The Ontario government has launched the second round of its Skills Development Fund (SDF) Capital Stream, with over $74 million in available funding to build, expand and retrofit training facilities for workers in the trades, including construction, manufacturing, and technology. 

Ontario News Release

Ontario Website - Skills Development Fund

With an enhanced, streamlined application process that includes a new SEED pathway to help with the upfront costs of developing construction proposals, such as design drawings and technical plans. This addresses the needs of businesses and training providers who may lack the in-house capacity to develop complex construction plans. As a further improvement, the Capital Stream will now also accept funding proposals all year round, which enables faster application reviews.

According to the St. Catherines Standard report, Thorold City Council is considering stricter regulations to manage street-side signage, aiming to reduce visual clutter and improve safety. 

Learn more by visiting: Ontario city addresses concerns over unauthorized street signage - Sign Media Canada

OSA Congratulates our 2023 SAC Award winning members!

SAC Volunteer of the Year - Jeff Wallis, Signature Sign & Image

SAC Sign professional of the Year - Brad Hillis, Pride Signs

Thank you for all you both have done for the sign industry!

Every construction project comes with its own set of risks – from fire and water damage to equipment theft, slips and falls, cyber-attacks and even infection control.

These risks not only vary in size and complexity but can also evolve over the course of a project. That’s why having proper worksite policies and procedures is so critical to avoiding hazards and potential accidents.

To help your members keep workers safe and their projects running smoothly, we’ve developed the following risk management resources addressing common exposures:

• Risks in the construction industry
• Key infection control guidelines for your job site

On May 14, 2020, the government announced that it was lifting limits on construction activities that can take place under the List of Essential Businesses established under the Emergency Order (O. Reg 82/20). This means that all construction activities or projects and related services that support construction activities or projects, including demolition services, can commence or restart as of May 19, 2020.

The amended regulation (O.Reg. 223/20) can be found here: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r20223

Work Sharing Program:

Work-Sharing (WS) is an adjustment program designed to help employers and employees avoid layoffs when there is a temporary reduction in the normal level of business activity that is beyond the control of the employer. The measure provides income support to employees eligible for Employment Insurance benefits who work a temporarily reduced work week while their employer recovers.

The Government of Canada introduced temporary special measures that extend the maximum duration of Work-Sharing agreements from 38 weeks to 76 weeks across Canada for those businesses affected by the downturn in business due to COVID-19.

For more information and to see if you are eligible visit Government of Canada site: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/work-sharing/temporary-measures-forestry-sector.html

 

Coles Notes on what you need to know now:

What is It?

·         Effective March 15, 2020 to March 14, 2021

·         Designed to help employers & employees avoid layoffs where there is a temporary reduction in the normal level of business activity that is beyond the control of the employer

·         Income support to employees who are eligible for Employment Insurance Benefits

·         Employees work a temporary reduced work week, while employer recovers

               

How Does it Work

·         Employer & employees must agree to participate in a Work sharing agreement and must apply together

·         Employees are to receive a copy of the Employee Annex before submitting the application

·         Demonstrate a recent decrease in business activity of approximately 10% 

·         Sales & Production figures over the last 24 months up to and including last month prior to submitting

·         Demonstrate that the work shortage is temporary & beyond their control - not cyclical/recurring shutdown

·         Submit and implement a recovery plan designed to return the Working Sharing Unit (WSU) to normal hours by end of agreement

·         Work reduction must be between 10% (min) -1/2 day to 60% (max) - 3 days

·         Work reduction can vary depending on available work, as long as the work reduction on average over the life of the agreement is between 10% - 60%

·         The proposed reduction in work hours should correspond with the number of anticipated temporary lay-offs

·         Minimum of 6 weeks to a max of 26 weeks - extended to 38 weeks and extended again to 76 weeks

·         If the business does not recover as expected and an employee is laid off during or at the end of WSA, the employee can apply to transfer the claim to regular benefits

·         Benefits are not reduced by Work Sharing

 

Work Share Benefits:

·         No waiting period, however, may take a few weeks after employer has submitted the First Utilization Report

·         Employer may request employee to work on a work Sharing Day

·         Statutory holidays are the responsibility of the employer

               

Work Sharing Unit:(WSU)

·         A group of core employees who have greed to participate in the Work Sharing program & reduce their normal working hours

·         WSA may include>1 WSU

·         Includes those in a single job description or who perform similar work

·         Hours must be reduced equally in a WSU (same % reduction)

·         Should not include employees who need to help generate work or those who are essential to the recovery of the business

·         Minimum of 2 employees in a WSU

·         Employees in the same job description cannot volunteer to participate while other decline & continue to work normal hours

·         Members of WSU who do not qualify or choose not to accept EI are still required to reduce their hours of work on a equivalent basis

·         Employer may request employee to work on a work Sharing Day

               

 

On December 13, 2019, the Ontario government filed Ontario Regulation 430/19, which amends Ontario Regulation 268/18 made under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 with respect to the sign requirements for employers and proprietors. The Regulation comes into force on January 1, 2020.

