Navigating the 2026 Construction Act Updates

Understanding the Critical Implications of Bill 60 for Construction Companies and Stakeholders

Ontario’s construction legal framework is undergoing its most significant evolution since 2017. With the passage of Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025, critical changes are set to redefine how holdback, lien rights, and adjudication function across the province. This presentation will provide an essential roadmap for construction companies to navigate these looming shifts and ensure their business practices remain compliant and protected.

Key Topics to be Covered:

• Mandatory Annual Holdback Release

• Modernized Lien Processes

• Enhanced Protections for Design Professionals

• Streamlined Prompt Payment & Invoicing

• Expanded Adjudication Rights

• Navigating Transition Rules

Our Speakers

Clive Thurston, Thurston Consulting Services Inc., Special Advisor to the LDCA

Clive has 40 + years of experience in the construction industry, having worked as a Superintendent, Estimator, Project Manager (GSC), and former owner/operator of a small Toronto-based construction company.

He is the Past President of the Ontario General Contractors Association (OGCA) where he served for 20 years advocating for our industry, mediating disputes, promoting education, and advising on contracts.

Through the OGCA, Clive represented the industry at the Construction and Design Alliance of Ontario (CDAO), a group of related construction industries focused on the renewal of Infrastructure and the impact of government regulations.

He was actively involved in bringing the COR™ program to Ontario and founding the League of Champions, which promote safety practices to young people and industry stakeholders.

He is a certified Arbiter and Mediator with a strong belief in consultation rather than confrontation. Clive promotes policies that are beneficial to all stakeholders within the construction industry.

Glenn Ackerley, WeirFoulds LLP

Glenn Ackerley is the Chair of the Construction Practice Group at Weir Foulds. His practice is focused on construction law, construction liens and construction litigation.

Glenn fills the role of a “project lawyer”, providing ongoing advice from the start through to completion of a project. He represents clients from across the construction industry – including public and private owners, developers, contractors, subtrades, suppliers, and consultants – in a variety of construction-related matters.

He is regularly consulted about negotiating and preparing construction and consultant contracts, procurement and tendering issues, and risk avoidance strategies. When disputes arise, Glenn acts for clients from both the ICI and residential sectors in construction lien and trust claims, bond claims, and construction delay and deficiency claims.

Glenn is active in the industry, participating on boards, committees and working groups to support and improve the industry. Glenn sits on the National Advisory Council of the Canadian Construction Association and is a past member of its Board of Directors and is a Past Chairman of the Board of the Toronto Construction Association. He sat on the Executive of the Construction Section of the Ontario Bar Association for many years, and most recently has been a member of the Expert Panel’s Advisory Group on changes to Ontario’s Construction Lien Act.

He developed and taught the Construction Law course at the Department of Architectural Science of Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) for many years. The course covered a whole range of issues, including contract and negligence law, tendering, construction liens, damages and dispute resolution. He has written several published articles and given presentations on legal topics to both industry and legal groups, including seminars at the Ontario General Contractors Association’s Symposiums and the Admission Course of the Ontario Association of Architects.

Appreciating the important role played by alternative dispute resolution, Glenn has trained and gained experience in both mediation and arbitration, acting as counsel, mediator and arbitrator.

 Kathleen Gregus, WeirFoulds LLP