In Ontario, an inquest is finally set to commence into the death of an Ottawa construction worker six years ago, crushed by a slab of ice that detached from the wall of the nine-storey-deep pit. Three similar non-fatal incidents had occurred on the same site in the months prior to the fatal accident. The inquest is focused on safety protocols regarding ice removal and mitigating danger from falling ice.
In Ontario, a second inquest is also now underway into the 2009 deaths of four Toronto construction workers who fell 13 storeys to their death when their swing stage broke apart during an apartment restoration. According to Daily Commercial News, inquests are mandatory in Ontario after construction deaths, but can only proceed after criminal charges are adjudicated by the courts. The project manager in this instance was convicted of criminal negligence causing death.
In Ontario, four months remain until provincial construction contracts expire on May 1, and negotiations are expected to be “challenging and tense”, but Ottawa Construction News sees reason to believe that much of what appears to be hardball negotiating is in fact posturing, and that agreement will be reached between all parties.
In Ontario, residential housing construction lobbying group RESCON has made pre-budget submissions to the Ontario finance minister. RESCON’s submissions focused on accelerating the development review process and funding for skilled trade training. RESCON claims that Canada ranked 34th out of 35 OECD countries with respect to the time required to approve a construction project. Also in Ontario, the provincial government has officially launched a new agency, Skilled Trades Ontario, to streamline trade education and certification.
In B.C., the provincial government has begun the process of developing prompt payment legislation by establishing an industry working group, managed by the Ministry of the Attorney General and including all major industry stakeholders, some of whom have yet to be formally announced.