The Progressive Contractors Association of Canada (PCA) welcomes the Ontario government’s investment in skills and infrastructure in the 2017 budget, but it would like to see amendments to “outdated” labour laws to make infrastructure dollars go further.
PCA contends that a loophole in Ontario’s Labour Relations Act forces several municipalities including the Region of Waterloo, the Sault, Toronto and Hamilton to restrict competition on taxpayer funded infrastructure work.
The result is many local companies and workers are shut out.
“It’s an easy fix that would allow the Ontario government to maximize its infrastructure investments,” said PCA public affairs spokesperson Karen Renkema in a news release. “Until it does, these funding announcements leave us scratching our heads.”
PCA claims that the lack of competition inflates construction costs, leaving taxpayers paying anywhere from $188 to $283 million extra each year for infrastructure projects.
“With so many Ontario municipalities in desperate need of infrastructure and so short on funding, the province should be doing all it can to make funding investments count,” added Renkema.
“Construction competition results in greater efficiency and fairness. It’s about time taxpayers insisted on better value and fairness.”
PCA also praised the Ontario government for committing $156 billion in infrastructure over the next ten years, including $3 million for wastewater treatment plant upgrades in the Region of Waterloo and $2.3 million for road work in Sault Ste. Marie.
Patrick Dillon, business manager of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, said the government’s commitment to invest $156 billion over the next decade provides the province “with steady investments in public infrastructure to keep our economy moving.”
The pipeline of projects will provide 125,000 jobs each year to build and replenish highways, transit systems, schools, and hospitals.
"In the face of a changing economy, threatened by precariousness in the workplace, Ontarians are looking for opportunities to upgrade their skills and realize their career goals. These investments will help them do that.”
