Excerpt
A new report from the Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA) Local 506 says improving access to quality, affordable, and flexible care is essential to addressing Ontario’s skilled trades labour shortage and diversifying the construction workforce.
The LiUNA Local 506 Training Centre Construction and Child Care Research Initiative, supported by the Ontario Skills Development Fund, ran throughout 2024 and 2025 to examine one of the sector’s most persistent barriers, aligning care options with the realities of trades work schedules.
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A 2022 Ontario Building and Construction Tradeswomen survey found 76 per cent of women in the building trades said construction hours make managing care difficult, and 52 per cent reported having to turn down work because of it.
The report, Building Up Child Care for Workers in the Skilled Trades, represents the culmination of the two-year initiative. Prepared by Medow Consulting, it drew on interviews, surveys and roundtables with more than 30 stakeholder organizations, including tradespeople, employers, labour officials, municipal representatives, policymakers, and care providers in Canada and the United States.
The study found that standard schedules rarely match construction work patterns. Early start times, unpredictable hours, shifting job sites, weather delays, and short-term contracts make consistent coverage difficult. Most facilities operate on a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule, creating a systemic mismatch for workers.
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