News
News and information from and for Ontario’s construction industry
The Link2Build group publishes news and information about the Ontario construction industry daily. Check here for the latest in trends, developments and insight from a wide variety of contributors, and visit regularly for updated information.
PCL Construction releases corporate social responsibility report
PCL Construction unveiled the results of its first-ever corporate social responsibility report on October 21. The document, which lists the efforts the company takes to build and operate sustainably, looks at five aspects of the company’s work: people, projects, partners, practices, and places.
Report card gives failing grade to several types of infrastructure assets
A significant amount of Canada’s infrastructure needs repair in the next five to ten years if it is to remain viable. That was the key message delivered by eight partners (among them the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies - Canada (ACEC)) in the latest edition of the Canadian Infrastructure Report Card.
MoL seeking feedback on health and safety strategy for 2020–2021
The Ministry of Labour is asking for stakeholders for feedback on its occupational health and safety compliance strategy for 2020–2021.
Every year, the ministry of Labour reaches out to stakeholders to gather information for its strategic planning processes for the year ahead. This year, it wants specific feedback about a number of issues, including: hazards, health and safety initiatives, education, outreach and awareness, and sector-specific topics.
RAIC posts election questionnaire results
Three parties have responded to questions from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) about sustainability, living conditions in Indigenous communities, federal procurement, and a national architecture policy for Canada.
The RAIC is advocating for a better built environment during the 2019 federal election campaign with a questionnaire for Canada’s political parties.
CAF-FCA to develop National Strategy for Women in Trades
Published: October 18, 2019
The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF-FCA) announced recently that a task force of its members from across the country will oversee the development of a National Strategy for Women in Trades based on extensive consultations with stakeholders over the last two years.
In 2018, CAF-FCA hosted the first-ever national conference dedicated to female participation in the skilled trades. In 2019, the second Supporting Women in Trades was held in Vancouver. In total, more than 600 delegates gathered at the events to share ideas and engage in a conversation on how to remove the barriers women encounter pursuing careers in which they are traditionally under-represented. A Road Map to Supporting Women in Trades was developed in 2018 from results of the inaugural event and the subsequent 2019 conference culminated in a CAF-FCA commitment to lead the development of a national strategy.
“Our country is going to need thousands of new trades professionals in the next five years, and the creation of a National Strategy to help attract more women to the trades will be critical to meeting labour market and economic needs,” said Shelley Gray, CEO of B.C’s Industry Training Authority and task force participant. “To do this, it’s important to develop workplaces that are welcoming, positive, and inclusive of everyone interested in pursuing an apprenticeship.”
The task force, comprised of apprentices, tradeswomen, representatives from women’s organizations, labour groups, employers, educators and jurisdictional apprenticeship authorities will inform specific strategy content and establish a national target to increase participation and retention of females in skilled trades careers.
“We already know what the barriers are. Insights from this task force, along with twenty years of CAF-FCA national research in the area will provide a clear direction on how to create sustainable change.” said France Daviault, Executive Director of CAF-FCA. “The entire skilled trades community needs to work together and set targets for increasing female participation – what gets measured gets done”, she continued.
The task force’s first meeting was on September 9.
The National Strategy for Women in Trades will be presented at the National Apprenticeship Conference in Calgary, AB on May 24–26, 2020.