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.

Statistics Canada reported today that the value of building permits issued across the country rose by 6.1 percent in August to $9.1 billion. The increase was largely due to greater demand for multi-family and industrial permits. Seven provinces reported gains, and Quebec accounted for more than one-third of the total national increase.

The value of permits for single-family dwellings rose 3.2 percent to $2.4 billion nationally, led by Ontario. Of note, St. Catharines–Niagara issued a record high of $102 million in single-family permits, up $58 million from July. These gains were largely attributable to several developers filing additional permits prior to an upcoming increase in development costs in the region. Meanwhile, the value of permits for multi-family dwellings rose in every province, except Nova Scotia, increasing 18.8 percent to $3.3 billion.

Industrial permits were the only component in the non-residential sector to increase in value, rising 18.9 percent to $675 million. The increase was largely due to a high-value permit for a bio-pharmaceutical company in Toronto.

The value of commercial permits declined 5.9 percent to $1.9 billion, following gains in July. Quebec showed some strength in the commercial component (+$73 million) despite the national decrease.

Five provinces reported declines in the value of institutional permits, down 10.7 percent to $651 million.

Here in Ontario, permit totals rose by 4.9 percent to $3.7 billion for the month. The value of residential permits grew by 6.1 percent to $2.4 billion, and the value of non-residential permits rose by 2.7 percent to $1.3 billion.

Published October 8, 2019

A coalition of Canada’s construction unions has launched an election-information website.

Let’s Build Canada is a coalition of building and construction trade unions advocating for building a more resilient, sustainable and fair Canada. The group advocates for infrastructure built to withstand climate change, an economy which levels the playing field for all Canadians and a system built to train the workers of tomorrow.

Its members include the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Canada, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, the Ironworker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust, the Labourers’ International Union of North America, UA Canada/Canadian Piping Trades and the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers. Combined, the groups represent 300,000 workers in the building and construction sectors.

The coalition’s website, letsbuildcanada.ca, calls for action on three fronts. The first is to build new infrastructure throughout the country, and in particular infrastructure that can aid in the fight against climate change. According to the group’s website, Canada’s climate is warming at a rate of double that of the global average. Impacts are far-reaching. From 2000 to 2015, the costs from extreme weather events in Canada were greater than in all previous years combined. The costs will only get worse, rising from $5 billion per year in 2020 to between $21 and $43 billion per year by 2050.

Canada has a part to play. We are the seventh-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Collectively, Canadians produce more GHGs per person than any other G20 economy. Building better transit systems can keep cars off the road. Investing in net-zero building retrofits and new green-construction techniques for commercial, industrial and institutional buildings, can help lower carbon emissions. Building renewable power systems that draw on wide, solar and tidal power can further reduce our dependency on oil.

All of these projects have the added benefit of creating millions of construction jobs, and an even-greater number of induced, indirect and supply-chain jobs.

The group’s second platform is to build fairness for unionized workers. About half of Canadians say they are worried about not having enough income to cover their expenses. Since the 1980s, the bottom half of Canadians have seen their real earnings shrink. The website calls for leaders to take action to build an economy that is fair for all Canadians, not just those who earn the highest incomes.

Finally, the coalition calls for new partnerships between labour, industry and government to build and strengthen apprenticeship and training programs across the country. It’s no secret that the construction industry will need hundreds of thousands of new workers over the next decade as the baby boomer generation approaches retirement age. The coalition argues that young Canadians should have every opportunity to learn about and pursue careers in the skilled trades.

The coalition website calls for interested parties to share its message through social media, and to encourage fellow Canadians to get out and vote in the October 21 federal election.