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      At Singleton Reynolds, our people are what makes us great. We come together every day with the common goal of providing exceptional legal services and ensuring we go above and beyond for each and every client.

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      • Commercial and Business Litigation
      • Professional Liability
      • Directors and Officers Liability
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      • Alternative Dispute Resolution
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      • Public Policy
      • Corporate Commercial
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      • Wills and Estates
      • Product Liability
      • Indigenous Business Law

      Practice Areas

      The range of backgrounds of the partners, counsel, associates and staff of Singleton Reynolds enables us to offer a broad range of services.

      Learn More

      • Construction and Infrastructure Law
      • Commercial and Business Litigation
      • Professional Liability
      • Directors and Officers Liability
      • Insurance
      • Alternative Dispute Resolution
      • Domestic and International Arbitration
      • Public Policy
      • Corporate Commercial
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Employment and Labour
      • Other Areas:
      • Immigration
      • Entertainment Law
      • Wills and Estates
      • Product Liability
      • Indigenous Business Law
    • News + Insights

      News + Insights

      Singleton Reynolds’ lawyers spend a significant amount of time researching and thinking about how industry or legislative changes could affect your business.

      All News

      • Edmundo P. Guevara and Catherine Gleason-Mercier join the Singleton Reynolds Partnership
      • Rare Example of Partial Summary Judgment in a Construction Matter Upheld
      • Singleton Reynolds Lawyers Recognized in the 2023 Lexpert/ALM 500 Directory
      • Tall Ships Development Inc. v. Brockville (City): The Ontario Court of Appeal Reaffirms the Court’s Narrow Basis for Setting Aside Arbitral Awards
      • Social Media Pump and Dumps: A Warning for Canadian Influencers
      • Jesse Gardner Recognized by On-Site Magazine as "Top 40 Under 40 in Canadian Construction"
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      Our Firm

      Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP is recognized as a leader in construction and infrastructure, insurance, commercial litigation, real estate and business law.

      Learn More

      • Contact Us

        Singleton Reynolds has offices to serve you in Vancouver and Toronto.

      • Educating Others

        Singleton Reynolds believes in community. Our team members are teaching at Canadian universities and abroad, lecturing the next generation of lawyers.

      • History

        How was Singleton Reynolds first established? Find out more here.

      • Leadership

        Recognizing the leadership that contributes to the company successes.

      • SR In the Community

        Singleton Reynolds prides itself in being a leader in corporate social responsibility. We encourage diversity, charity, mentorship, civic dedication and neighbourhood support. 

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      Join Us

      Singleton Reynolds strives to understand the balance between your career and your personal goals and encourages our legal and operations staff in the pursuit of their interests outside of the firm.

      Learn More

      • Careers

        We are always on the lookout for talented professionals to contribute to our team. Singleton Reynolds offers a professional and challenging work environment, with a competitive compensation and benefits package.

      • Singleton Reynolds Student Program

        Our goal is to develop strong lawyers from student right through to partner. Mentoring and training start when you are a student and continue throughout your practice.

    News + Insights / Case Studies

    Developing Public Policy

    Photo by: Jocelyn Reynolds, jocelynreynolds.com
    Case Study | The Construction Act

    Since the early 1980s, Ontario’s Construction Lien Act (the Act) had not been holistically reviewed, due in part to a lack of industry consensus. Latterly, a movement had emerged that strongly advocated the legislation of prompt payment.

    In early 2015, the Province of Ontario retained us to conduct an expert review (Review), which was to include broad consultation focusing on the issues of modernization, promptness of payment, and efficiency of dispute resolution.

    The Issue

    The issue was a) how to conduct an effective consultation process with the construction industry, including contractors, subcontractors, organized labour, suppliers, public and private owners, and others, b) how to identify and properly consider all the relevant issues, and c) how to produce a report that was appropriate to our mandate.

    The Strategy

    We proceeded to develop a Stakeholders List, and an Issues List, and provide the Stakeholders an Information Package. We then received Stakeholder Submissions and held 30 Consultation Meetings with over 60 Stakeholder groups. As the Review progressed, and the number and the complexity of issues grew, we convened a 15-member expert Advisory Group to discuss the key issues, while direct Stakeholder consultations continued in parallel. On April 30, 2016, we delivered our Report, titled “Striking the Balance”, making 101 recommendations, including the adoption of prompt payment and statutory adjudication in Ontario.

