bill 73: fair and open tendering act...
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4281 King Street East, Unit 4Kitchener, ON N2P 2E9
Tel: [email protected]
MPP KITCHENER-CONESTOGA
Michael HARRIS
MichaelHarrisMPP.caFind me on Facebook
All qualified contractors should have the right to work on taxpayer-funded infrastructure
Bill 73: Fair and Open Tendering Act
Benefi ts of Open Tendering
All qualified contractors should have the right to work on taxpayer-funded infrastructure
All qualified contractors should have the right to work on taxpayer-funded infrastructure
All qualified contractors should have the right to work on
Support Open Tendering for Public Infrastructure We all know that municipalities and school boards are not trying to make a profi t like a business in the construction industry. Instead, they’re trying to provide quality roads, bridges and buildings for residents at the best possible value. In Ontario, though, our labour laws are, unfortunately, silent on that point.
Because of this lack of clarity, the labour board applies collective-bargaining rules for construction companies to municipalities and school boards. The problem is once a public-sector employer becomes unionized under these rules, offi cials must contract out all infrastructure projects to companies organized by a specifi c union. This unfair practice excludes many qualifi ed contractors from the bidding process and drives up costs for taxpayers.
To solve this problem, we need clarity, and that’s what my bill, the Fair and Open Tendering Act, would offer. If passed, Bill 73 would make it clear that collective-bargaining rules for construction businesses should not apply to municipalities and school boards. By making this important legislative change, we could ensure that all qualifi ed contractors have the right, regardless of their union affi liation, to work on local infrastructure projects and that public offi cials have the ability to get the highest quality work at the best possible price for taxpayers through an open and fair tendering process.
Fairness: Gives all qualifi ed contractors the opportunity to work on taxpayer-funded infrastructure.
Best value: Allows local offi cials to get the highest quality work at the best possible price for taxpayers.
Sustainability: Ensures that public-sector employers can suffi ciently provide critical infrastructure for the province’s economic success.
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If you would like more information or have questions about Bill 73, please contact the offi ce of Michael Harris, MPP Kitchener-Conestoga at:
Queen’s Park Offi ce: Room 344, Main Legislative Building
Queen’s Park Toronto, ON M7A 1A8
Constituency Offi ce: 4281 King Street East
Unit 4 Kitchener, ON N2P 2E9
Bill 73: Fair and Open Tendering Act How you can help• Get a copy of the Fair and Open Tendering Act online at www.ontla.on.ca by clicking on “Bills and Lawmaking” and selecting Bill 73
• Share this information with your co-workers, friends and family
• Send a letter to your councillor, mayor or MPP, asking for their support
• Write Ontario’s Labour Minister, calling for this much-needed change
• Send us your feedback at [email protected]
Testimonials to Bill 73
From left, Scott Taylor, President of McLean Taylor Construction; MPP Michael Harris; Bernie Melloul, President and Co-founder of Melloul Blamey; and Gene Wilson, constuction worker at Melloul Blamey attend an announcement on Bill 73 at the Grand River Transit Headquarters in Kitchener on May 17, 2013.
From left, Scott Taylor, President of McLean Taylor Construction; MPP Michael
the Grand River Transit Headquarters in Kitchener on May 17, 2013.
“Bill 73 has the full support of Merit members from across the province. It
is an important bill that, if passed, will go a long way to ensuring fairness
for contractors and a competitive environment for Ontario municipalities.”
– Gordon Sproule, Chair, Merit Ontario
“Shutting out competitors for publicly funded infrastructure projects leads to increased costs. We are pleased that Mr. Harris has put forward this fair proposal to close an expensive legislative loophole.”
– Sean Reid, Director, Progressive Contractors Association
“We are happy to see legislation put forward that will prevent unfair closed-tendering restrictions and allow our members to bid and work on public infrastructure projects regardless of union affi liation”– Geoff Wilkinson, Executive Director, Ontario Road Builders Association
“Shutting out competitors for publicly funded infrastructure projects leads to increased costs. We are pleased that Mr. Harris has put forward this fair proposal to close an expensive legislative loophole.”“CLAC endorses Bill 73 because it will prevent
arbitrary restrictions that ban companies and
workers from participating in construction projects
simply because they do not hold the right union
card or are not affi liated with a union.”
– Ian DeWaard, Regional Director, Christian Labour
Association of Canada
“If there’s any justice, Harris’s bill will get unanimous support, or at least enough to get it through the legislature and into law.”- Howard Elliott, The Hamilton Spectator
“Open tendering, competition, governments that can consider the taxpayers’ ability to pay and economically priced municipal infrastructure — all these serve the public interest. So does Harris’s private member’s bill. It should pass.”
- Editorial, Waterloo Region Record
Association of Canada
“Open tendering, competition, governments that can consider
“As a local businessman within the Waterloo Region, I wish to voice my sup-port for Bill 73. Over the last 20 years our company has successfully serviced the Region of Waterloo Facilities Maintenance Department and we trust that we can continue to do so as a non-union based fi rm.” - Robert Milovancev, Brick & Co. Restorations Ltd