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TORONTO – Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) is working with the Ontario government to harmonize national safety standards for construction workers by adopting best practices to ensure work is performed safely.

At a recent board meeting in Ottawa, CBTU’s Canadian Executive Board unanimously passed a resolution that aims to “support Canada’s construction workers by dismantling barriers that prevent them from easily moving between provinces to work on projects,” states a release. “This move addresses the challenge of varying health and safety certification standards across Canada, recognizing that interprovincial recertification costs time, money and causes unnecessary delays to critical project progression.”

The initiative is being led by Ontario Minister of Labour David Piccini, who was recently designated by provincial premiers and labour ministers across the country, and intends to streamline certification processes.

“The unanimous approval of this resolution reflects CBTU and our affiliates’ unwavering dedication to our brothers and sisters working to build Canada,” stated Sean Strickland, executive director of the CBTU, in a statement. 

“To ensure our members can be where the work is, we must streamline safety certifications between provinces, to uphold the highest standard of safety, while creating opportunities that put our members to work. Harmonizing health and safety certifications across the country is critical to ensuring our workforce is appropriately trained to consistent safety standards, ready to deliver on nation-building projects safely and efficiently.”