Today, Ontario passed legislation to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the construction sector.
The Construction Lien Amendment Act, 2017 includes new prompt payment rules to ensure Ontario construction businesses and workers get paid on time for the work they do. The changes will also modernize the lien and holdback process, help protect creditors and set out a new adjudication process to resolve payment disputes faster.
Key changes include:
Strengthening Ontario’s construction laws is part of Ontario’s plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation.
“This is the biggest change to our construction laws in over 34 years. I would like to thank the many organizations and individuals who lent their knowledge and expertise to this incredible effort. These changes will have a real impact on people’s lives, giving workers assurance they will be paid on time and in full, and help to ensure disputes are resolved quickly.”
“We are very pleased with the passage of the Construction Lien Amendment Act. These changes, including promptness of payment and dispute resolution through adjudication will go a long way to modernizing the construction industry across Ontario. We would like to thank and acknowledge the advisory group as well as the many government and industry groups who provided advice during our review and subsequent work on the bill.”
Bruce Reynolds and Sharon Vogel