TORONTO — In its Ontario pre-budget submission, the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada (PCA) is urging the Doug Ford government to make policy changes that will open up competition on all taxpayer-funded projects regardless of union affiliation.
PCA is recommending reform of the Training Delivery Agency model, to improve access to in-class training for tradespeople in all regions and from all labour models.
“Tradespeople in every region of the province, especially in rural and northern Ontario, should have access to in-class training,” said Stephen Hamilton, public affairs director, Ontario at the PCA. “Unfortunately, the Training Delivery Agency is still stuck in the 1970s, putting too many workers and companies outside the GTA at a great disadvantage.”
The PCA is a national association of construction companies primarily affiliated with the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC).
The association is urging the province to end restrictive Project Labour Agreements along with restrictive municipal procurement policies in use by the City of Toronto.
Currently, Toronto is the only city in the province to restrict competition on municipal construction work to contractors affiliated with select trade unions, excluding the PCA and workers from CLAC. The Ottawa Hospital also rejects contractors and workers from unions such as CLAC that are not affiliated with other select unions.
“As Ontario makes major investments in building more hospitals and other crucial infrastructure projects, it has a responsibility to ensure taxpayers get good value and that all qualified workers and companies have a chance to build these projects,” added Hamilton. “A fair, open and competitive procurement process is the way to do that. There should be no exceptions.”
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