Associations report progress to new processes,
legislation both federally and in Ontario
Canadian Design and Construction Report staff writer
Several years of lobbying and a push for legislative re-
form by Canadian trade contractors are starting to bear fruit
as governments at both the federal and provincial levels are
moving forward to enact legislation implementing prompt
payment standards.

The story isn’t complete, and the pieces don’t quite add
up yet to 100 per cent of what organizations such as the
National Trade Contractors Coalition of Canada and Prompt
Payment Ontario have been seeking, but undoubtedly there
is progress being made.

Ontario, for example, will soon unveil the text of a new
Construction Act, which resulted from an extensive review
of the Construction Lien Act, with new provisions for adju-
dication, prompt payment standards, and clarified construc-
tion lien regulations. (See story page xx).

On the federal front, the Canadian Construction Associ-
ation and the federal government have been working to de-
velop prompt payment policies for federal government
construction projects.

And the Senate in May passed Bill 224, mandating
prompt payment for projects under federal jurisdiction. Of
course, a Senate Bill isn’t law – it must also be passed by
the House of Commons and receive royal assent.

In a news release, the Canadian Institute of Steel Con-
struction (CISC) says it applauds and thanks all senators for
their leadership in passing Bill S-224 after third reading in
the Senate on May 4.

“The passage of Bill S-224 in the Senate marks a signif-
icant milestone in our efforts to push for legislation that
mandates timely payments for our businesses and for the
more than 1.3 million construction industry workers in our
industry,” CISC president Ed Whalen said in a statement.

The Canadian Design and Construction Report — June 2017 – 5