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Workshop Details & Downloadables
Find out more information about this year's workshop programming, access surveys, download resources and more.
Section One:
Health and Safety - Occupational Diseases
As apart of the Ontario Building Trades Health, Safety and Prevention Resource (OBT HSPR)
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Occupational illnesses and diseases are a major concern in Ontario, especially in the construction industry. Workers in construction are exposed to various hazards such as physical, chemical, and environmental factors, which increase their risk of occupational exposures and related diseases. This workshop aims to raise awareness of occupational diseases in the construction sector and promote a safer working environment, supported by the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario (PBCTCO).
This workshop is offered in two parts, running consecutively:
Part 1: WSIB Overview: Occupational Diseases, and How to File a Claim.
By: Brad Valley, Jennifer Aziz, Lawyer, Building Trades Workers' Services (BTWS)
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Participants will learn what defines an occupational disease and how the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act (WSIA) and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) establish standards and preventative measures. They will also understand how to file a claim with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) for an occupational disease or exposure.
Part 2: Expanding Presumptive Legislation for Construction Workers.
By: Carmine Tiano, Director of Occupational Services, Ontario Building Trades; Shavanni Singh, Paralegal, Ontario Building Trades
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Participants will learn how presumptive legislation streamlines workers' compensation claims by automatically treating certain illnesses as work-related. They will also understand the benefits available for specified illnesses that are presumed to be caused by work.
Materials:
Health and Safety - Occupational Diseases
For more information about this presentation, please reach out directly to Carmine Tiano at Carmine@Ontariobuildingtrades.com.
Section Two:
Skilled Trades, Strong Foundations: Helping Apprentices Learn and Thrive
As apart of Construction Training & Apprenticeship Ontario (CTAO)
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Presented by: Summer Burton, Executive Director, and Tamara Kaattari, Project Manager and Program Development Officer, Literacy Link South Central (LLSC)
This workshop is based on the Skills Upgrading for Success workshop series offered by CTAO and LLSC in February 2025. You will learn about tools and resources to effectively assist your apprentices in upgrading their literacy and essential skills, and about new supports currently available to help apprentices with learning differences succeed.
For those starting in the skilled trades, some may be non-traditional learners. As Trainers you play a pivotal role in understanding and recognizing these challenges. In this workshop you will learn what supports are available to help apprentices build their fundamental skills and cope with learning differences. By helping apprentices, we build stronger Journeypersons.
This workshop covers the following three topics:
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Literacy issues:
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How you as a Trainer can recognize and talk about challenges with reading, writing, math or digital skills.
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Providing support and information on free training for soft skills.
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 Educational pathways:
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Grade 12 and equivalent options, along with recognition of prior learning and foreign credentials.
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 Learning differences:
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Understanding neurodiversity and learning disabilities and their impact on learning, strategies and accommodations that can help.
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Materials:
Skilled Trades, Strong Foundations: Helping Apprentices Learn and Thrive
LLSC x CTAO workshop 2025.PDF
9.98MB
Section Three:
Building Foundations for Equity Conference: Supporting Women in the Trades
Hosted by the Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen (OBCT)
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This year, the OBCT will host the second Women’s Conference titled: Building Foundations for Equity: Supporting Women in the Trades
The first Conference was held in 2019 which led to a resolution being brought to the PBCTCO Convention and the formation of the OBCT. This year, we will celebrate the progress made and discuss the issues affecting retention of women in the skilled trades and work together to identify solutions and the goals of OBCT moving forward.​
Speakers include the OBCT Leadership Committee, Workplace Consultant Sally Wells, an update on the Anti-Discrimination, Anti-Harassment Course from PBCTCO’s in-house Paralegal Shavanni Singh, and a Women in Construction Leadership Panel with EPSCA Executive Director Caitlin Gascon, Mandy Bujold, a former Olympic Boxer who now works for the Grand River Construction Association, and Katherine Jacobs, Director of Research with the Ontario Construction Secretariat.​
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Sponsors for the Equity conference include:
Materials:
Building Foundations for Equity Conference: Supporting Women in the Trades
Material for this workshop is still being finalized and will be available at a future date. Be sure to visit OBCTradeswomen.com for more information.