Ontario’s ICI construction sector has wrapped up its most recent round of provincial contract negotiations with labour peace, no work stoppages and wage increases in the seven-to 10-per-cent range over three years.The outcome represents a marked improvement over the last bargaining season, in 2022, when there were five strikes and nine times unionized workers voted to reject proposed contracts.The last bargainers to reach a deal were the millwrights and their employers, with both sides ratifying a deal June 27 that gave employers a wage increase of approximately 9.79 per cent over three years, reported Patricia Penney-Rouzes, executive director of the Association of Millwrighting Contractors of Ontario.With the agreement in place, a scheduled strike by the millwrights was called off.One trade, sheet metal, has concluded negotiations with binding arbitration on a handful of remaining issues set for September.Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS) CEO Brian Barron said bargaining addresses the imperatives of three parties – the 26 sets of workers and employers, and also buyers of construction.“By coming to a mutually beneficial agreement, you’re meeting all of those needs,” he said. “We’re keeping those construction projects running. So when you come away with no work stoppages, no lockouts, it’s really a bonus for everybody.”Participants said in recent interviews and statements they were eager to avoid the discord of 2022 and felt pressure to achieve good deals without work disruptions given the threats of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty. Wage hikesWage deals included a hike of eight per cent over three years for the Carpenters’; the same increase for LIUNA ICI labourers, mason tenders, cement finishers and waterproofers; a total wage increase of $6.75 per hour over three years for operating engineers; a 9.02-per-cent raise over three years for insulators; and a hike of eight per cent over three years for glaziers.Plumbers and steamfitters will see their wages rise 9.7 per cent over three years for Toronto-area workers while painters in the GTA will earn about eight per cent more.In April, the IBEW signed off on a deal that will hike electrical workers’ pay at least 6.9 per cent over three years. The final wage package could rise when a wage escalation clause that reflects subsequent settlements across the sector kicks in.Provincial Building Trades business manager Marc Arsenault noted during the 2022 round of bargaining the high cost of living was the driving force affecting negotiations, whereas in 2025 the use of tariffs as a policy instrument has created a new environment. In the intervening years, he said, the OCS and other partners responded to the failures of the last round by improving processes, including the creation of the OCS Fundamentals of Construction Labour Relations course.“Such initiatives have spurred labour and management to put a new lens on bargaining with markedly improved results,” said Arsenault.Barron said the focus of the past three years has been on ensuring the negotiating partners understand the perspective of the other side.Wayne Peterson, executive director of the Construction Employers Coordinating Council of Ontario (CECCO), identified a number of new or improved strategies that led to the successes of the 2025 round. Among them: the OCS course and other analytical resources; CECCO’s own improvements to its negotiation support tools; a renewed commitment by labour and employers to regular meetings to address issues; and new use of dispute-resolution mechanisms.“We’re working very closely on health and safety, on training, on different funds, pension funds, that type of thing,” said Peterson. “There’s a relationship that’s built up between the two parties outside of negotiations.”Peterson said there was also a significant effort from the parties to improve messaging during negotiations, to ensure falsehoods do not gain traction. That was a problem in 2022, he said. Stakeholders: lessons learnedStakeholders from both sides of the negotiations were asked for details of the deals struck. Among their responses are the following:Tony Di Maria of the bricklayers’ bargaining agency suggested negotiators need to be diligent in explaining the economic realities of the broader sector and of the trade’s marketplace to their members. The economy is under threat and faltering, he told the workers.“My members knew that because I explained it to them,” he said. “The contractors also know that they need these men, so let’s come up with something comfortable. And eight per cent, they were happy.”Dave Turple, IUOE Local 793 president, said one of the big challenges was tackling lingering bitterness left over from the last round because there was a strike.His colleague Melissa Atkins-Mahaney, IUOE Local 793 labour relations manager, added, “With the number of strikes that happened in 2022, the union was trying to manage expectations of members this time because we were in a very different economic environment than three years ago.”Not all parties agreed the spirit of co-operation reigned. Penney-Rouzes suggested since the 2022 negotiations, there has been a noticeable shift across the sector, with unions making more aggressive demands and showing less willingness for collaboration.“That mindset poses a serious threat to the unionized industry as a whole,” she said.  “It’s essential to remember that this is a two-way street. Contractors need to remain profitable to stay in business, and they must remain competitive in order to secure the work that employs union members.”Patrick McManus, executive director of the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association, said negotiations had a much different feel to them than previous years, with the slowdown in residential construction having a major impact on all sectors of the industry including ICI.He said the major themes were on wage growth to address cost-of-living increases, and training to help workers transition between sectors.John Graham, chair of ICI negotiations for the Ontario Pipe Trades Council, also said the growing challenge posed by non-union and alternative labour supply models remains a concern.“The successful ratification of a province-wide agreement, with every local endorsing the settlement, is no small achievement,” he stated. “We avoided disruption, maintained jobsite continuity, and came away with a renewed sense of purpose as we approach a wave of industrial and institutional builds.”