Ontario Construction News staff writer
More than 600 professional engineers and land surveyors who work for the Ontario government are warning that job action launched Tuesday could affect the province’s ability to make progress on key infrastructure construction projects.
Nihar Bhatt, president of Professional Engineers Government of Ontario, says his members want to see a “significant” increase in pay, though he did not give specific percentages.
Low wages are creating a recruitment and retention crisis that could lead to delays on government projects including Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass, he said.
PEGO represents engineers responsible for overseeing critical government projects, managing the building code, fire codes, air quality regulations, and overseeing significant highway construction efforts such as bridges and road expansions including the entire 400-series highway network and advising on essential provincial initiatives like the Gardiner Expressway and drinking water standards. They have been without a contract for 20 months.
During the job action, members not take on additional responsibilities, such working unpaid overtime and Bhatt says major construction projects could start falling behind schedule in the coming weeks.
“The delays could extend from two to four weeks, depending on the tasks,” he explained. The union also retains the option to escalate its actions further, potentially impacting key projects like Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass—central to the Ford government’s commitments.
“This isn’t our preferred course of action; we want to focus on engineering and building,” Bhatt added.
This is the first job action for PEGO in the past 35 years.
“Our fight isn’t with the government itself; they recognize the importance of infrastructure,” Bhatt said. “But the treasury board negotiators don’t seem to understand our concerns. It’s unprecedented for us to consider a strike, but we’re struggling to fill positions.”
A treasury board spokesperson stated that the government’s latest contract proposal is “reasonable and reflects the specialized role of PEGO employees.”
The next mediation session is scheduled for Oct. 18.
