LATEST NEWS
Sewer & Watermain | Roadbuilding | Water & Wastewater | O H & S
September 22, 2008
Ontario General Contractors Association
OGCA urges Infrastructure Ontario to “meet its full mandate”
Infrastructure Ontario needs to expand its expand its horizons and undertake projects outside of the healthcare sphere, says Ontario General Contractors Association president (OGCA) Clive Thurston.
“Recent efforts have focused mainly on the health sector, hospitals in particular,” he told the provincial government’s standing committee on government agencies. “Nevertheless, infrastructure is more than just hospitals or buildings.
“What good are such structures if we cannot depend on the roads and bridges to reach them? “How can they operate if the water and wastewater treatment systems break down or cannot handle new expansions?
“It is clear that the same efforts that have been made to bring the hospital sector up must be applied to highways, roads, bridges and water and wastewater systems.”
Thurston, who was speaking on behalf of five other provincial trade associations, said the time has come for Infrastructure Ontario to “expand and meet its full mandate” of delivering major infrastructure projects for the provincial government.
He said the Crown corporation should engage organizations such as the Ontario Road Builders’ Association (ORBA), the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association (OSWCA) and the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario.
“Infrastructure Ontario needs to focus on three main building blocks — roads, sewer and watermain projects and hospitals.”
Thurston, who made a joint presentation with Ottawa Construction Association chair Mike Sharp, briefed the committee on other items of concern to the province’s design and construction industry.
These include: potential bundling of projects; the need for an “open and transparent” system of financial accountability; and support for “new and better” says of procuring consultant services such as qualifications-based selection.
Clive Thurston
Thurston said projects also need to be planned and rolled out in concert with the industry “to ensure a realistic setting of schedules and budgets and provide for effective management of resources.”
Prior to the presentation, Thurston contacted the Ontario Association of Architects and Consulting Engineers of Ontario (CEO) for input in addition to ORBA, OSWCA and the RCCAO.
CEO president John Gamble who attended the meeting, said it was “unfortunate” that other industry stakeholders had not been invited to appear before the committee, which is reviewing IO operations.
“They are the actual implementers of Infrastructure Ontario’s vision and have a lot to contribute,” he said.
| MOST POPULAR STORIES |
- Kiewit and Finning Canada workers die in Thormanby Island plane crash
- Victims of Thormanby Island plane crash identified
- RCMP release details of investigation into Thormanby Island plane crash
- United States Steel Corp. cuts 677 jobs, blames weaker demand
- BIM software helps predict buildings’ LEED performance
- 20 Most Popular Stories
| CURRENT STORIES |
- PCR dusts off cancelled plans and materials to build Windsor Family Credit Union Centre
- Downtown Markham project remains on schedule, despite tumultuous financial markets
- U.S. homebuilding activity plummets to record low in October 2008
- Declining economy challenges Windsor construction industry
- Architecture Billings Index in the U.S. falls five points in October 2008
- Rising debt costs raise doubt about future of large wind-power projects, some experts say
- Throne Speech promises further investments in infrastructure projects and trades training
- New home sales in the Greater Toronto Area remained resilient in October, BILD says
- Ontario exports to rise moderately in 2009, after double-digit decline in 2008, says EDC
- Weakest small-business economic outlook resides in Ontario
- Canadian businesses react positively to latest Throne Speech
| ALEX’S BLOG |

Reed Construction Data Chief Economist Alex Carrick discusses current developments in Canada's economic environment. He also shares light-hearted reflections on life and current events.
Economics Blog More 
- The Outlook for Canada’s Home Renovation Market (November 21, 2008)
- Labor Markets in a Recession − Production Workers to Take a Pasting (November 20, 2008)
- Canada’s Construction Starts have Underperformed in 2008 (November 14, 2008)
Lifestyle Blog More 
- The Most Serious Letter in the Alphabet (November 17, 2008)
- The Wise Old Rooster (November 10, 2008)
| PROJECT NEWS BRIEFS |
Updates on Canadian construction projects from Reed Construction Data’s research team. More 
- Great Lands Global Realty begins work on Mona Lisa condominium (Nov 18, 2008)
- Life Construction accepts sub-trade pricing for Bayview Villas townhouse development (Nov 17, 2008)
- Joseph D. Battaglia Architect seeks municipal approvals for North York development (Nov 14, 2008)
- Page+Steele approaches completion of working drawings for Bravo condominium (Nov 14, 2008)
- Burka Architects complete designs for Brownstones on Wallace project (Nov 14, 2008)
