October 15, 2013 – Ontario’s unionized industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) construction industry supports MPP Steven Del Duca’s Private Member’s Bill 69, the Prompt Payment Act which, according to the Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS), would be the first legislation in Canada to address the issue of timely payment for all contractors for work that is completed and approved.

The bill awaits review by the Ontario Legislature’s Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills.

“Contractors and workers in the unionized ICI construction sector support this legislation because late payments are a drag on the construction industry, and the economy as a whole,” said Sean W. Strickland, OCS’s CEO.

These changes will reduce risk, allowing for better business decisions, and higher levels of investment and employment to deliver benefits throughout Ontario’s economy, adds OCS.

“Contractors who have upheld their end of the bargain in a construction project should be able to expect timely payment, so they can put people to work on the next project,” added Strickland. “Late payments in construction aren’t only harmful to our industry and the economy, but they have a very real negative impact on workers and their families, by lowering employment and investment in training.”

OCS is a joint labour/management organization representing 25 unionized construction trades and their contractor partners in the province’s ICI construction sector.