MCA Ontario Newsletters

2024 WSIB Premium Rates

The WSIB has announced that average premium rates for Ontario businesses will remain steady for 2024. While most sectors have had slight fluctuations, G6 Non-Residential Building Construction was one of few sectors to retain their same average premium rate from2023 of $1.55 per $100 of insurable payroll. This stability, however, may be short lived dueto the WSIB’s announcement of a 6.5% cost of living increase to people receiving in comereplacement, as well as, the 2% super indexing included in Bill 149, which both signal that rates are likely to increase in the future.

To access your individual 2024 premium rate statements, visit the WSIB website HERE!

Prompt Payment in Force in Ontario

The Federal government officially launched their Prompt Payment for Construction Work Act on December 12th, 2023. According to the act, the federal government must make payments within 28 calendar days of receiving a proper invoice from a contractor. Contractor’s then have seven days to pay subcontractors, and they subsequently have an additional seven days to pay their sub-subcontractors. The act, passed in June 2019 with regulations posted in February, has no grandfathering for older contracts, however existing construction contracts must comply with the act within one year, starting from December 9,2023.

Read the full act HERE!

MCAA Pre-IPM Course Discount!

We are happy to announce that MCA Ontario will be partnering with MCA American againt his year to offer their Preparatory Institute for Project Management course. The Pre-IPM is an online program designed to provide a strong foundation in mechanical project management education. The 90-minute sessions are taught by contractor-instructors and provide an introductory education in everything from planning to scheduling, and from cost control to time management.

The usual cost of this course is $2500 USD for non-members; however, we are able to offer this course for MCAA’s member cost of $1,025 USD. Registration opens at 12pm EST on February 15th, 2024, and as an added bonus, the MCAO will reimburse the difference in conversion rate for the first ten members who register; upon successful completion of the course!!!

For more information on registration please reach out to our Operations Manager Dylan at dylan@mcao.org and to learn more about the Pre-IPM course click HERE!

Ontario Training Indigenous People for In-Demand Jobs

The Ontario government is supporting Indigenous people across Northern Ontario by investing $7.3 million in eight innovative training projects. These initiatives seek to help address the 17,000 job vacancies in the region by equipping 1,700 participants with the necessary skills for fulfilling careers within their communities, focusing on vital sectors such as mining, logging, construction, healthcare, and tourism.

2024 Inflation and Interest rate projections

Inflation

Inflation continued its overall downward trend through 2023 with rates falling from 6.3% in December of 2022 to 3.1% in November of 2023. This trend is anticipated to stabilize through the middle of 2024 with the possibility of further declines predicted towards theyear’s end.

Interest Rates

The bank of Canada has maintained its benchmark interest rates at 5% over the last four announcements. This consistency, however, is not expected to last as analysts predict an increase in rates during the second quarter of 2024, followed by a projected decline inthe last two quarters of the year.

New and Improved TSSA Website

On November 17th, 2023, the TSSA launched its new website to help facilitate seamless customer interaction. The choice to modernize their website comes from extensive research performed via surveys of both internal and external stakeholders and included walkthroughs at various stages of planning and development. The new website will make it easier to access information and services through a more customer friendly design, structure, and content.

To visit the new site, click HERE!

Ontario Helping Students Start Careers in the Trades

The Ontario Government is committing over $62.9 million to boost two foundational skilled trades programs benefitting more than 18,000 young individuals as they explore and prepare for lifelong careers. Focused on meeting the demand for skilled workers in construction and infrastructure projects, the funding will support the training of an estimated 100,000 skilled workers required by 2031. The investment includes $21.1 million for the expansion of the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), enabling students to gain exposure to trades while completing their diplomas. Additionally, $41.8 million will launch approximately 100 pre-apprenticeship training projects, providing hands-on experience in high-demand trades.

MCA Ontario 2024 Annual General Meeting/Conference Registration is now full!

