More than 700 general contractors and vendors/suppliers gathered at the Blue Mountain Resort from April 11 through 13 for the eleventh Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) Symposium.
The event included dozens of presentations on a diversity of topics, ranging from new Ontario Construction Act regulations to WSIB and safety topics, technological changes, and building industry trends.
Ontario premier Doug Ford visited the conference on April 12 and gave a speech largely focused on the provincial budget, which his government had announced the day before.
There was some humour, including entertainment by comedian Graham Chittendon and the presentation of the Ontario Builder Awards by Andrew Younghusband.
Award winners included a diversity of contractors earning recognition for different categories.
Building Category 1 (Project value to $5 million)
BDA Inc., for work on the Crow’s Theatre new home in Toronto
Building Category 2 (Project value from $5 to $25 million)
Eastern Construction Company Ltd., for the Durham College Centre for Collaborative Education
Building category 3 (Project value from $25 to $75 million)
Eastern Construction Company Ltd., for the John. H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, University of Toronto
Building category 6 (Project value over $300 million)
PCL Constructors Canada Inc., for the Milton District Hospital expansion
Industrial/infrastructure/civil building category 2 (Project value $5 to $25 million)
Rutherford Construction Ltd., for Memorial Square in Meridian Place, Barrie
Industrial/infrastructure/civil building category 3 (Project value $25 to $75 million)
Michael + Clark Construction Inc. for the Starlim North America London plant expansion
The final evening’s festivities wrapped up with OGCA chair John Dawson acknowledging president Clive Thurston’s leadership and contribution to the symposium initiatives, observing that this will be Thurston’s last symposium, as he prepares to retire.