This guide helps you understand and adapt to Ontario's new Construction Act, which came into full effect October 1st. 

https://mailchi.mp/wca/cloud-permit-rollout-building-department-fee-increases

https://mailchi.mp/wca/windsor-essex-is-moving-to-grey-lockdown-as-of-monday

The Province has provided a document that is a summary of information about measures proposed to come into effect in Ontario or in areas of Ontario at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, December 26. 

On page 18 of the document: 

Businesses Permitted to Open and Sector-Specific Restrictions: 

• Construction activities or projects and related services that support construction activities or projects, including demolition services
• Land surveyors

Other

• Businesses that supply businesses or places that are permitted to open within Ontario, or that supply businesses or services that have been declared essential in a jurisdiction outside of Ontario, with the support, products, supplies, systems, or services, including processing, packaging, warehousing, distribution, delivery, and maintenance necessary to operate
• Maintenance, repair and property management services that manage and maintain the safety, security, sanitation and operation of institutional, commercial, industrial and residential properties and buildings
• Businesses that extract, manufacture, process and distribute goods, products, equipment and materials, including businesses that manufacture inputs to other manufacturers (e.g. primary metal/ steel, blow molding, component manufacturers, chemicals, etc. that feed the end-product manufacturer), regardless of whether those other manufacturers are inside or outside of Ontario, together with businesses that support and facilitate the movement of goods within integrated North American and global supply chains

The complete document can be found here: 

https://files.ontario.ca/moh-provincewide-shutdown-en-2020-12-21.pdf

‘Quarantine’ refers to the 14 days that a person must:

You will have to quarantine if you:

‘Isolation’ is when you stay at home and limit contact with others because you have a symptom of COVID-19 and may have been exposed.

See the full list here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/prevention-risks/how-care-someone-covid-19-home.html#a6

For more information on the Government of Canada’s response to COVID-19, refer to https://www.canada.ca/covid-19

Construction activity in Windsor in 2020 may not have hit the heights it did in 2019, but all things considered, it did well.The final report on construction for 2020 issued by the city’s building department shows the city issued more than $392.6 million worth of permits for the year. That’s down by about 6 percent from 2019’s total of $419.6 million, but builders didn’t have a pandemic to deal with last year.   Read the entire article here

In response to a doubling in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks, the real and looming threat of the collapse of the province's hospital system and alarming risks posed to long-term care homes as a result of high COVID-19 transmission rates, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, is immediately declaring a second provincial emergency under s 7.0.1 (1) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA).

Details were provided today by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones, Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health, and Dr. Adalsteinn (Steini) Brown, Co-Chair of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.

Effective Thursday, January 14, 2021at 12:01 a.m., the government is issuing a stay-at-home order requiring everyone to remain at home with exceptions for essential purposes, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services, for exercise or for essential work. This order and other new and existing public health restrictions are aimed at limiting people's mobility and reducing the number of daily contacts with those outside an immediate household. In addition to limiting outings to essential trips, all businesses must ensure that any employee who can work from home, does work from home.

In response to the alarming and exceptional circumstances at hand, and to further interrupt the deadly trend of transmission in Ontario communities, hospitals, and long-term care homes, the government will enact the following additional public health measures:

• Outdoor organized public gatherings and social gatherings are further restricted to a limit of five people with limited exceptions. This is consistent with the rules during the lockdown during the first wave of COVID-19 in spring 2020 and will allow individuals and families to enjoy time outdoors safely.
• Individuals are required to wear a mask or face-covering in the indoor areas of businesses or organizations that are open. Wearing a mask or face covering is now recommended outdoors when you can't physically distance more than two metres.  
• All non-essential retail stores, including hardware stores, alcohol retailers, and those offering curbside pickup or delivery, must open no earlier than 7 a.m. and close no later than 8 p.m. The restricted hours of operation do not apply to stores that primarily sell food, pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores, and restaurants for takeout or delivery.
• Non-essential construction is further restricted, including below-grade construction, exempting survey.

We will share any additional information regarding essential construction as soon as it is available.

