The provincial government opened a new forum for discussions with the construction industry on September 26.

Labour Minister Monte McNaughton announced the creation of a construction advisory panel. The group of between 8 and 12 experts from labour and industry will meet with the minister three times annually to provide input and advice on a range of workplace issues, including labour and employment law, the rise of new equipment and technologies, workplace health and safety, and injury prevention.

“Construction is a vital engine of growth for our economy, creating good quality jobs across our province. That’s why it’s important that we listen to and work closely with our construction partners,” said McNaughton. “This is an opportunity for the construction sector to bring their issues, concerns and changing trends directly to me and our ministry.”

In order to gain as broad a perspective as possible on key issues, the minister has indicated that the panel will strike a strong balance between labour and management groups. The panel will therefore consist of at least:

• one employee or employer representative from the industrial, commercial and institutional sector,
• two employee or employer representatives from the six other sectors of the construction industry, and
• two employee or employer representatives from industry labour groups/employer groups or associations.

“Since becoming Minister of Labour, Minister McNaughton has shown a willingness to listen to those in the construction sector,” said Wayne Peterson, executive director of the Construction Employers Coordinating Council of Ontario in a prepared statement. “This announcement confirms that he will continue to hear our concerns. We applaud him for doing things differently and listening to employers and workers alike.”

“We applaud Minister McNaughton for establishing an advisory council for the construction industry,” said James Barry, executive chairman of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Construction Council of Ontario. “He has clearly shown an interest in consulting with a broad and diverse representation of people who understand and have worked in the industry and the importance of creating a safe and skilled trades workforce.”

The establishment of an informal, multi-sector committee providing broad advice is part of the government’s strategy to support the construction sector. The panel will complement the work of other construction-related initiatives, including the Construction Health and Safety Action Plan Advisory Group, which developed and implemented an action plan on construction health and safety, as well as the and the Provincial Labour-Management Health and Safety Committee.

The key difference between those panels and the new advisory panel is that where the above groups have specific mandates, the new advisory panel will build on these efforts while enabling construction partners to express their concerns directly to the minister.