The Ontario Construction Report – March 2011 – PAGE OCR 3
Infrastructure Ontario, ORC merger: Will it harm smaller contractors? ANJA KARADEGLIJA – Special to The OCR Construction Report
The upcoming merger between Infrastructure On- tario and the Ontario Realty Corporation is not yet a cer- tainty, but if it does come to fruition, the move might end up hurting smaller construc- tion businesses.
In late January, the provincial government an- nounced that the two agen- cies would be merged into one. The move is expected to save $5 million each year and “reduce waste, elimi- nate duplication and result in stronger oversight, trans- parency and accountability,” according to a government press release. However, several indus- try representatives believe that, if the legislation passes, the government would sim- ply be creating another super-agency, said David Zurawel, the vice -president of policy and government relations at the Council of Ontario Construction Asso- ciations (COCA).
“When you start dealing
with larger agencies, bigger agencies want to manage bigger projects in a more simplified way, and that means looking to do things on a large scale…(which can) hurt smaller contrac- tors, and we see this as rep- resenting the same type of problem,” he said, noting that the legislation has not passed yet. “We will have to wait and see, but it’s something we will be watching with in- terest because it has the po- tential to hurt smaller business, so at first blush, it’s not looking too promis- ing for smaller businesses in Ontario.”
Clive Thurston, presi- dent of the Ontario General Contractors’
Association Our mistake
In the February issue of Ontario Construction Report, we married Evie Isenberg to the wrong person. The individual in the image with her Jean Drouin of the Fence People, to whom she awarded a Canadian Fence Industry Association 20th year membership pin at an association meeting. She remains married to Sid Isenberg. OCR apologizes for the error. We’ve republished the fea- ture on Page B1.
(OGCA) says everything at the two agencies is still “business as usual.”
He says that he has talked to the people who are handling the transition, and that the Strategic Opportu- nities Committee will con- tinue to function normally. Aside from the OGCA, participants in the commit- tee include the Consulting Engineers of Ontario, the Ontario Association of Ar- chitects, and the Association of Registered Interior De- signers of Ontario.
Thurston called the
merger a “bold move.” While he had heard from sources last year that talks about a potential merger were occurring, no-one would confirm it at the time. Thurston said it’s still too early to tell what bene- fits it might bring. “It will be an interesting marriage, no doubt. We’re not too con- cerned. We have a long his- tory with both groups.” The ORC is a good client, he said. “They have been extremely open to change…and working with industry,” Thurston noted. “We also have an excellent relationship with Infrastruc- ture Ontario.” However, there are dif- ferences between the two agencies which will have to be ironed out, he noted. While Infrastructure Ontario is focused on bigger infra- structure projects, like roads and sewers, the ORC works on a smaller scale. “But it’s not incompati- ble. I will be interesting to see how they mesh two philosophies, but the good news is that they are talking to us,” Thurston added.
The Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC) is please to host
EDAC’s 2011 Professional Development Conference
October 1 — 4th in Peterborough, Ontario.
EDAC is Canada’s National Organization and voice for economic development practitioners and provides program and services that enhance competence within the profession and further Canada’s economic well-being.
www.edac.ca Audience
This conference will bring together community leaders, economic development professional and entrepreneurs from all across Canada to hear about innovative solutions to local challenges. Approximately 400 delegates will attend EDAC 2011 in Peterborough, Ontario.
Who should attend?(to name a few)
» Economic & business development professionals » Community & business leaders » Investment attraction & economic development agencies » Municipal, Provincial, Territorial & Federal leaders » Business/economic development consultants » Financial professionals
How to Register For more information about EDAC ‘11, please visit the EDAC web site at
www.edac.ca
You can also register on-line utilizing the following link
http://www.edac.ca/html/shtml/edac_conference_reg.shtml Visit
www.edac.ca for regular updates
EDAC/ACDE
7 Innovation Drive, Flamborough, ON L9H 7H9
admin@edac.ca
Economic Developers Association of Canada 905-689-8771
Join us in Peterborough for a four day content rich agenda along with approximately 400 of your colleagues from Coast to Coast to Coast to obtain views from dynamic speakers, expand your knowledge on topics such as Innovation, Knowledge-based communities, Commercialization of Knowledge – through local Universities/colleges, Agricultural Development and Building a Tourism Economy.
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