Author: SHCA

This year has been one for the history books.

The early stages of 2020 started rather routinely, with our association taking steps to have its voice heard and urge different levels of government to lean on our industry.

January and February saw us contact the federal and provincial governments, respectively. The Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association, in unison with Manitoba and Alberta, shared our collective vision with the federal government for western and national economic growth.

We wrote a policy paper with intentions of spurring discussions with the feds in terms of the economy and the importance of investing in trade-enabling infrastructure. 

The following month, we targeted the provincial government and voiced our frustrations with single-window procurement. Unnecessary delays in awarding tenders became commonplace for many of our members. This needed to be changed.

In March, we learned what we already knew – the 2019–20 provincial budget estimate remained status quo. The overall budget was $648 million, a drop of more than $50 million from last year’s budget. However, the $358 million set aside for capital expenditures slightly increased from 2018–19.

In April, our province and our country found itself firmly in the grasp of the COVID-19 pandemic. It had been present for a couple of months previous, but it wasn’t until this point when governments took the steps to shut down our economy with the temporary closure of non-essential business.

It was in April when we reassured our members that when life does return to normal, Canadians will look to our industry as one that can lead us to a stronger economic future. 

And we were correct in that belief. In May, we heard Premier Scott Moe say, “Over the next two years, our government will invest $7.5 billion dollars in…highways, municipal infrastructure and other important capital projects designed to build a strong Saskatchewan.”

It was great news for our industry, for our members and for the Saskatchewan economy.

The road to economic recovery here and across the country starts with our industry.

Our provincial government shares that sentiment. The money being spent now will create a legacy serving the economy for the next 50 years.

The funding represents a $2 billion increase over the government’s existing capital plan. The resulting projects are expected to support 10,000 jobs. More than $300 million of the funds are intended for highway projects, including surface upgrades and passing lanes, with almost $50 million dedicated to upgrades to municipal roads and airports.

There’s a bevy of infrastructure projects on the horizon that should keep our members humming. Who would have thought at the start of the year, when there was uncertainty among industry members, that we would be tendering major projects for the foreseeable future?

It’s safe to say, 2020 has been anything but predictable.

Here’s to a safe, healthy and prosperous year ahead.

The Re-Open Saskatchewan Training Subsidy (RSTS) program has been launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is an employer-driven, short-term training program that provides eligible employers with financial support to train employees.

Funding to support training can help employers adjust to the impacts of the pandemic and safely align business activities with the re-opening phases of Saskatchewan’s economy.

The program is operated by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Immigration and Career Training.

Benefits of the subsidy:

• Training support through the RSTS program will ensure employers have access to training to maintain business activities while continuing to promote workplace safety and stimulate competitiveness without a financial burden;
• Employers select the trainee(s) and the training program;
• 100 per cent reimbursement to eligible employers for approved training;
• Approved employers will receive 33 per cent of the cost of training upon entering into a training agreement with the government. The remaining 67 per cent will be paid upon completion of final reporting and verification of actual expenditures; and
• The maximum payment is $10,000 to eligible employers for the RSTS program.

For information about the subsidy or to apply, click here.

SHCA members will fall under the Transportation and Logistics section to qualify.

In a new initiative to assist Canadian construction companies gauge their level of construction innovation, the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has joined forces with KPMG in Canada to launch the complimentary Digital maturityassessment tool for the construction industry. 

Construction is rapidly evolving into a tech-savvy industry with the use of drones, automated vehicles and virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR). Advancing innovation is a top priority of CCA’s five-year strategic plan and vision to “Build a better Canada.”

New digital technologies, innovations and disruptive business models mean many construction organizations need to keep pace with the transformative changes required to drive growth, meet customer demands, increase productivity and attract the right digital talent to truly reap the benefits of the digital age.  

With access to KPMG Canada’s proprietary online Digital maturity assessment tool, construction companies of all sizes can now confidentially assess their digital readiness in a few minutes.

“The need for digital transformation to stay competitive in construction has been heightened by the pandemic,” said Mary Van Buren, CCA president. “This online tool will especially aid small and medium-sized construction companies by providing a benchmark of their efforts and insight on areas of future focus.”

“We believe it’s vital for companies to assess where they are on their digital journey to ensure technology and business strategies are aligned and delivering return on investment,” said Lorne Burns, KPMG Canada’s national industry leader, Building, Construction and Real Estate. “COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of embracing digital technologies to inform strategic decision-making, build resilience, enhance competitiveness and protect asset value amid disruption and uncertainty. We’re thrilled to be joining forces with CCA on making our tool available to the construction industry.”

Teaming up with KPMG Canada, a report on the findings will also be published at CCA’s 2021 annual conference.

The KPMG Canada Digital maturity for Construction tool can be accessed by clicking here.

The monthly job numbers are turning into a proxy for tracking how government rules around the pandemic are affecting business decisions.

We got the November numbers earlier in December and they showed a decline in part-time work. That likely is a reflection of the new restrictions on operating hours for bars and restaurants as business owners respond to government decrees.

But we also saw increases in a couple areas. First, the tally of full-time positions grew while part-time was falling. And the number of people looking for work – the size of the employment pool – also grew. Both of those are positive signals …signs that employers are feeling some level confidence when adding new full-time positions and those who had given up finding a job returned to the workforce. That suggests they have discovered new confidence in the market’s ability to deliver opportunities.

But a larger workforce also means a higher unemployment rate – it rose almost half a point to 6.9 percent pushing into second place among the provinces on this count, as Nova Scotia has now moved ahead of us.

Source: Martin Charlton Communications