Many Canadians will remember author W.P. Kinsella, known for one of his novel Shoeless Joe that was later adapted into the movie Field of Dreams about a farmer from Iowa who builds a baseball field at his farm. The famous line from the film was, “If you build it, they will come.” It is one of those lines that lives forever in movie folklore.
Saskatchewan can take a page out of Kinsella’s novel and adapt it to say, “If we build it, they will come.” The Saskatchewan economy is reliant on our products being exported to customers around the globe. To get what we currently produce to the market depends on reliable infrastructure. Our existing infrastructure is maintained to deliver what is needed now, but does not address the building necessary for the future.
We grow our economy by increasing our production, which in turn leads to more product for us to sell around the world. If Saskatchewan looks at its economic targets through a long-term approach, then it must also include that with infrastructure projects.
Planning ahead is always the best approach to meeting challenges. We need that for our infrastructure.
As an export-heavy province, we cannot afford to plan year to year what is required of our infrastructure network. This approach will only leave us playing catch-up. Currently, 70 per cent of our provincial gross domestic product is shipped out of our borders to customers in Canada and the rest of the world.
As the province expands economically, we must plan for the expansion by instituting long-term planning for infrastructure projects. infrastructure growth and economic growth should go hand-in-hand when it comes to forecasting where we will be economically as a province five to 10 years from today.
This becomes even more necessary when we are faced with the threat of tariffs from our largest trading partner. Our goal is to expand our markets beyond the United States, and we need to prove to new markets that we are up to the task. Planning ahead is always the best approach to meeting challenges. We need that for our infrastructure.
Spring is finally here, according to the calendar. Meanwhile, most of us are waiting for the weather to catch up. Spring is the season that brings us renewal. When the snow finally melts, we see what has been hidden from us for the past four to five months and start to plan our outdoor work for the summer.
For our industry, it is no different. We look for signs of renewed growth every spring when our provincial government releases its budget. On March 19, the Saskatchewan government delivered the 2025-26 budget. From our perspective, there were some encouraging signs. The 2025-26 highways budget was set at $777 million, with $421 million dedicated to capital projects.
While this budget is going in the right direction by increasing slightly over last year’s budget, we still have a ways to go to get where we need to be. Our industry will continue to advocate for long-term planning for budget commitments that provides stability and growth for our members’ businesses.
The current political climate surrounding the trade issue, while challenging for our industry, is also an opportunity for us to rethink how we build our industry to meet the challenge posed to our province. Due to the tariff issues created by the United States and China that are impacting our economy, Saskatchewan is busy exploring other trade partners. The status quo on getting our goods to market is no longer a viable option and we must be creative with how we get our products to our new trade partners.
While we need to maintain our existing infrastructure, we should also look at resurrecting dormant routes along with the possibility of planning and building new ones. Diversifying our trade portfolio must include the best logistics to successfully deliver our products to our new trading partners. Our infrastructure is the backbone of our provincial trade.
The SHCA is also encouraged by the announcement from the provincial government to hold construction roundtable discussions with partner groups. This will be an opportunity for our industry to advocate with other industries on the importance of government committing to issues such as long-term planning, removing interprovincial barriers and building a resilient workforce.
Every year, we look forward to the renewal and growth that spring brings us. This year will be no exception for the heavy construction industry. Even though the province faces uncertainty with the looming tariffs, our industry remains optimistic facing the challenges ahead.
Regina, SK – [March 28, 2025] – The Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association (SHCA) welcomes Premier Scott Moe’s announcement to pause the industrial carbon tax under the Output-Based Performance Standards (OBPS) program, effective April 1. This decisive action will provide much-needed relief to Saskatchewan’s heavy civil construction industry, which has long been burdened by rising costs due to the carbon tax.
“The heavy construction sector is a backbone of Saskatchewan’s infrastructure and economic growth,” said Shantel Lipp, president of SHCA. “Premier Moe’s decision acknowledges the negative impact that this tax has had on our industry. By pausing the industrial carbon tax, our members will see reduced financial pressures on key materials and inputs, allowing for more competitive project costs and greater investment in the province’s infrastructure.”
