RESCON pre-budget submission calls for feds to focus on vaccines, PPE and municipal funding
In its pre-budget submission to the federal government, the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) has outlined four steps it wants to see the federal government take to ensure the construction industry and its workers remain safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ensure that enough workers remain in the industry’s skilled-trades pipeline.
“The construction industry represents six percent of Canada’s GDP and it is critical to the post- pandemic recovery of our country,” says RESCON president Richard Lyall. “It is imperative that government take the steps we have outlined to keep workers safe and ensure we have an adequate supply of trades so that we will be able to contribute to Canada’s post-pandemic recovery.”
Topping the council’s list of requests is the need for Canada to receive more COVID-19 vaccines and at a faster rate, and that government continue to maintain PPE supply chains throughout the remainder of the pandemic.
RESCON also wants the government to increase the allocation number for Ontario’s Immigrant Nominee Program and introduce a “trusted employer program” within the Temporary Foreign Workers Program that would reward compliant businesses with a streamlined process to hire workers. The organization, meanwhile, is also asking the federal government to continue harmonization of the skilled trades in the Red Seal program to allow for greater interprovincial mobility.
The council’s third request is to urge the government to work with Ontario to provide municipalities with funds so shovel-ready and state-of-good-repair projects can continue. RESCON has thrown its support behind a request by the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario for the federal government to provide Ontario municipalities with financial assistance through a second Safe Restart Agreement or other funding mechanism.
“Due the fiscal challenges facing municipalities, many are unable to support infrastructure and public works projects,” says Lyall. “We need immediate assurances from the federal government that municipalities will soon get the funds that they need to continue with capital projects in 2021.”
Finally, the council says it would like to see improvements to the review process for the National Building Code to ensure the harmonization process is fair and reflective of jurisdictions with the most construction activity.