New Ontario Liberal Leader Stephen Del Duca says the construction industry is capable of amazing feats and he’s confident the sector can find a way to keep jobsites safe during the COVID-19 crisis.
But he said in a recent interview, he differs with the approach taken by the Ford government. Del Duca said he told Premier Doug Ford that stakeholders and policy makers should take a one- or two-week pause to determine best practices rather than sending workers onto sites that were not yet configured safely.
Ford announced the cabinet’s decision that construction would be deemed an essential service March 23; Del Duca, who grew up surrounded by construction workers, with his Italian-born grandfather a labourer and his father a project manager, made his comments March 26.
“Yesterday I made a specific plea to the premier that he reconsider his decision to allow all construction sites to remain open at this point in time,” said Del Duca.
“I asked him to consider pausing work on construction sites for a minimum of one week, and I didn’t make that recommendation lightly. I have spent a fair bit of time talking to construction employers, to labour unions and to other construction stakeholders in the last two or three days.”
Guidelines governing workplace safety were issued by Ontario’s Chief Prevention Officer (CPO) Ron Kelusky March 29.
“It is concerning to me they did not wait for the CPO’s guidelines,” said Del Duca, noting the industry has “an incredible ability to mobilize.” But to ask the industry to immediately pull together adequate safeguards while working on projects as if it were business as normal, “there is no way that can be achieved.
“And in the meantime, we are putting workers’ health and safety at risk.”
Generally though, Del Duca has been treading lightly and avoiding aggressive criticism of the Ford government since being chosen provincial Liberal leader on March 7, given how the COVID-19 crisis has enveloped the province and the world.
“In moments of crisis, and this is an incredible crisis for Ontario and Canada, what I believe people expect of their leaders is that they will work together and put partisanship aside and be collaborative,” he said.
Del Duca took the leadership with an easy first-ballot victory. He said his priority issues once the province is able to turn to more normal pursuits will be improving the educational system and developing an effective climate change plan. He said he aims to rebuild a comprehensive social safety net and preserve Ontario’s health care system.
Del Duca, a lawyer who worked in construction in his youth, was employed by the Carpenters’ union in government relations before running for office and winning in the riding of Vaughan in 2012. He served as minister of transportation and ministry of economic growth and development in the cabinet of Kathleen Wynne before losing his seat in the 2018 election.
“If I look at my time in transportation, for three and a half years we announced and began an unprecedented number of projects in the transportation realm,” said Del Duca. “I was the minister who led that charge on behalf of our government. I would look forward to seeing those projects coming to fruition and delivering more of the same.”
He says if the Liberals are elected in 2022, he would not necessarily reverse course on major Ford government infrastructure initiatives, such as the Ontario Line subway plan.
“I would take a very hard look at the projects that have been promised by the current government and depending what state they were in in terms of how far they have been advanced, I would actually just want to get on with the projects instead of rewriting the plans over again.”
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