001-45_127_NOV-DEC_LAYOUT_PT - Flipbook - Page 42
CLOSING SHOT
WHY WE NEED A CONSISTENT
APPROACH TO "BUY ONTARIO"
by Patrick McManus
NTARIO’S INFRASTRUCTURE construction sector is the backbone of
how our province grows and thrives. It’s vast in its scale and
scope. The contractors in this space build municipal water
and sewer systems, roads, highways, bridges, transit lines,
tunnels, stormwater systems, and many things in between.
It’s a dynamic industry that evolves with the changing needs
of our communities and the demands of a growing population. For the
most part, the companies are local and the workforce is very local. So,
we are an industry that understands better than most the importance of
supporting local jobs and local companies.
But good policy objectives still require practical implementation.
That is why a broad coalition of Ontario construction and infrastructure associations—including the Ontario Sewer and Watermain
Construction Association (OSWCA), Greater Toronto Sewer and
Watermain Contractors Association (GTSWCA), Toronto and Area
Road Builders Association (TARBA), Heavy Construction Association
of Toronto (HCAT), and Ontario Association of Foundation Specialists
(OAFS) —has come together to urge municipalities to adopt a standardized approach to implementing the Province’s new Municipal
Buy Ontario Procurement Directive.
Right now, public buyers across the province are having to interpret
what the Directive means in practice. They are beginning to introduce
new bidder declarations, domestic content attestations, and supply
chain disclosure requirements into tender calls. And while there is
concern amongst contractors about the added administrative burden
that will be involved with this process, the more pressing problem is
related to the consistency for how this Directive will be implemented
from one municipality to the next.
The problem is not the objective itself. The problem is the absence of
a common implementation framework.
Our industry operates across municipal boundaries every single
day. Contractors bid work in multiple municipalities each construction
season. Manufacturers and suppliers serve projects province-wide. If
every municipality creates its own unique procurement rules, reporting forms, compliance thresholds, and disclosure requirements, the
result will be confusion, administrative burden, bid errors, increased
project costs, and ultimately reduced competition.
That is not good for municipalities, taxpayers, or the construction
industry.
The reality is that Ontario’s infrastructure market is already under
signi昀椀cant strain. Public buyers and contractors continue to navigate
in昀氀ationary pressures, volatile supply chains, labour shortages, and
growing infrastructure de昀椀cits. Layering inconsistent procurement
rules on top of these challenges risks slowing down project delivery
Patrick McManus is the President and CEO of Electro-Federation
Canada and the former Executive Director of the Ontario Sewer
and Watermain Construction Association and the Greater Toronto
Sewer and Watermain Contractors’ Association.
42—RENEW CANADA – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2026
at exactly the wrong time. Our coalition is asking for consistency and
practicality. And the solution already exists.
Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has developed a model
that provides a good starting point. It includes standardized disclosure
forms, clearly identi昀椀ed material categories, a measurable domestic content threshold, and procedures that recognize the reality that
supply chains can change during project delivery. By utilizing what
already exists, public buyers would be helping to create predictability
in our market.
And right now, with all the chaos and noise around us, this predictability matters. Contractors need to understand the rules before
pricing work. Municipal procurement sta昀昀 need clarity to administer
tenders fairly and consistently. Manufacturers and suppliers need certainty so they can plan investments and production capacity. Without
that consistency, Ontario risks creating a fragmented procurement
landscape where every buyer e昀昀ectively writes its own version of Buy
Ontario rules.
A common framework would signi昀椀cantly reduce administrative burden for both municipalities and bidders and help ensure the
province’s objectives are implemented e昀昀ectively. It would also help
preserve competitive bidding, which is something that remains essential to protecting taxpayer value and ensuring infrastructure dollars go
as far as possible.
This issue extends far beyond any one organization or sector. Its
stretches right across the construction industry. Contractors, manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and Associations all recognize the risk.
Municipalities do not need to reinvent procurement policy hundreds
of times over. They can adopt a practical, proven framework that
supports Ontario industry while maintaining fair, competitive, and
e昀케cient infrastructure delivery.
Our industry stands ready to work collaboratively with municipalities to make that happen.
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