AEC Benefits resource hub
Find the right planning resource without digging through a file drawer.
Start with the 2026 compensation report, then explore definitions, benchmarks, calculators, and renewal tools for Ontario employers, plus a dedicated construction collection.
2026 Compensation Report
2026 average WSIB construction rate: $1.23 per $100 of payroll, down from $1.25. Free report on wages, benefits and payroll burden. Work email required.
154K
workers needed by 2034
$217B
Ontario project pipeline
6-8%
benefits benchmark
$1.23
WSIB rate per $100 of payroll
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Featured report
2026 Compensation Report
Benchmark wages, benefits, payroll burden, WSIB, and retention pressure before you change the total offer.
OpenGlossary
Benefits Terms Explained
Plain-language definitions, with construction context where useful, for the terms employers run into most.
OpenEstimator
Quick Cost Estimator
Get a fast planning range and see which level of benefits design is most likely to fit your team.
OpenGuides
Decision Guides
Move from definitions into buying questions like cost, renewal, switching, and plan design.
OpenHow to use this hub
Pick the decision you are trying to make.
The page is organized around employer decisions instead of file names: compensation planning, benefits education, funding context, and renewal pressure.
Compare compensation pressure before renewal
Explain benefits value to field and office teams
Prepare a more useful quote conversation
Decide what to read next without hunting
Resource library
Open a resource, then take the next action.
PDF resources now open through their landing pages first so the context, signup path, and next-step guidance are clear.
2026 Grants & Funding Handbook
Claiming the full 30% Clean Tech ITC takes reasonable efforts on 10% apprentice Red Seal hours, and prevailing wage counts benefits. Free PDF, no signup.
View resource pageClean Technology ITC
How the 30% refundable Clean Technology investment tax credit works for Canadian construction businesses, what property qualifies, and when the credit is claimed.
View resource pageITC Labour Requirements
The two labour conditions attached to Canada’s clean economy tax credits, why prevailing wage includes benefit contributions, and what non-compliance actually costs.
View resource pageGrant Stacking Explained
A grant cuts the cost base your credit is calculated on, so headline rates overstate it. Exceed the stacking ceiling and paid funding can be clawed back.
View resource pageAI & Technology Funding
DMAP: up to $15,000 for the plan. TDP: up to $50,000 to build it, if you had $750K+ revenue in one of the last three years. SR&ED adds 35% for CCPCs.
View resource pageSDF Capital: SEED & GROW
How Ontario’s Skills Development Fund Capital Stream funds skilled trades training facilities through the SEED design pathway and the GROW construction pathway.
View resource pageConstruction Benefits Benchmark
A practical 2026 benchmark for Ontario construction employers comparing benefits plan fit, retention pressure, and workforce expectations.
View resource pageRenewal Increase Checklist
Do not start by cutting the benefit employees notice most. Work the renewal 60 to 120 days out and test whether it is claims, trend or design driving it.
View resource pageTrue Cost of a Raise
What a $1.00 wage increase actually costs an Ontario construction employer once CPP, EI, EHT, vacation, and WSIB are factored in.
View resource pageWSIB Premium Rates 2026
$1.23 per $100 of insurable payroll in 2026, down from $1.25, with the ceiling up to $121,700. That average is not your rate: confirm your class with WSIB.
View resource pageLabour Shortage Through 2034
How many additional construction workers Ontario needs by 2034, and why unemployment can rise even as the shortage deepens.
View resource pageInvestment Pipeline 2026
A regional breakdown of Ontario's construction investment pipeline and what it means for labour demand across the province.
View resource page
Why Canadian Employees Need Benefits
A free four-page briefing on what Canadian public health insurance pays for, what it does not, what the uncovered side costs in Ontario, and where every government program stops.
View resource pageWhat OHIP Does Not Cover
The full Ontario scope ledger: the nine categories OHIP pays for, the ten it does not, and the age-based exceptions that catch employers out.
View resource pageGovernment Programs & Their Limits
Six Canadian and Ontario health programs read the way an employer has to read them: the eligibility rule that ends each one before it reaches a working payroll.
View resource pageWhat the Gaps Cost
The uncovered side of Ontario health care priced in 2026 dollars: root canals, crowns, recall exams, psychology, physiotherapy, and ambulance fees.
View resource pageHiring in Canada
What an employer based outside Canada actually has to provide for Canadian staff, what the public system already covers, and why a Canadian plan costs a fraction of an American one.
View resource page8% RST on Group Premiums
Ontario still charges 8% retail sales tax on group insurance premiums. What it applies to, who it follows when staff live or work outside Ontario, how it works on an ASO plan, and why it lands in the T4.
View resource pageSpouse's Plan and Coordination
What to do when an employee is already covered under a spouse's plan. How coordination of benefits decides which plan pays first, and the three ways an Ontario employer can set the plan up.
View resource pageRelated Pages
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of resources live here?
This section is for practical resources that support benefits planning, compensation thinking, and workforce decisions for Ontario employers.
Are these resources only for construction companies?
No. The hub serves Ontario employers across industries, with a dedicated collection for construction and skilled trades.
Where should I start if I want a quick answer?
Start with the 2026 compensation report, the glossary for definitions, or the cost estimator for a quick planning range.
Reviewed by Steffen deGraaf
Steffen brings 20+ years in insurance and group benefits, construction job-site roots, and architectural technology training at Mohawk College. FSRA-regulated insurance broker specializing in Ontario group benefits.
Ontario Insurance
Ontario construction benefits experience
Construction is in Steffen's blood: job sites as a teenager, architectural technology at Mohawk College, and 20+ years in insurance and group benefits for Ontario employers.
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