Ontario should halt residential construction during COVID-19 pandemic, says Toronto councillor

A Toronto councillor is demanding the province suspend residential construction in Ontario for the safety of workers and their communities - or provide the public health rationale for allowing it to continue.

On Wednesday, the province extended the hours work is allowed at residential construction sites from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days week, after earlier keeping residential construction on the shortened list of essential workplaces.

Coun. Josh Matlow, who represents one of the fastest-growing residential communities in Ward 12 (Toronto-St. Paul's) wrote an open letter to Premier Doug Ford on Thursday saying that additional change "could put further stress on workers and communities."

"The guidelines for construction safety issued by your government do not require employers to take the steps that public health officials suggest are necessary for keeping workers, or anyone, safe," Matlow wrote.

"While some construction companies may have good intentions toward their workers, on many job sites it is almost impossible to maintain two metres of physical space due to group lifts or other tasks that involve support."

A spokesperson for Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton, responding to questions from the Star, said residential projects are "critical to the thousands of families who need a roof over their heads."

Matlow said he recognized the need for continuing critical infrastructure like hospitals, but having residential construction continue "appears to run counter to safe and sensible policy during this crisis."

The province's current list of essential workplaces includes residential construction where a footing permit or above-grade structural permit have been issued or renovations started before April 4.

There are at least 11,000 active building permits associated with residential construction in Toronto alone, according to data the city provided to the Star. That represents approximately 18,500 residential units in projects that would be allowed to proceed under current provincial rules.

Matlow said the risk doesn't stop with the workers themselves, noting their families, friends and neighbours could also be impacted and that renovations of existing buildings also put those communities at risk of virus spread.

"Allowing construction from early in the morning until 10 p.m., while people are being asked to stay home, has the potential to put residents at risk of infection, while greatly impacting their quality of life and mental health by subjecting them to constant noise," he said.

Matlow asked the premier to provide the rationale for allowing residential construction to continue. If the province's decision was not made on the advice of Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Matlow said the residential work sites should be removed from the essential workplaces list.

McNaughton's spokesperson Bradley Metlin did not provide a public health rationale for keeping those sites operating, but said that the extended hours are to keep work sites safer and that they "continue to do the right thing for people while following the advice of the chief medical officer of Ontario..."

"This will allow for smaller work crews, more distance between workers, staggered break times, etc.," he said in a statement.

Asked about the changes Thursday, Mayor John Tory said he understood the province would be sending inspectors to individual sites to ensure those where people are working too close together or those that lack proper hygiene on-site would be identified and closed as needed.

"Our imperative here is to increase physical distancing as much as possible," to reduce the spread of the virus, said Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto's medical officer of health, saying she recognized there are important "critical infrastructure-type projects that perhaps warrant continuation."

Residential construction is being allowed by the province in addition to what it calls "critical industrial construction," such as petro-mechanical projects, as well as hospitals and other facilities.

Jennifer Pagliaro is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics. Follow her on Twitter: @jpags