Construction jobs in Ontario will vanish and infrastructure across the province will suffer unless a second round of government aid is forthcoming.

That’s the word from the Residential and Civil Construction Alliance of Ontario (RCCA) a labour-management alliance that is calling for immediate government action to stave off massive job loss in the province.

Without a new Safe Restart Agreement for 2021, Ontario’s overall economic recovery may be in doubt.

In a letter to Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, the organization states:

“Municipalities are still facing significant deficits in 2021 and thus, RCCAO is urging the Province of Ontario, in partnership with the Government of Canada, to provide municipalities with financial assistance through a Safe Restart Agreement 2.0.

“RCCAO will continue to advocate in concert with the provincial government for additional federal funding to support Ontario’s municipalities and infrastructure.”

Once again, municipalities are facing shortfalls because of COVID-19, using capital funds to cover deficits. (Toronto, for example, will have to use $800 million to cover its 2021 deficit, without a new deal.)

What happens then is that municipalities, to keep their books balanced, will cancel various maintenance projects designed to keep things in a state of good repair. Down the road, that will leave infrastructure in bad state and have a huge impact on the construction industry.

Permits are declining; tenders for infrastructure projects have been on the decline since last summer, and if the trend continues, 41,000 construction jobs in Ontario will be affected.

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