TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Feb. 25, 2016) - "The 2016 provincial budget shows ongoing commitments to build up Ontario's infrastructure," noted Patrick Dillon, Business Manager of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario. "The $136 billion pledge towards capital investments for roads, utilities, transit, schools and hospitals will help the skilled construction workforce grow and prosper over the next ten years."

"As these infrastructure pledges support 110,000 jobs each year, we want to make sure that those investments benefit the workers who construct and maintain our infrastructure," Dillon pointed out, adding that "the best way to do that is to update and expand Ontario's Fair Wage policy."

A Fair Wage policy requires bidders on publicly-procured construction projects to pay their employees prevailing wages which are based on the most-identifiable, best-documented wage rates in each discipline of the construction sector.

The budget document also talks about "strengthening the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT), the industry-driven body responsible for promoting and modernizing skilled trades," reaffirming Premier Kathleen Wynne's address to the 58^th Annual Building Trades Convention in which she said that "a strong, sustainable College has always been our goal and that means making changes in partnership with the College itself."

"The Ontario Building Trades are supportive of changes that in the Premier's own words will strengthen OCOT's mandate. We are hopeful that the College will continue to be an arms-length institution governed by and for tradespeople," said Dillon. "Our Council will work with the College, with government and with construction employers to make sure that infrastructure investments achieve their desired effect of building Ontario up," concluded Dillon.

The Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario represents 150,000 trades workers throughout the province.