”

The Ontario government has announced a new way of approaching infrastructure construction.

On October 15, Infrastructure Minster Laurie Scott indicated that the province will now accept infrastructure-development proposals from the private sector. Unsolicited proposals (USPs) are proposal to the government that were not otherwise requested through existing procurement channels.

Through this new-to-the-province approach, private-sector ideas with the potential to improve public infrastructure and related services will be considered using a consistent and fair process.

"An unsolicited proposal framework is a leading global practice to leverage the expertise of the private sector to develop innovative infrastructure solutions to benefit the people of Ontario and make government open for business," said Scott. "It provides a clear path for industry to share proposals we might otherwise not have developed on our own."

Other Canadian and international jurisdictions—including Toronto, Nova Scotia, the United Kingdom, United States and Australia—have established USP processes and guidelines to promote private-sector participation and innovation.

"We will always work hard for the people, but we must acknowledge that government doesn't always have all the answers," added Scott. "Our new USP framework will ensure we are listening to the people and businesses that build and operate infrastructure in Ontario to find the best ideas and make them a reality."

Open to all proposals

The program is open for all infrastructure proposals. There are no limitations on the project size, asset class, delivery model or type of proposal that can be submitted. The province has indicated it is particularly interested in proposals relating to core types of infrastructure, including transit projects (such as new transit infrastructure, station improvements and transit-oriented development opportunities), health care facilities, highways, energy projects, law enforcement facilities and housing.

It is also interested in innovative proposals that relate to any other type of infrastructure (including “digital infrastructure,” such as the province’s broadband and cellular communications networks).

In evaluating each, the government will focus on those projects that provide the greatest benefit to the people of Ontario, are feasible from a technical and commercial perspective, align with the government's priorities, and provide the greatest value for money for any investment of public dollars.

The USP approach allows the government to receive and consider ideas it may not have generated on its own. Innovative ideas from the private sector can bring significant benefits to the people of Ontario through the construction of new infrastructure or improvement of existing assets.

“The engineering and contractor sectors are involved with infrastructure projects around the world and have ideas for incorporating more innovative approaches,” said Andy Manahan, executive director of the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario. “These ideas cannot be effectively generated through traditional procurement processes. Encouraging unsolicited bids will therefore have significant positive implications for infrastructure delivery throughout the province.”

Assessing and awarding projects

Under the framework, submitted infrastructure projects will be assessed using such criteria as whether the proposal aligns with government priorities, whether it demonstrates a clear benefit to the people of Ontario, whether it is commercially, financially and technically viable, and, should government funding be required, the proposal demonstrates value for money.

Participants can submit proposals through the government’s new online portal. A web form will ask for high-level information so government can understand and evaluate whether the project should be advanced for further evaluation.

If a proposal is selected to move to the second stage of evaluation, additional information will be required from the participants, including a business case. If after evaluation, the government elects to proceed with a proposal, it will design a transaction and procurement structure that is best suited to delivering the project and protecting the public interest. In most cases, procurements will be competitively tendered.