The OBPS program imposed a carbon tax on large industrial emitters, increasing the cost of critical construction materials such as asphalt, concrete, and steel. These added costs have contributed to higher project expenses, limiting industry growth and impacting the ability to deliver necessary infrastructure efficiently.
SHCA has consistently advocated for policies that support economic growth while balancing environmental responsibility. The association will continue working with the provincial government and industry stakeholders to develop practical solutions that support sustainability without stifling investment and job creation.
“We thank Premier Moe for recognizing the real challenges faced by the heavy construction industry and taking action to alleviate them,” added Lipp. “This decision helps ensure that Saskatchewan remains competitive and continues to build the roads, bridges, and infrastructure that drive our economy.”
The Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association (SHCA) was once again proud to host the Infrastructure Summit and Trade Show in Regina, Sask., on Dec. 4 and 5. This was the second year for the show that brings together contractors, suppliers, engineers and other professionals to discuss the latest innovations in infrastructure and transportation.
Presentations over the two days brought together leaders inside and outside of the industry to speak to the challenges and the solutions for our industry. I am pleased to say the Summit exceeded our expectations in terms of the content that was delivered and the quality of presenters. Add to that we had attendance that was much higher in 2024 than 2023.
The content we presented to the delegates had a lot of thought and care put into the subject matter for each technical session. It was interactive and additional professional development credits were provided, a benefit that was not available to delegates in 2023. We chose to make the Summit more of an educational experience rather than a networking and social event.
We had an array of amazing presenters who spoke on the emerging technologies that will have a large impact on how our industry does business in the future.
The 2024 Summit set the tone and we will use it as a template going forward. The importance of the subject matter presented cannot be overstated. However, the presentations were only one piece of the Summit. We were fortunate as well to host a trade show alongside the presentations that brought the delegates firsthand knowledge of many of the new technologies being used by our industry. After a very busy two days, delegates had the opportunity to join us for the 2024 industry awards and banquet, where the best of the best were honoured for their contributions to the heavy construction industry.
I am pleased to say there will be a third Summit. This year’s Summit will be our new standard. We see the potential of the Summit being a civil construction industry version of what Agribition brings to the ag sector. We also want to expand our reach beyond local contractors and local equipment people, and have delegates from around the globe attend.
I want to thank all our sponsors, exhibitors and delegates who were key to making this year’s Summit a great success. I look forward to seeing everyone in 2025 as we build on this year’s success for a bigger third Summit.
Many Canadians will remember author W.P. Kinsella, known for one of his novels Shoeless Joe that was later adapted into the movie Field of Dreams about a farmer from Iowa who builds a baseball field at his farm. The famous line from the film was, “If you build it, They will come.” It is one of those lines that lives forever in movie folklore.
Saskatchewan can take a page out of Kinsella’s novel and adapt it to say, “If we build it, they will come.”
The Saskatchewan economy is reliant on our products being exported to customers around the globe. To get what we currently produce to the market depends on reliable infrastructure. Our existing infrastructure is maintained to deliver what is needed now, but does not address the building necessary for the future. We grow our economy by increasing our production, which in turn leads to more product for us to sell around the world. If Saskatchewan looks at its economic targets through a long-term approach, then it must also include that with infrastructure projects.
As an export-heavy province, we cannot afford to plan year to year what is required of our infrastructure network. This approach will only leave us playing catch-up. Currently, 70 per cent of our provincial gross domestic product is shipped out of our borders to customers in Canada and the rest of the world. As the province expands economically, we must plan for the expansion by instituting long-term planning for infrastructure projects. infrastructure growth and economic growth should go hand-in-hand when it comes to forecasting where we will be economically as a province five to 10 years from today.
This becomes even more necessary when we are faced with the threat of tariffs from our largest trading partner. Our goal is to expand our markets beyond the United States, and we need to prove to new markets that we are up to the task. Planning ahead is always the best approach to meeting challenges. We need that for our infrastructure.
As we enter 2025, we need to look at the state of infrastructure in our province and our country. In Saskatchewan, we have a record number of residents using our roads. With over 1.2 million people in the province, Saskatchewan roads, highways and bridges are seeing more tires hit the surface than ever before.
