The world needs what Saskatchewan produces, but producing these commodities is not enough. We must get our goods to these other countries and doing so depends on having an effective system of infrastructure.
We need the world to have confidence in our country’s trade infrastructure, but that confidence has been slipping, according to international surveys.
The Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association is bringing awareness to the importance of building and maintaining good infrastructure, which is key to our trade corridors.
A report by the Canada West Foundation titled From Shovel Ready to Shovel Worthy: The Path to a National Trade Infrastructure Plan for the Next Generation of Economic Growth is central to those efforts.
The report calls for moving from spending to investing in Canada’s trade infrastructure. This means moving away from putting money into “shovel ready” projects or those that are simply ready to be built.
It is moving towards planning investment in projects that are “shovel worthy” — those that will produce a maximum return on the investment made in them and can increase supply chain competitiveness. For every $1 invested in trade transportation infrastructure, the GDP boost is $1.30, often in the same year.
A coalition of five national organizations led by the Business Council of Canada, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian Construction Association, the Canada West Foundation and the WCR&HCA are approaching municipal, provincial and federal governments with this report to advocate for a nation building strategy to invest in Canada’s trade corridors to enable and harness trade-based economic growth.
Here in our province, the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association has been speaking to leaders in industry, the community and government about the importance of investing in infrastructure.
Here are some testimonials from them about why investing in infrastructure matters to them, our province, and our country.