Building industry supports Ontario government's direction on re-opening the economy

Toronto, Feb. 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) and the Ontario Home Builders' Association (OHBA) applaud the Ontario government's decision to remove the construction permitting restrictions and the prohibition on starting new renovations that were part of the emergency orders that came into effect on January 13. The changes announced today, which will take effect on Feb. 10 at 12:01 a.m., mean that as the province transitions back to the COVID-19 Response Framework: Keeping Ontario Safe and Open, all residential construction, including renovations, and related support activities may resume on February 10 with strict COVID-19 measures in place.

This will enable the industry to meet the housing, non-residential building and renovation needs of residents in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Ontario, while continuing to protect workers' health and well-being.

"The health and well-being of workers and residents continues to be our top priority," said Dave Wilkes, BILD President & CEO. "Our industry looks forward to ensuring a healthy supply of new homes and work spaces, allowing workers to provide for their families and making our contribution the economy under strict health and safety protocols."

Health and safety are always priorities on construction work sites. During COVID-19, the industry has adopted very strict enhanced measures that meet or exceed the requirements outlined by the provincial government. While there have been isolated cases, the overall very low number of construction-related COVID-19 cases compared to other industry sectors demonstrates how the industry has, and will continue to, respond to this public health crisis.

"Our industry continues to implement the Ministry of Labour's guidelines on construction site health and safety during COVID-19," said Joe Vaccaro, OHBA CEO. "Keeping colleagues, employees, and homeowners safe needs to continue to be the priority, and that includes Ministry of Labour inspections and, if necessary, closing any site that doesn't meet or exceed these requirements. We need to keep each other safe as we continue to deliver keys to homeowners."

With almost 1,500 member companies, BILD is the voice of the home building, land development and professional renovation industry in the Greater Toronto Area. The building and renovation industry provides more than 269,000 jobs in the region and $30.3 billion in investment value. BILD is proudly affiliated with the Ontario and Canadian Home Builders' Associations.

The Ontario Home Builders' Association is the voice of the residential construction industry in Ontario, representing 4,000 member companies organized into 27 local associations across the province. The residential construction industry contributes over $51 billion dollars to Ontario's economy, employing more than 330,000 people across the province.

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For additional information or to schedule an interview with BILD's President and CEO Dave Wilkes, contact John Provenzano, BILD Media Relations Manager at [email protected] or 416-617-7994, and to schedule an interview with OHBA's CEO Joe Vaccaro, contact Leah Sisnett at [email protected] or 416-525-8071.