As we know, Saskatchewan is an export province that relies on its infrastructure to get its goods to market. As our exports grow year over year, the demand of having functional infrastructure to move those products to customers across the globe is imperative to our quality of life. A thriving economy is how we get to build our hospitals and schools. But to do this we must have the resources to fund infrastructure before a single shovel is put into the ground. How we fund and maintain our infrastructure has a direct relationship to how successful our economy will be.
This year will be a challenging time for many sectors in Canada and the province as the country faces potential punitive action from our largest trading partner, the United States, in the form of tariffs. Governments will have to come to terms on how to best mitigate the impact tariffs will have on our provincial and national economies.
Building our schools, hospitals and infrastructure will become costlier if the tariffs come to pass. It is time for governments at all levels to think smart when it comes to the priorities of where taxpayers’ money is spent. One of the government’s basic principles is to maintain functioning infrastructure to support its citizens and its economy. When government takes its eye off the ball to focus on pet projects of their liking, the results tend to be catastrophic, as witnessed by the recent Los Angeles fires.
As we work our way through 2025, our message to governments of all levels is to focus on the core services that maintain a healthy economy, and that starts with proper funding of infrastructure in our cities, province and country.
As we enter the new year, it will be our opportunity as an association to build on our successes from the previous year. Our second annual Infrastructure Summit and Trade Show was bigger and better than the inaugural event that we had hosted in 2023.
The Summit included two full days of presentations on subjects that spoke to the future of our industry and how we, in Saskatchewan, can position ourselves to lead by adopting cutting edge technologies that will put us at forefront of our industry. The Summit was also a time for the industry to showcase some of that technology firsthand through our expanded trade show. Building on the success of the 2024 Summit, we plan on having an even bigger event this year by viewing it through a global lens.
As we know, Saskatchewan had a provincial election in the fall of last year. While there were many changes to the names and faces that sit around the provincial cabinet table, the SHCA was pleased to welcome back the Honourable Minister David Marit to the portfolios of Highways and SaskBuilds and Procurement.
I am happy to say that we have already had productive discussions with Marit on the issues that impact our industry and look forward to keeping the dialogue going. Our message remains the same: When our industry benefits, the province benefits. Looking ahead, we will continue to engage with the provincial and municipal governments on finding ways to deliver infrastructure projects to meet with the demand of growth in the province.
Last month, Saskatchewan hit yet another milestone for population growth having surpassed 1,246,000 residents for the first time ever. An expanding population means there is a demand for more infrastructure and maintaining our current assets. New schools and hospitals cannot be built without new roads. New employees heading to their place of work can only arrive safely if the roads and bridges they travel on are safe. Good roads ensure that our economic well-being, as a centre of export to the world remains intact when we ship our goods across the globe.
Our industry is often ignored when government faces economic pressures. It is our duty to raise our voice to make sure that does not happen. This year will have its challenges, but I am optimistic that our strong and united voice will bring positive changes to how we do business here in Saskatchewan.
It was a highlight of my summer to see crews out on worksites doing what it takes to repair or build a road, replace pipes and other infrastructure underground or prepare a site for a future building.
As you have been busy completing those projects, I have been hard at work – along with the board – on some of my own that I am excited to tell you about. You can read more about them in this issue of Think BIG. While those too are important highlights of this year, I say that seeing those crews at work is a highlight because that work is undeniable evidence of all that our industry does to support our communities and the provincial economy.
As I drive around – on roads SHCA members built – I look around to see so much other infrastructure that requires heavy construction to exist. The sidewalk where pedestrians can safely walk to get to a business. Those lots being developed so more houses can be built in a subdivision that will welcome many more families to live in our city in a new neighbourhood that will flourish.
Those kids playing basketball on a court using materials donated by one of our members. Families packed in a half ton truck that is pulling an RV headed out on the highway to a provincial park to make memories on a family vacation.
That rail line being used by that train carrying cars of agricultural commodities or manufactured equipment to other parts of the country where they will be used or to reach ports to export to other countries. I hear the planes coming into my city knowing they are going to land on the airport runway. I trust there will be a parking lot where I will park my vehicle when I arrive at my destination.
