The province's Bill 66 is an attack on construction workers, unions and freely bargained collective agreements, according to construction unions.
Ryan Plante, the union coordinator for Carpenters Local 2222 based in Goderich, said the Ontario government is threatening the right to fair collective bargaining by creating legislation that would see worker rights under some collective agreements disappear.
The Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario said parts of the bill will eliminate construction bargaining rights and existing, long-standing, collective agreements covering construction workers and various public sector employers, including municipalities, school boards, hospitals and universities.
The Carpenters Union said it will go all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, which has already made clear that the right to collective bargaining is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The province has claimed the bill will make Ontario more competitive, with Labour Minister Laurie Scott claiming the Ford government will create one of the most dynamic labour markets in the world, so businesses can prosper.
"In the new year we will continue our efforts to make it easier to start or grow a business and invest in Ontario, building an economy that benefits all in this province," Scott said
She said the self-proclaimed "Government for the People" will reduce employers premiums paid to the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board by $1.45 billion, the minimum wage will not increase next January as scheduled, and the Pay Transparency Act will be delayed. She said the province will create a level playing field for all construction workers building public infrastructure through the Restoring Ontario's Competitiveness Act, 2018.
“The current laws concerning these types of employers and their relations with construction unions were put in place by the last Conservative premier, Mike Harris, but even they apparently do not go far enough for Doug Ford”, said Mike Yorke, the president and director of public affairs of the Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario. “Our union has had productive relationships with these types of employers, such as the City of Toronto, which in many cases go back decades, and which are designed to ensure that the employers get real value for money while construction workers can make a fair and honest living. Apparently, those types of relationships are not something that this premier wants to see continue."