Bill 73, Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Michael Harris’ bid to overhaul construction tendering rules for Ontario municipalities and schools boards, went down to defeat Thursday at Queen’s Park.
Harris said the impetus for his bill came in January, when two Region of Waterloo employees attempted to join the Carpenters Union.
That case has yet to reach a conclusion, but if the pair are successful, the Labour Relations Act would mandate that all future carpentry work undertaken by the region be done by the Carpenters Union.
“There was just an attempt to unionize the region under collective bargaining rules that were designed and only ever intended for construction companies,” Harris said while introducing his bill before second reading Thursday.
“This convoluted process raises more questions than answers. Why can two people set the entire infrastructure policy for an entire region?”
Harris has spent much of the past few months touring the region, campaigning for his bill, and said in the legislature that he had received significant support.
“Everywhere I go, everyone can agree that municipalities and school boards have a different purpose and mandate than construction employers,” he said.
The bill was not supported by the Liberals or NDP, with Kitchener-Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife speaking against it at Queen’s Park.
“This is a reactionary and premature bill that will create more problems than it solves,” she said, claiming it would “trample” on collective agreements that currently exist across the province.
Fife cited a City of Toronto report as saying the city would save 1.7 per cent on construction costs if it went non-union.
“It is not the solution, but I remain open to exploring options to modernize what everyone would agree is an overly complex system of province-wide master agreements,” she said.
Shortly after the bill was defeated, the Christian Labour Association of Canada and Progressive Contractors Association of Canada sent out a statement expressing disappointment in the outcome.
