RESCON welcomes plan to repeal some of Ontario’s Bill 148

The Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) has welcomed some proposed changes to legislation by the Doug Ford government.

Provisions in the proposed Making Ontario Open for Business legislation would remove some of the red tape and barriers for employers in the province’s construction sector.

Among the changes would be a winding down of the body that oversees apprenticeships in Ontario, making it easier for employers to hire workers.

The previous proposed legislation has several key issues for the residential construction industry, as RESCON vice-president Andrew Pariser explained.

“Bill 148 did not take into account how the residential construction industry operates. This new legislation recognizes residential construction as a unique sector and will alleviate unnecessary burdens on the industry,” he said “Major issues from Bill 148 included a change in how employers and subcontractors were defined under the act, the introduction of two paid personal emergency leave days, and numerous onerous scheduling and shift requirements which simply did not reflect how Ontario employers build Ontario.”

Jim Wilson, Ontario’s Minister Responsible for Red Tape and Regulatory Burden Reduction introduced new legislation this week which, if passed, will repeal substantial components of Bill 148 – The Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act, 2017.