Ontario General Contractors Association

ONTAR IO GENERAL CONTRACTORS ASSOC I AT ION industry. A small independent general contractor may not have access to that level of exposure, so you have a much larger voice as an OGCA member.” BVM: How have you advocated during the pandemic to ensure the health and safety of your membership? Cautillo: “First, we took immediate action to have the ICI sector reopened. Much of our work was deemed by the Government of Ontario to be non-essential and our sector of construction was closed from April 3rd to May 17th. But since reopening, the OGCA members have been able to demonstrate through the WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board) that the construction industry is by far one of the safest sectors to work for. Just to illustrate, as of mid- October, WSIB accepted over 5,600 workplace claims – only 25 of them were from construction. OGCA general contractors have increasingly been focused on safety and COVID-19 has elevated that to a different level now. “The industry as a whole has invested heavily into sanitation, training, cleaning, physical distancing, personal protective equipment, stations where people’s temperatures are taken, and even the scheduling of our work to be sure that no two employees are working in close proximity to each other. As an industry, we have really stepped up and moved the ball forward in direct response.” BVM: What are the main priorities of the OGCA staff? Cautillo: “We have a staff of seven in the office and their main focus is the membership. The whole basis of an association is to provide information and we advocate for them because that’s part of our mandate. Along with safety, we talk about procurement issues; we collaborate with buyers of construction to establish fair procurement practices and contract language. We’re constantly trying to educate the membership and promote training and learning