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Premier Doug Ford made skilled trades training investment announcements in Kitchener, Ont. July 22 that will benefit the Canadian Tooling and Machining Association, the Grand Valley Construction Association and the Christian Labour Association of Canada.  Read more here.

Heat stress is a serious threat to workers. It occurs when the body is unable to get rid of excess heat, which causes the heart rate and core body temperature to increase, often leading to heat-related illness. The tools in this Heat Stress Toolkit will help you understand the heat conditions in your workplace, assess the risk of heat stress and take action to protect yourself or your workers.  Resources available here.

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 9, 2022

New scholarship opportunity for Veterans interested in the Millwright trade 

The unionized construction industry, employers, contractors, and the skilled trades are facing unprecedented challenges in finding and retaining the workers they need during this period of economic recovery and growth across Ontario. Helmets to Hardhats (H2H), the Millwright Regional Council of Ontario (MRCO) and the Association of Millwrighting Contractors of Ontario (AMCO) are partnering together to take action to address these shortages while supporting Veterans, Reservists, and Cadets.  

Executive Director of H2H, Joe Maloney, along with Mark Beardsworth, MRCO Executive Secretary-Treasurer and Patricia Penney-Rouzes, Executive Director from AMCO are announcing a joint initiative to offer a tailored scholarship, the “Millwright Scholarship: Investing in our Future” to provide Veterans the opportunity to return to school to earn a certificate from a recognized Millwright program. This will allow the successful Veterans to gain knowledge and experience to enter the workforce and offer employers sustainable and hardworking employees.

With more than 8,000 Veterans and Reservists transitioning out of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) every year at the average age of 32, these individuals have long working careers ahead of them. Joining the unionized construction industry is an appealing option for many Veterans because of the competitive wages, benefits pension plans and training.  Together, H2H, MRCO and AMCO are making it more accessible, efficient and streamlined for Veterans to learn the trade and fill Millwright opportunities across Ontario.

The Millwright scholarship will:

• Support at least 5 Helmets to Hardhats clients who will select a one-year program from an Ontario College.
• Be offered on a first come, first served basis, pending applicants must meet all the eligibility requirements 
• Reimburse the successful recipients for the semester’s tuition and program fees
• Allow employers to hire and support Veterans to keep up with the growing demand for Millwrights across Ontario

This partnership emphasizes the importance of employing Veterans with meaningful second careers in the unionized construction industry. As a partnership, we strongly believe that it is now our responsibility to provide second career opportunities to Veterans after the service they have given us.

Please submit your application for the Millwright Scholarship: Investing in our Future, here: https://www.jotform.com/223074864190053

Quotes:

“Veterans, Reservists, military family members and Afghan interpreters provide immense value on the unionized construction opportunities they join. They bring solid work ethic, consider safety a priority and will get the job done. Ontario needs to look at every option to harness the skills and workforce needed to fuel the provinces growth. By supporting transitioning Veterans into the unionized construction industry H2H, MRCO and AMCO are leading the way for Veterans to gain valuable experience in the Millwright trade to offer long term prosperity to the Veteran and the economy”

• Joe Maloney, Founder and Executive Director of Helmets to Hardhats Canada

“We’re pleased to partner and strengthen our relationship with H2H and AMCO with our new collaborative millwright scholarship program that provides opportunities for military veterans throughout Ontario wanting to embark on a new career as a UBC Millwright. We’re delighted with the opportunity to work with our industry partners and lead the way in recruiting the next generation of millwright professionals”.

• Mark Beardsworth, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Millwright Regional Council of Ontario

“We believe this to be a very beneficial partnership venture, bringing a variety of transferrable skill sets into the Millwright trade, while in turn, supporting our Veterans for the long haul.”

• Patricia Penney-Rouzes, Executive Director, Association of Millwrighting Contractors of Ontario

For further information and media inquiries: Please contact Aidan Strickland, Director of Communications for Helmets to Hardhats
astrickland@helmetstohardhats.ca

The Millwright Regional Council of Ontario              
media@millwrightont.com  

Joe Maloney, Founder and Executive Director of Helmets to Hardhats, pictured with Mark Beardsworth, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Millwright Regional Council of Ontario, Patricia Penney-Rouzes, Executive Director, Association of Millwrighting Contractors of Ontario, Duncan McIntosh, Director of Operations, Millwright Regional Council of Ontario, Drew Chittenden, Business Manager – Local 2309 Toronto and Darryl Cathcart, Helmets to Hardhats and Release Point Education.

A new Ontario-wide campaign co-ordinated by the Council of Ontario Construction Associations (COCA) aims to raise awareness about prompt payment and adjudication and provides a guide to help contractors get paid on time. Read more here.

Middle-income earners will start seeing a larger portion of their paycheques going toward their Canada Pension Plan contributions as of Jan. 1. A broader pension revamp began in 2019, as both the Quebec Pension Plan and CPP began phasing in enhanced benefits intended to provide more financial support for Canadians after they retire. So far, individual contributions  — and the employer’s matching portion — have primarily ticked upward. Read full article here.

Aecon Group has announced that John M. Beck, its founder and chairman, has been appointed to the Order of Ontario.

Beck has built Aecon over a career spanning six decades. He transitioned to the role of chairman in 2020 after previously serving as CEO. See full article here.

A study conducted several years ago by the Institute for Work & Health found unionized companies in Ontario’s institutional, commercial and industrial (ICI) construction sector had a lower rate of lost-time injury claims than their non-unionized counterparts, after accounting for other factors like company size. In this presentation, Dr. Lynda Robson shares an update of that study. Click here for more information, along with a recording of the webinar.

Construction had another rough year in 2023 dealing with cybercrime.

According to a study by encryption software firm NordLocker, construction ranked as the top industry target for cyberattacks in two of the past three years.

Of the 18 industries they surveyed, construction firms represented 12 per cent of all attacks, ahead of finance and manufacturing. Other studies suggest nearly 60 per cent of AEC firms have experienced an attack over the past two years, with general contractors the hardest hit. See full article here.

With the pandemic seeing many workers to log into corporate networks from home, employers are seeing a sharp rise in cyber attacks. Read more here.

As a companion piece to ConstructConnect’s recent article on movements in U.S. construction material costs, today’s story will look at what’s been happening in Canada. Similar to America, Canada has seen moderation in prices for some individual construction inputs. On the whole, though, the Canadian easing has perhaps not been as extensive. Read more here.