December 18, 2020
Ontario Announces the Extension of the COVID-19 Period and a New Special Industry Rule about the Recall Rights System

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario government made a regulation that changed certain Employment Standards Act (ESA) rules during the “COVID-19 period.” This regulation has been amended to extend the COVID-19 period to July 3, 2021.

Extension of the COVID-19 Period

During the COVID-19 period (March 1, 2020 to July 3, 2021):

  • A non-unionized employee is deemed to be on a job-protected infectious disease emergency leave under the ESA any time their hours of work are temporarily reduced or temporarily eliminated by their employer for reasons related to COVID-19. 
 
  • A non-unionized employee is not considered to be laid off under the ESA if their employer temporarily reduces or temporarily eliminates their hours of work or wages for reasons related to COVID-19.

  • A non-unionized employee is not considered to be constructively dismissed under the ESA if their employer temporarily reduces or temporarily eliminates their hours of work or wages for reasons related to COVID-19.

Click here to read the full news release.

ICI Investment (Oct. 2020); Employment (Nov. 2020)

Statistics Canada recently released new investment and employment data which shows positive signs for Ontario’s ICI construction industry. Highlights include:

  • ICI investment remains stronger than last year in all three sectors
  • Despite the positive year-to-date numbers, ICI investment has declined each month since June
  • Construction industry employment reaches highest level since March
 
Click here to see the full OCS Economic Update bulletin with detailed analysis.

Safety Year-End Message from the Prevention Council
Ontario’s Prevention Council and Chief Prevention Officer Ron Kelusky released the following statement today:

The end of the year is quickly approaching and we’re all looking forward to a brighter 2021. It is important that all Ontarians to remain focused on safety and to use the year end as a time to review safety plans for the New Year.

It hasn’t been an easy year, mainly due to the challenges we all faced related COVID-19 and how it has impacted our lives and our work. In addition, some hard-working Ontarians lost their lives while doing their day-to-day jobs. In December alone, there have been jobsite fatalities in London, Oshawa and Toronto. These recent jobsite fatalities highlight the fact that we need to proactively apply a safety lens to everything we do.

During the last few weeks of 2020, the PC recommends that we deliver on our safety responsibilities and follow these expectations:

Click here to the full statement.

Exclusive Discount for TCA Members on publishing Certificates of Substantial Performance (CSPs) in the Daily Commercial News (DCN)!
All certificates and notices published in the Daily Commercial News (DCN) are a flat fee of $300 (plus tax). Special Affinity Pricing of $200 per certificate is available to all ConstructConnect subscribers and TCA members.
Click here for more details.

**IMPORTANT: To apply the discount, please mention the offer at the time of order placement.**
TCA Resources on COVID-19

To access TCA dedicated Covid-19 Updates, click here.