Law firm hosts coast-to-coast prompt payment stakeholder meetings
March 19, 2018 | By Jillian Morgan
A nation-wide series of industry engagement sessions on prompt payment legislation are underway.
Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel law firm, contracted by the federal government to seek input on prompt payment legislation, will host the sessions.
Bruce Reynolds and Sharon Vogel, Canadian construction lawyers and partners at the firm, led the consultation process for Ontario’s Bill 142 on construction and prompt payment.
The firm has visited Vancouver, BC, Regina, SK and Winnipeg, MB. Northern Canada meetings took place from March 12 to 16, 2018 in Yellowknife, NWT, Banff, AB and Calgary, AB.
From March 19 to 23, 2018, the firm will cover the Atlantic Provinces and Montreal, QC. A town hall format meeting is scheduled for PEI, Saint John, NB, Halifax, NS, St John’s, NL and Montreal.
The series of meetings will conclude in Toronto, ON and Ottawa, ON, where most national stakeholders’ head offices are located. The firm also plans to meet with the National Trade Contractor’s Coalition of Canada at the group’s summit meeting in early April.
Government, contractor and subcontractor or trade stakeholder representatives will participate in the meetings. Recommendations will be delivered to Public Services and Procurement Canada on May 1, 2018.
The Canadian government has undertaken other prompt payment efforts, including publicly posted payments for construction contracts over $100,000. This effort intends to allow businesses involved in federal construction contracts to inquire about payment status.
The federal government has also reviewed payment terms in federal construction contracts and the Treasury Board’s 30-day mandated payment period.
Alberta, New Brunswick, Quebec and Saskatchewan are also working on measures to address prompt payment in the construction industry. www.singleton.com
