Category: Union News

Working for Marathon Underground, Local 793 members Liam Tracey and McGyver Barber help construct a 900-unit high-rise complex development on Carling Avenue in Ottawa. Brother McGyver operates a Liebherr LB 44-510 drilling rig and Brother Liam operates a Cat 420 XE backhoe loader. The project will see the construction of four buildings; two mixed-use high […]

Working for Marathon Underground, Local 793 members Liam Tracey and McGyver Barber help construct a 900-unit high-rise complex development on Carling Avenue in Ottawa. Brother McGyver operates a Liebherr LB 44-510 drilling rig and Brother Liam operates a Cat 420 XE backhoe loader.

The project will see the construction of four buildings; two mixed-use high rise buildings fronting onto Carling Avenue, and two mid-rise residential buildings fronting onto the adjacent local side streets.

Members in the road building sector received a boost this week after the federal and provincial governments reached an agreement to move forward with the construction of the long-delayed Highway 413. The deal means the proposed six-lane, 52-kilometre highway project connecting Halton and York regions can proceed without a fully-fledged federal environmental assessment, which Ontario […]

Members in the road building sector received a boost this week after the federal and provincial governments reached an agreement to move forward with the construction of the long-delayed Highway 413.

The deal means the proposed six-lane, 52-kilometre highway project connecting Halton and York regions can proceed without a fully-fledged federal environmental assessment, which Ontario Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said would have extended the delay by about five years.

The federal government had suspended work on the project in 2021 by using its powers under the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), mainly in response to concerns raised by environmental groups about the new route adding to urban sprawl and endangering at-risk species such as the western chorus frog.

After the Supreme Court cast doubt on the constitutionality of the IAA last year, the federal government softened its stance, paving the way for this agreement.

The two levels of government will now form a working group using its “collective expertise” to protect the environment and ensure impacts to species at risk are considered before the project moves into a design stage

As a result, the province now hopes that work on the new highway will begin within the next year.

Members of Local 793 are being asked to stand up for fellow skilled trades workers by sending a strong message to the federal government that they must ensure Canadian workers are not being sidelined in favour of international workers at the NextStar EV Battery Plant in Windsor. The $5 billion plant is owned by LG […]

Members of Local 793 are being asked to stand up for fellow skilled trades workers by sending a strong message to the federal government that they must ensure Canadian workers are not being sidelined in favour of international workers at the NextStar EV Battery Plant in Windsor.

The $5 billion plant is owned by LG and Stellantis. The companies promised the plant would employ thousands of local workers and then lobbied for, and won, $15 billion in federal and provincial government subsidies. Now, LG and Stellantis are bringing in international workers to do the work Canadian skilled trades workers were promised.

Local 793 is urging members to join the campaign run by the Provincial Building Trades Council, Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) and the Essex and Kent Building Trades Council to ensure Canadian workers are prioritized at the new plant.

Next Steps

It’s easy and takes less than 2 minutes.

The CBTU has already drafted a letter of support for you. CLICK HERE to tell your local MP they need to make LG and Stellantis hire Canadian.

Please share this letter campaign with your Brothers and Sisters and encourage them to participate.

Below is the letter sent by the CBTU to Essex-Kent Building Trades Workers.

Deadline for applications for the Ray Goodfellow Scholarship Fund is Monday, April 22, 2024. To be eligible for this scholarship, the applicant must be a child or grandchild of one of the following: A Crane Rental Association of Ontario (CRAO) contractor company owner; or An IUOE Local 793 member in good standing who is employed […]

Deadline for applications for the Ray Goodfellow Scholarship Fund is Monday, April 22, 2024.

To be eligible for this scholarship, the applicant must be a child or grandchild of one of the following:

• A Crane Rental Association of Ontario (CRAO) contractor company owner; or
• An IUOE Local 793 member in good standing who is employed by a company that is an active member of the CRAO that works in the crane rental or concrete pump sectors.

To download an application to the Ray Goodfellow Scholarship Fund, or to see other scholarships & bursaries available to Local 793 members’ families, CLICK HERE.

While many people will be excited to experience the solar eclipse as it travels through much of Ontario today, Local 793 members are reminded that the rare event also presents a safety hazard. Across the province, the eclipse will start at approximately 2 p.m. before peaking between 3:15 and 3:25 p.m. in most major cities. […]

While many people will be excited to experience the solar eclipse as it travels through much of Ontario today, Local 793 members are reminded that the rare event also presents a safety hazard.

Across the province, the eclipse will start at approximately 2 p.m. before peaking between 3:15 and 3:25 p.m. in most major cities. While all of the province will see a partial eclipse, only certain areas will experience totality, including Hamilton, Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, Kingston, and Burlington.

While it may be tempting to look up as the moon passes between the earth and the sun, doing so could result in damaging your eyes.

Overexposure to UV light from the sun can cause blurry or distorted vision and blind spots and can also contribute to longer-term vision problems. There are no pain sensors in your eyes, so it is possible you will not know your eyes have been damaged by the sun’s rays for up to 48 hours after the event.

The only safe way to directly look at a solar eclipse is by using eclipse glasses or solar viewers that meet the ISO 12312-2 standard. It is not safe to watch the eclipse with regular sunglasses (no matter how dark they are), a welder’s mask with a filter rating below Shade 14, or a camera, telescope or binoculars unless they are fitted with specially designed filters.

Members could also face other hazards during the eclipse, such as distracted drivers on the roads and temporary darkness making fellow workers or jobsite obstacles difficult to spot. By following the safety guidelines, all members will be able to enjoy the solar eclipse safely.

Ontario’s path of totality of the solar eclipse of April 8, 2024

All times are local.
Source: Royal Astronomical Society of Canada

IUOE Local 793 member Shanna Hodgins is the focus of a new video that was released by the Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen (OBCT), a committee established by the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario (PBCTCO) to advocate for women in the skilled trades. In the video, Sister Hodgins tells her story of […]

IUOE Local 793 member Shanna Hodgins is the focus of a new video that was released by the Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen (OBCT), a committee established by the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario (PBCTCO) to advocate for women in the skilled trades.

In the video, Sister Hodgins tells her story of how she went from selling cranes to operating them, with help from IUOE Local 793 and the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario (OETIO). The OBCT hopes her experience will show other women and girls that there is a route into the skilled trades open to them and that a career as an Operating Engineer can be both exciting and financially rewarding.

Watch the OBCT video on IUOE Local 793 member Shanna Hodgins:

Members, On behalf of myself, the Officers, Executive Board and Staff of IUOE Local 793, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your loved ones a very happy Easter. With its promise of spring and new beginnings, this time of year allows all of us to look forward to the brighter […]

Please be advised that all Local 793 offices will be closed for the Easter holiday on Friday, March 29, 2024, to Monday, April 1, 2024. Regular office hours will resume on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.

Please be advised that all Local 793 offices will be closed for the Easter holiday on Friday, March 29, 2024, to Monday, April 1, 2024. Regular office hours will resume on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.