We built that. All of that, which is needed by others in our society. The members of our association are the ones who made sure high quality, durable infrastructure is constructed so other people living in our communities can enjoy a high quality of life.
This infrastructure makes travel easier and safer. Getting to school and work every day is possible in large part because of the infrastructure that our members build and maintain. It prepares for future stages of development so people have places to work and live. These are just a few examples of what our industry contributes.
While it is common to just get the job done and focus on all that is needed to ensure it gets done well, I think there is value in stopping to consider just how impactful that infrastructure is in our daily lives and how significant it is to our society’s functioning. There is so much for a person to notice and take pride in once we start looking for it. While we know it, let’s remind others of it, too.
Over the winter, remind people we built that. In Saskatchewan, we don’t like to brag, but it is valuable to share information about the work you are doing with others. You can tell family, friends, neighbours and associates about what our industry builds. Help them understand the direct benefit of this new infrastructure, but also the indirect benefit, such as the money spent in communities when a crew moves in for the duration of a project. That indirect benefit helps to support their jobs and income.
Telling people which projects we are working on helps others who are not in our industry see that it is real people – not simply dollars and documents – who make infrastructure happen. Reminding other people of exactly what our industry builds and maintains and how that betters the lives of our family, friends and neighbours is an important message to deliver so the value of our industry’s work is recognized and appreciated.
Governments pay attention to the public who vote them into office. Having the public value our contribution to our communities helps reinforce what we as an association say to politicians and bureaucrats we meet with to discuss our industry’s interests.
That is our intention when explaining to the public the three vital industry issues we want governments – provincial and municipal – to address as we communicate to all the importance of our industry to the new government. You can read more about those efforts.
You can also read about an exciting announcement by the SHCA. We have been working to develop an education portfolio for fall 2024 to add another way for the association to provide even more exceptional services to members and stakeholders. That education portfolio has been developed along with Darlene South of Darlene South Consulting Solutions and Jason Tratch of Proteus Waters.
I am looking forward to seeing people learning from these two at our office in Regina. The association views these education and training opportunities as essential in helping members build a sustainable workforce through improved recruitment and retention strategies.
So, this winter, reflect on all the hard work you have done and how meaningful that work is to our province, while you also decide who you would like to send to the training courses.
As most people know, election season in Saskatchewan has wrapped up. We experienced both a provincial and municipal vote within a two-week period. Once all the ballots were counted, Saskatchewan residents saw some significant changes to who their elected representatives are.
The Saskatchewan Party was re-elected for an unprecedented fifth term, but with a stronger NDP opposition. Municipal elections for the most part saw a change of leadership in many of the cities and towns across the province. During the election period, the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association (SHCA) was advocating hard on behalf of our industry to ensure that those running for public office were aware of the necessity of having good infrastructure to keep the province growing.
Prior to the start of the campaign, SHCA had commissioned its own poll on what the priorities were for Saskatchewan residents. Respondents indicated that the top spending priorities should focus on health, education, cost-of-living and the economy. However, the next priority listed by those who were polled chose funding for infrastructure and road safety improvements. A majority of the respondents – 63 per cent – agreed that the government should be spending more on fixing the roads in the province. SHCA will continue to advocate to all levels of government the importance of infrastructure funding and how it is key to our economic wellbeing.
Post-election, we saw a big change in the make-up of the provincial cabinet, with no pre-election ministers retaining their respective portfolio. SHCA is pleased to welcome back Minister David Marit to the portfolio of Highways. Marit previously held the post in 2016 and understands the challenges our industry faces. We also look forward to working with the new leaders elected in many of the municipalities across the province. Both Regina and Saskatoon elected new mayors to lead those cities and SHCA will engage with them and the other new municipal leaders on the issues that impact our industry at a local level.
On Nov. 25, the newly-elected Saskatchewan Party government unveiled its Throne Speech, titled “A New Beginning.” To us, new beginnings are new opportunities. While change can bring uncertainty to some, our association looks forward to working with all of the newly-elected provincial and municipal members to build the infrastructure needed to keep our towns, cities and province growing.
