Resources, Articles, & Advocacy
Legislative Update | April 25, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of April 21
Province Takes Control of School Board, Launches Probes at 3 Others: Ontario has taken control of one school board over financial mismanagement, launched financial probes of three other boards and ordered a fifth board to repay costs for a trip to Italy to buy art. New Education Minister Paul Calandra has ordered the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board to repay the cost of the board trip to Italy, as well as the $100,000 spent on art. The province has appointed a supervisor to the Thames Valley District School Board, in London, after it conducted a review in the wake of a staff retreat to Toronto that cost about $40,000. It is also launching investigations at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Toronto District School Board over ongoing financial deficits and spending concerns.
Legislative Update | April 22, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of April 14
New Session Begins at Queen's Park: Tuesday's throne speech, delivered by Lt.-Gov. Edith Dumont, kicked off the new session of Premier Doug Ford’s third majority government. It leaned heavily on the theme of Ford’s successful election campaign, which tied the tariff threat to nearly every sector.
Legislative Update | April 07, 2025
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of April 7
Province Wants More Strong Mayors: Ontario is proposing to expand strong mayor powers to the heads of council in 169 additional municipalities starting in May. The province said on Wednesday that the expansion would help ensure municipalities have the tools they need to reduce obstacles to new housing and infrastructure developments. The additional municipalities would include the City of Orillia, the Township of Uxbridge, the Town of Wasaga Beach, the Township of King, and the Town of Collingwood. The government first granted the powers to the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa in 2022, and since then has expanded them a few times. Public comments on the proposal may be submitted via email until April 16, 2025.
Article | March 31, 2025
“The Long and Winding Road” : Reflections on an Atypical Career
For reasons not entirely clear to me (except perhaps my longevity), our section editor has asked me to reflect upon my career and offer whatever pearls of wisdom I may have gleaned.
Article | March 31, 2025
Selected Career Reflections: Donald Marston
As requested by the Editor of our Construction and Infrastructure Newsletter, Jay Nathwani, these career reflections are written for inclusion in our Section’s Newsletter Reflections Series. I’m pleased to have been asked to participate, although somewhat reluctant to provide personal reflections. In setting the stage for my remarks I’ll focus briefly on some historical aspects of my career and particularly on the broad range of diverse opportunities that I encountered that enabled me, over the years, to expand the scope of my practice in Canada and internationally.
Article | March 31, 2025
Breaking Down the Walls: A Series on Construction Delay, Part 2
In the fast-paced world of construction, delays and disruption can pose significant challenges to project success and execution. Throw concurrent delays into the mix, and it can be challenging to assign responsibility. This article seeks to demystify these concepts as they relate to delay claims and provide the reader with some useful takeaways for use in practice.
