According to the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, the province’s pledge of $136 billion over 10 years shows it plans to continue its commitment to building up Ontario’s infrastructure.
“The $136 billion pledge towards capital investments for roads, utilities, transit, schools and hospitals will help the skilled construction workforce grow and prosper over the next ten years,” said Patrick Dillon, business manager of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, in a press release.
“As these infrastructure pledges support 110,000 jobs each year, we want to make sure that those investments benefit the workers who construct and maintain our infrastructure,” he added, going on to say that the best way is to update and expand the province’s Fair Wage policy.
A Fair Wage policy requires bidders on public construction projects to pay workers prevailing wages based on the most-identifiable, best-documented wage rates in each specialty of the construction sector.
The province’s budget document also discussed strengthening the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT), which is in line with Premier Kathleen Wynne’s statement at the 58th Annual Building Trades Convention, where she said, “a strong, sustainable College has always been our goal and that means making changes in partnership with the College itself.”
“The Ontario Building Trades are supportive of changes that in the Premier’s own words will strengthen OCOT’s mandate. We are hopeful that the College will continue to be an arms-length institution governed by and for tradespeople,” added Dillon. “Our Council will work with the College, with government and with construction employers to make sure that infrastructure investments achieve their desired effect of building Ontario up.”
The Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario represents 150,000 workers across the province.
