• Suspended Stair Towers • Heavy Duty Overhead Protection • Edge Protection/ Fencing CustomizedAccess Scaffold Solutions 65 Hymus Road, Toronto, Ontario M1L 2C6 Tel: 416.285.5222 • Fax: 416.285.7647 Toll Free: 1.866.872.9431 www.donfryscaffold.com • Shoring • Material Hoists • Pool Spans • Debris Chutes • Financial supports available to laid‐off workers, making sure Ontarians get the assistance they need to reskill for new jobs when they lose a job through no fault of their own; and • Supports provided to employers who want to invest in training for their own workforce. For additional details, please visit budget.ontario.ca. NEW RATE FRAMEWORK The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) will be providing businesses with their premium rate statements in the fall in advance of the New Rate Framework to be implemented in 2020. For additional details, please visit wsib.on.ca. SAFE AT WORK ONTARIO: SLIPS, TRIPS AND FALLS INITIATIVE The provincial government is developing an initiative to raise awareness of hazards and ensure that employers are taking appropriate action to prevent falls on the job. Safe at Work Ontario: Slips, Trips and Falls will consist of two phases and will run until July 12, 2019.  Phase 1: Compliance Assistance Campaign (March 18-July 12, 2019) Aimed at working with health and safety associations to raise awareness and provide resources, training and education to comply with regulations before the inspection campaign begins.  Phase 2: Inspection Campaign  (April 15-July 12, 2019) Inspectors will conduct field visits to check that employers are complying with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations, and to raise awareness about specific issues at the workplaces they are visiting. For additional details, please visit www.labour.gov.on.ca. NEW FUTURE SKILLS CENTRE ANNOUNCED The federal government has announced a $225-million investment in Future Skills, which will consist of a Council to provide advice on emerging skills and workforce trends; and a Future Skills Centre which will serve as an independent research hub that develops, tests and measures new approaches to skills assessment and development. For additional details, please visit fsc-ccf.ca. Jim Wilkinson has been an engineering consultant for over 10 years and was previously a senior forensic engineer for the Occupational Health and Safety division of the Ontario Ministry of Labour. Over the course of his career, Jim has been instrumental in developing health and safety regulations and standards involving temporary structures and access equipment. His focus is safety consulting, risk management and forensic engineering services. Jim is a contributor to many CSA Standards and is currently the chair of the Canadian Standards Association B354 technical committee. He serves on the Board of Directors of the SIAC and heads up the Government Relations Committee. He can be reached at jim@wilkinsontechnical.com ACCESS CANADA SUMMER 2019 9