If you are an employer or owner (proprietor) of an enclosed workplace, an enclosed public place or other smoke-free and vape-free places as described in the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 or Ontario Regulation 268/18, you must post enough of the individual (tobacco/e-cigarette) signs OR combined (tobacco and e-cigarette) signs at each entrance, exit and washroom to ensure that employees and the public know that they cannot smoke tobacco or cannabis (medical or recreational) or vape anything there.

If you are an employer or owner (proprietor) of a hotel, motel or inn, you must post the individual (tobacco/e-cigarette) signs OR combined (tobacco and e-cigarette) signs in every “non-smoking” or “non-vaping” guest room.

The Regulation specifies that it is now sufficient “to copy the information and informational symbols on such a sign without copying a Trillium or ‘Smoke-Free’ logo in exact fashion, or copying it at all.” Corresponding changes are made throughout Ontario Regulation 268/18.

For more information on the regulation and to download PDF copies of required signs, click here.

The OSA is built of super talented sign companies, much like your own, and we’d like to showcase your great work!

We’d love to display your brightest and best sign projects on our OSA home page for the duration of 2020.

All we need from you is to send us ( email address below ) 5-6 images of your brightest and best finished projects.

Eligibility and requirements:

Judging criteria:

Judging:
Entries will be judged by OSA’s Social Media and Communications Task Force and the OSA Board of Directors.

Deadline to submit: December 9, 2019

All entries are to be submitted electronically by December 9, 2019 to Karin Eaton at karin@ontariosignassociation.com

Committees are critical association mechanisms for involving its members, tapping into their specific expertise, ensuring that different perspectives are incorporated and for cultivating volunteer leaders.

As we are looking to the year ahead, we'd love to involve new voices in our committees.

Skills Ontario: Career Exploration Showcase Task Force
Objective: To develop material (with a hands-on component) to showcase at the May 6-7^th 2020 Skills Canada Career Exploration Showcase and to help OSA staff man the booth on the day of.  The key objective is for us to showcase the exciting and diverse career opportunities in the sign industry.   

Social Media & Communications Committee:
Objective: to develop visually attractive content that promotes the work of the Ontario Sign Association: benefits, events, professional development.  The content is primarily to be distributed via social media channels and e-newsletters.

Education Committee
Objective: To develop programs that respond to the educational need of the Chapter members and others.

Membership Committee
Objective: To conduct member campaigns with a goal of increasing Chapter member participation levels and communication strategies to bring added value.

Government Relations Committee
Objective: To provide vision, direction and leadership in developing initiative to educate, monitor and review legislation as it pertains to the regulation and activities at the municipal, provincial and federal level.

Time commitment: 1 to 2 hours a month. 

While Committees meet monthly or bimonthly, task forces are set up to deal with a specific task/event and then are done after the task/event is completed. 

If you are interested in joining or would like to talk further about the type of work committees do, please connect with Karin at karin@ontariosignassociation.com or 905.482.4942

The Ontario Sign Association is pleased to announce the launch of the Standard Engineered Sign Drawings Program in partnership with Sign Spec Canada.  

Background: Municipalities around Ontario are requesting more and more sign designs to be reviewed by engineers prior to submission as part of the permit documentation submission.  From the industry’s perspective, the sign design requirements are often too complicated for small sign companies or the general public to navigate. Costs typically range from $400 to $600 per sign for reviewing and stamping a sign design and takes approximately one week to have completed.   From the municipalities’ perspective, they are having to put on hold a high percentage of incomplete sign permit request submissions due to missing or incorrect technical detail on the drawings.  As such, some municipalities are starting to offer fast track processes for permit request submissions if a P.ENG has stamped and reviewed the sign design. 

To fill this gap, the Ontario Sign Association is launching the Standard Engineered Sign Drawings Program in partnership with Sign Spec Canada (SSC), a new business formed by two industry veterans: the owners of Signature Engineering (Chris Sharpe) and Signum Engineering (Marc Carriere).  This program will provide members with access to engineered drawings of the most often used sign types at a discounted price. 

Program: Based on our consultations with the City of Toronto on the types of permits they receive, we have identified the most often used sign types: fascia boxes, channel letters, and pylons. Our program will provide sign companies with a selection of standard sign drawings which can be used to accompany sign permit applications.

City of Toronto has been supportive of this program, and from the association’s perspective, our program will enable the City to fast track the permit process for applications accompanied by these drawings.  Ideally, these drawings will form the platform for future versions of the drawings that would be used elsewhere in Ontario and Canada by the Sign Association of Canada.

Members: Watch your inboxes on the latest news. We will be holding webinars and in person presentations later this year and early in the next year to give you a step-by-step overview of how the program is going to work.