The complete news release is available here: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/59922/ontario-declares-second-provincial-emergency-to-address-covid-19-crisis-and-save-lives

Another update.  There is a list of essential construction services that is being circulated and were provided by the Premier's Office.  This list has not been verified by the posting of an Emergency order and could be subject to change.  Here is the list:

The Ontario government has updated the list of construction projects deemed essential, and that list includes:

• Construction projects and services associated with the healthcare sector and long-term care, including new facilities, expansions, renovations and conversion of spaces that could be repurposed for health care space. 
• Construction projects and services required to ensure safe and reliable operations of, or to provide new capacity in, provincial infrastructure, including transit, transportation, energy, mining and justice sectors beyond the day-to-day maintenance. 
• Construction projects and services that support the operations of, and provide new capacity in schools, colleges, universities, municipal infrastructure and child care centres within the meaning of the Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014.
• Construction projects under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program 
• Construction projects and services that support the operations of Broadband internet and cellular technologies and services. 
• Critical industrial construction activities required for,
• the maintenance and operations of petrochemical plants and refineries, 
• significant industrial petrochemical projects where preliminary work has already commenced,
• industrial construction and modifications to existing industrial structures limited solely to work necessary for the production, maintenance, and/or enhancement of Personal Protective Equipment, medical devices (such as ventilators), and other identified products directly related to combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Construction projects that are due to be completed before July 2021 and that would provide additional capacity in the production, processing, manufacturing or distribution of food, beverages or agricultural products.
• Construction projects that were commenced before January 12, 2021, and that would,  

• provide additional capacity for businesses that provide logistical support, distribution services, warehousing, storage or shipping and delivery services, or 

• ii.  provide additional capacity in the operation and delivery of Information Technology (IT) services or telecommunications services.

• Residential construction projects where,  

• a footing permit has been granted for single family, semi-detached and townhomes 
• the project is a condominium, mixed use or other residential building, or 
• the project involves renovations to residential properties and construction work was started before January 12, 2021.

• Construction to prepare a site for an institutional, commercial, industrial or residential development, including any necessary excavation, grading, roads or utilities infrastructure.
• Construction and maintenance activities necessary to temporarily close construction sites that have paused or are not active and to ensure ongoing public safety.
• Below-grade multi-unit residential construction projects, such as apartments and condominiums. The Ontario government also provided that businesses must follow public health measures and should review the workplace safety guidelines.
• Construction on any project intended to provide either, 

1. affordable housing, or 
2. shelter or supports for vulnerable persons,  

• If the project is being funded in whole or in part by, or is being undertaken by, any of the following:  

1. the Crown in right of Canada or in right of Ontario,  
2. an agency of the Crown in right of Canada or in right of Ontario,  
3. a municipality,  
4. a service manager as defined in the Housing Services Act, 2011, or 
5. a registered charity and not for profit within the meaning of the Income Tax Act(Canada). 

Enhanced with: 

Workplace testing 

Additional enforcement to ensure compliance 

The attached document has been posted on the Government website.  Construction specific information starts on page 23 and confirms the list of essential construction services that was circulated earlier to members.

Please note that the information contained in this document is intended to communicate a summary of information about measures proposed to come into effect in Ontario or in areas of Ontario between Tuesday January 12, 2021 and Thursday, January 14, 2021. The material is not legal advice and does not purport to be or to provide an interpretation of the law. In the event of any conflict or difference between this summary information and any applicable legislation or regulation, the legislation or regulation prevails.

Effective 12:01am Jan. 14

 
There are parameters established for general office that the WCA will abide by, even as a support office to an essential sector, we can and will make some administrative changes to follow the emergency order and still offer membership services.
In particular the 2 bullets  below taken from the official ministry document are the primary reasons the WCA will alter their staffing arrangements at the WCA.
-Work from Home Except Where Necessary: Each person responsible for a business or organization that is open shall ensure that any person who performs work for the business or organization conducts their work remotely, with limited exception, for instance, where the nature of their work requires them to be on-site at the workplace.
-Businesses or organizations must ensure that masks or face coverings are worn by any person (including members of the public and workers) in the indoor area of the business or organization, with limited exceptions.
 
Effective Jan. 14/21, the WCA modify their hours of operation and will remain open to members from 8:00a.m. to 12:00 noon from Monday to Friday.
WCA staff members will be in attendance at the office on a rotation basis during open periods to offer services to members which will include the Commissioning of Documents (each one of us are Commissioners).
Staff not on hand or in person will be available each day 8:00a.m. to 4:00 pm and can be contacted as below;
 

Jim Lyons, Executive Director,  email; jlyons@wca.on.ca
Christine Prymack, Operations & Communications Manager,  email; cprymack@wca.on.ca
Shari Carpenter, Financial Manager, email; scarpenter@wca.on.ca

Effective January 14th, 2021, the Province will move into a “Stay-at-Home” Order. City Hall will remain closed to the public until further notice.

The Building Division will continue to remain open for business and maintain strategic modifications that are in place for the Building Division operations.

Due to some of the recent restrictions, permits will continue to be reviewed and issued however, inspections will not be granted for permits that do not fall under the guidelines of the province. Please see the attached documentation. 

Please see from the Government

https://mailchi.mp/wca/safety-plan-covid-safety