If you want to be added to the waiting list for the MCA Ontario Annual GeneralMeeting/Conference, please contact either our office by calling 905-629-0344 or emailing mcao@mcao.org

Thank you to our 2024 AGM Sponsors!

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Our intent is to make this a quarterly newsletter that is full of timely and valuable information for you. If you would like to see a specific topic or concern included in a future version please reach out to us at mcao@mcao.org. We welcome any feedback and/or questions you may have.

MCA Ontario Newsletters

August 2025

August 20, 2025

Upcoming MCAO Events MCAO is hosting two very exciting important events in October on back to back days so that you don’t need to travel twice! October 23 – Joint Leadership Conference The Electrical, Mechanical, and Labour Sectors Unite! Join the Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario ( ECAO ),Mechanical Contractors Association of Ontario ( MCAO ) and Construction Labour Relations Association of Ontario ( CLRAO ) for the 2025 Joint Leadership Conference! October 24 - MCAO’s S.M.A.R.T. Innovation Evening Experience a dynamic speed networking format at the Hockey Hall of Fame, where participants will rotate between supplier & manufacturer to discuss progressive solutions to challenges in the mechanical contracting industry. Click HERE! to register for both events!

June 2025

June 25, 2025

Free Project Management PMP Training Spots are Filling Up! MCAO, in partnership with ECAO and CLRAO, is offering a fully funded training opportunity for MCAO member contractors: PROMEX – Project Management Skills for Construction Excellence. Delivered in collaboration with the Schulich School of Business at York University, this program enables participants to earn a Master’s Certificate in Project Management (MCPM). Participants will also be eligible to write the PMP® exam through the Project Management Institute (PMI)—all at no cost, thanks to the Ontario Skills Development Fund. Program Details: The course runs for a total of 8 weeks: 6 weeks of project management training through Schulich ExecEd 2 weeks of AI and digital tools training through iKITES Live virtual sessions every Tuesday and Thursday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. PMP® exam prep and fees covered Upcoming cohorts September 4, 2025, and October 23, 2025. Get the full program overview and registration steps in the brochure HERE !

April 2025

April 23, 2025

New MCAO Training Webpage We are excited to announce the launch of a dedicated training section on our official MCAO website! This new hub is designed to be your one-stop destination for all things training-related, featuring everything from updates on upcoming and past MCAO training sessions, to exclusive giveaways and a range of free training resources. Whether you're seeking technical courses, safety certifications, or leadership development opportunities, our new platform makes it easier than ever to access the training you need to grow your staff’s skills. Explore training programs tailored to your professional goals and stay informed on the latest offerings. Be sure to check back regularly for updates, new resources, and more chances to win through our training-related giveaways!

February 2025

February 26, 2025

MCAO’s HR on Demand An HR partner might not be a role that your business can support in-house. Most companies don’t add an HR person until they hit 50 people. In the meantime, if you have a question that relates to hiring, performance management, compensation, legislation, conflict, termination (and other human resources topics) it can be hard to know where to start. We are introducing a potential solution for those of you without HR in-house. MCAO is partnering with Dee Pipher, CHRL to offer HR support. If you would like to set up a 30 minute chat with Dee for HR advice, fill in THIS FORM to give some context. You will then be sent a link from Dee to set up a time through calendly.com. The cost of the 30 minute consult is covered by MCAO. More in depth consultations may need to be covered by the contractor organization. If your questions are of a legal nature, or are outside of the scope of HR, Dee may refer you to an employment lawyer.

December Holiday 2024

December 18, 2024

Holiday Training Code Giveaway! – Waiting on Workplace Safety In honor of the holidays, we are thrilled to give away a large number of online BuildForce and Workplace Safety training courses to our members! All courses are self-paced, with BuildForce codes qualifying for gold seal certification credits. Courses include: BuildForce o Introduction to Construction Estimating o Construction Project Management Workplace Safety o Workplace Incident Investigation o Conflict Resolution If you would like to request any of the above codes, please contact our Operations Manager, Dylan, at dylan@mcao.org . Happy Holidays!