Ontario's council of construction associations has launched a program with the goal of making sure contractors are paid for their work on time.
The Council of Ontario Construction Associations (COCA) has begun an awareness campaign on the Prompt Payment and Adjudication program, which is provided under Ontario law to ensure the timely payment of contractors for their work. COCA has created an online toolkit to help those involved get familiar with the rules.
COCA President Ian Cunningham said the construction industry is notorious for payment delays.
"Timely payment should be the norm in the construction industry like it is in every other sector," said Cunningham. "Contractors deserve to be paid on time for work that they have completed. To ensure timely payment, they should make themselves aware of the prompt payment and adjudication guidelines and be ready before a dispute arises."
The Prompt Payment program is guided by Ontario law, which spelled out mandatory timelines for contractor payment. Adjudication is dispute resolution, which provides guidelines for contractors and subcontractors to enforce payment without having to waste time in the court system.
"Only a small number of contractors are using the prompt payment and adjudication tools provided under the Construction Act to get paid," said Cunningham. "Most don’t know about this new process."
The online toolkit provides concise, easy-to-follow documents for contractors, subcontractors, and property owners. A webinar is available along with a selection of online resources.
