Ontario reaches tentative deal with government engineers following labour dispute

Ontario Premier Doug Ford goes over his briefing notes with Caroline Mulroney as the legislature resumes at Queen's Park in Toronto on Tuesday, Feb.21, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

TORONTO — Ontario has reached a tentative deal with more than 600 professional engineers and land surveyors who have been withdrawing their services from key infrastructure projects as part of a labour dispute.

The Professional Engineers Government of Ontario bargaining association had said members' earnings have fallen so far behind that they sometimes earn half of what people in similar positions at municipalities make.

They were without a contract for nearly two years.

Treasury Board President Caroline Mulroney says in a statement that the new, four-year tentative agreement is good for workers and their families, and ensures long-term fiscal sustainability for the province.

Details of the agreement will be made public after the deal is ratified.

PEGO says it remains committed to closely monitoring recruitment and retention efforts in the public service.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2025.