Several construction groups have reached out with messages of congratulations after Premier Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservatives won a second-consecutive Ontario majority government on June 2.

The Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) in particular singled out Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark and Labour, Training and Skills Development Minister Monte McNaughton who, “have been big supporters of the industry and understand the importance of residential construction and the skilled trades to the economy.”

“We are looking forward to working with the government on urgent initiatives to boost the supply of housing, modernize the development application process, and move forward with programs to get more people into the voluntary trades,” said RESCON president Richard Lyall. “We were especially pleased at the commitment during the campaign to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years.

He added that it is, “critical for government and the residential construction industry to work together to reach that target by cutting red tape and using innovations like off-site panelized and modular housing which will enable homes to be built quicker.”

And while RESCON says it’s pleased with a number of pre-election initiatives the government enacted, including introducing the More Homes for Everyone Act, it says the province is still well short of producing the number of homes needed to sustain growth. 

“To tackle the problem,” it says, “we must embrace innovation, streamline the development approvals process, and continue with initiatives that clear the path for more youth, women and people from underrepresented groups to learn the specialized skill sets needed to work in residential construction.”

The Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCAO), meanwhile, is linking the Conservative majority to the construction of Highway 413.

The group released a report in early May showing that there is widespread support for the construction project across the province.

“The election result is further evidence that the people of Ontario view this project as a necessary piece of infrastructure to expand both highway and transit capacity in the fastest growing region of the province,” the association said in a statement.

RCCAO has detailed a number of benefits associated with the build, including its capacity to support up to 8,000 construction jobs over five years, to generate as much as $2.3 billion in combined worker earnings, and to alleviate congestion in the Greater Toronto Area.