Ontario Report
TAKING THE PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS ONLINE One of the many great features that take place at the OHBA Annual Conference is the President’s Gala. This is the opportunity for the newly elected OHBA President to share their home builder story and outline what the year ahead looks like to our membership. With the 2020 OHBA Annual Conference cancelled due to COVID-19, we have taken the President’s Address online to highlight the important issues facing our industry in 2021. Our video address features fun visual clips, animations and photos of familiar faces from our members! As #homebelievers, we support the great Canadian dream of homeownership and continue to drive the important work the Association does for #homebelievers across Ontario. Know that locally, provincially and nationally, OHBA is working to support you and are always here to help. Please visit OHBA’s website for a link to hear more from OHBA President Bob Schickedanz.
COVID-19 U P DAT E
COVID-19 will continue to be a key health and safety concern of OHBA members this year. But this is nothing new to those in our sector. Since the beginning of the pandemic, members have made health, safety and sanitation a central focus in the effort to combat the virus. Keeping all personnel who come onsite safe must be a central focus as we continue to navigate these uncertain times. First and foremost, members must have a COVID-19 Workplace Safety Plan. The Ministry of Labour (MOL) has many resources to help you develop a safety plan to ensure that all jobsites protect everyone. Understanding the risks associated with COVID-19, as well as key contact tracing and documentation requirements for anyone coming onsite, is critical in the event MOL or your local Public Health Unit needs to follow up. To make this process easier, OHBA has provided a digital workplace-screening form, which will help members track who is coming onsite and ensure that information is readily accessible if requested by health authorities. All members should be aware of key onsite health and safety guidelines that MOL has provided. These guidelines provide critical information on the measures that members should be taking to keep jobsites safe. It’s also important to note that renovator members working in occupied spaces face unique challenges. While they should follow all MOL guidelines, OHBA’s Renovator Guide can assist members in navigating these unique jobsite challenges and help ensure the sector remains safe. Each day, members make adjustments to care for everyone on the jobsite. The residential construction sector has been a leader, quickly adapting to the new environment and stepping up to meet the new standards of health, safety and sanitation. While we cannot say when COVID-19 will end, OHBA is confident in our membership’s ability to continue to deliver new and newly renovated homes to awaiting families in a healthy, safe and efficient manner. We are all in this together—let’s keep each other safe.
CALL TO ORDER:
OHBA Members Honoured A pair of OHBA members have recently been invested into the Order of Ontario, with another receiving a promotion within the Order of Canada. Here’s the rundown of a trio we are proud to call our own.
Michael DeGasperis Vaughan A well-respected philanthropist, business and community leader, Michael DeGasperis, founder and president of Arista Homes, celebrates over 25 years as one of Ontario’s premier developers and home builders. A visionary for improved access to health care, his leadership has raised millions of dollars for numerous health institutions across the province. Thanks to his concept, as well as brokering approvals and land purchases on behalf of the City of Vaughan, Mackenzie 12
Vaughan Hospital is in the final stages of construction.
Carlo Fidani Toronto
Carlo Fidani, a prominent figure in Ontario’s real estate community, believes in the transformative power of philanthropy. Chairman of the Orlando Corporation in Mississauga, Mr. Fidani directs his giving to health-related causes, making landmark and often anonymous donations that have had a significant impact on the province’s leading science and
ONTARIO HOME BUILDER EARLY SPRING 2021
medical facilities. Areas such as access to radiation treatment, education of doctors and breakthroughs in cancer treatments have benefited from his generosity.
Peter E. Gilgan Toronto
Peter Gilgan has been promoted within the Order of Canada to the status of officer. Mr. Gilgan was acknowledged for his innovative leadership in Canada’s construction industry, and for his philanthropic support of initiatives in health
care, education and athletics. As the founder and CEO of Mattamy Homes, Canada’s largest new-home builder, he both creates and invests in many communities across the country. He has supported health care and educational institutions, notably endowing the new Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. Additionally, he funded the restoration of the hockey rink at Maple Leaf Gardens as Ryerson University converted the historic complex into an athletic facility. ohba.ca
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