    The Impact

    Following the delivery of our Report and its release to the public, the Attorney General conducted a series of feedback meetings that confirmed the existence of a broad industry consensus regarding the recommendations. Subsequently, the Ontario Cabinet approved 98 of the 101 recommendations we had made, and the Attorney General continued our retainer to work with his Ministry to develop draft legislation implementing the approved recommendations.

    The Result

    On May 31, 2017, the Attorney General introduced Bill 142 (the Construction Lien Amendment Act, 2017) for First Reading. Following a further round of consultations, Second Reading on October 4th, and the hearings of the Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly held in October and November, the Bill was unanimously passed by the Ontario Legislative Assembly on December 5th and the new Construction Act received Royal Assent on December 12, 2017. The modernization provisions take effect on July 1, 2018, while the prompt payment and adjudication provisions take effect on October 1, 2019.

    Photo by: Jocelyn Reynolds, jocelynreynolds.com
    Photo by: Jocelyn Reynolds, jocelynreynolds.com
    Photo by: Jocelyn Reynolds, jocelynreynolds.com

    For more information, please contact:

    Bruce Reynolds, FCI Arb

    breynolds@singleton.com

    Sharon Vogel, FCI Arb

    svogel@singleton.com

    James Little

    jlittle@singleton.com

    Learn More About Construction and Infrastructure Law

    We are a preeminent Canadian construction and infrastructure law firm. Our peers and clients recognize our lawyers as the best in the construction industry.

    Related Articles

    Construction and Infrastructure Law Public Policy

    News + Insights | Jan 12, 2023

    Edmundo P. Guevara and Catherine Gleason-Mercier join the Singleton Reynolds Partnership

    News + Insights | Jan 11, 2023

    Rare Example of Partial Summary Judgment in a Construction Matter Upheld

    News + Insights | Jan 10, 2023

    Singleton Reynolds Lawyers Recognized in the 2023 Lexpert/ALM 500 Directory

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    Vancouver
    925 West Georgia Street
    Suite 1200
    Vancouver, BC V6C 3L2
    Telephone: (604) 682-7474
    Toll Free: 1-877-682-4404
    Fax: (604) 682-1283
    sr@singleton.com

    Toronto
    150 King Street West
    Suite 2512
    PO Box 24
    Toronto, ON M5H 1J9
    Telephone: (416) 585-8600
    Fax: (416) 585-9458
    sr@singleton.com

    Latest News
    • Edmundo P. Guevara and Catherine Gleason-Mercier join the Singleton Reynolds Partnership
    • Rare Example of Partial Summary Judgment in a Construction Matter Upheld
    • Singleton Reynolds Lawyers Recognized in the 2023 Lexpert/ALM 500 Directory
    Site Map
    • People
    • Practice Areas
    • News + Insights
    • Our Firm
      • Contact Us
      • Educating Others
      • History
      • Leadership
      • SR In the Community

      Our Firm

      Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP is recognized as a leader in construction and infrastructure, insurance, commercial litigation, real estate and business law.

      Learn More

      • Contact Us

        Singleton Reynolds has offices to serve you in Vancouver and Toronto.

      • Educating Others

        Singleton Reynolds believes in community. Our team members are teaching at Canadian universities and abroad, lecturing the next generation of lawyers.

      • History

        How was Singleton Reynolds first established? Find out more here.

      • Leadership

        Recognizing the leadership that contributes to the company successes.

      • SR In the Community

        Singleton Reynolds prides itself in being a leader in corporate social responsibility. We encourage diversity, charity, mentorship, civic dedication and neighbourhood support. 

    • Join Us
      • Careers
      • Singleton Reynolds Student Program

      Join Us

      Singleton Reynolds strives to understand the balance between your career and your personal goals and encourages our legal and operations staff in the pursuit of their interests outside of the firm.

      Learn More

      • Careers

        We are always on the lookout for talented professionals to contribute to our team. Singleton Reynolds offers a professional and challenging work environment, with a competitive compensation and benefits package.

      • Singleton Reynolds Student Program

        Our goal is to develop strong lawyers from student right through to partner. Mentoring and training start when you are a student and continue throughout your practice.

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