Daily Commercial News
On this episode of The Construction Record Podcast™, digital media editor Warren Frey speaks with Soloway Wright LLP partner Dan Leduc about prompt payment in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada.
Leduc said prompt payment is not working the way it should, largely because of contractors not being proactive in pursuing payment. He attributed some of the reticence to traditional relationships, corporate culture and the role of the pandemic in slowing down payments since little work was getting done at the time in comparison to pre-pandemic activity.
He advocated for streamlining the invoicing process and acceleration of certification and reminded contractors attending his talk at the recent Canadian Institute for Steel Construction’s annual conference in Toronto that if an owner does not provide notice explaining a delay in payment within the prompt payment parameters, adjudication is an option.
We also have headlines from the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce including Angela Gismondi’s story about how the long-delayed Eginton Crosstown LRT was expected to provide an opening date on September 27 but Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster instead said he can’t commit to a solid timeline until issues with the system are ratified. The project began in 2011 and has experienced significant delays since. DCN staff writer Don Wall also has an article about a sobering session this week held by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation which is held Sept. 30.The session looked at the role of architecture in oppression of Indigenous Canadians over the centuries.
Shannon Moneo has a story about Mining Association of Canada president and CEO Pierre Gratton’s recent remarks at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade earlier in the month reminding attendees that with the world in the midst of an energy transition, huge quantities of minerals and metals will be needed.
From the west, Warren has a story about clean energy tax credits and how different parts of the industry are split on the use of wage requirements. Progressive Contractors Association of Canada president Paul de Jong said his organization supports the credits, a wage rate requirement gives him pause, and Canadian Labour Congress president Bea Bruske said labour supports the wage conditions as they will protect workers as Canada’s energy economy shifts into a carbon-free future.
You can listen to The Construction Record on the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce websites as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music’s podcast section. Our previous interview with Ball Construction president Jason Ball about the company’s 100th anniversary is here. Thanks for listening.
No firm end date for Eglinton Crosstown LRT as defects and deficiencies persist
RAIC reflects on dark days during Truth and Reconciliation sessions
Canada needs to build more mines now: MAC president
Clean energy tax credits garner support, but a split on wage requirements
B.C. releases housing targets for 10 municipalities
Prompt payment evolving but still has room to grow: CISC speaker
