January 2021

With the start of a new year often comes a feeling of optimism. We are starting fresh and putting the difficult year that was 2020 in our rear-view mirror.

Our industry was one of the few that weathered the storm and persevered through some challenging times. Yes, many of us adapted to changes and altered our routines to meet new health and safety guidelines to keep working through government-issued shutdowns and to keep our employees healthy.

Our hope is that a new year brings a semblance of normalcy back to our lives, both at work and at home. We already can look forward to a busy year ahead. If there was a positive to pull from last year it was several big-ticket projects are planned for our province over the next few years.

Saskatchewan will likely be the main beneficiary in a $10-billion commitment from the federal government to support irrigation projects in the prairies. This infrastructure plan will span the next three years, with approximately $1.5 billion expected to result in 700,000 acres of irrigated land. It’s expected to create close to 60,000 jobs.

The Lake Diefenbaker irrigation project is a top candidate to receive much of this federal support. And we should expect to play a major role in the development of this project for years to come.

Combine this funding from the federal government with a record $437.4 million in tendered projects announced last summer by the provincial government. That’s a full plate for our members.

Early in 2020, 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.”

Obviously, this is great news for our industry as it assures there’s work to be done for the foreseeable future.

This 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.

The pandemic that still lingers today wreaked havoc on global economies. The road to economic recovery here and across the country starts with our industry.

Here’s to a busy season for our members and a prosperous and healthy new year!

Keep a close eye on www.saskheavy.ca in 2021 – big changes are on the way!

SHCA is working hard to update its current website to an all-new format, which will include new sections and benefits for SHCA members.

The new website will feature a Road Builder Hall of Fame, honouring long-time SHCA members and the impact they’ve had on their communities; a new open-access member services directory that will allow site users to search SHCA members for products and services they require; a new, dedicated section to Think BIG magazine, including the digital archives; and more.

We’re excited to be working on this project and the value that it will bring to the association and our members!

SHCA members, the time is now to ensure your 2021 dues are paid and that your information is correct and up to date for the membership listings in the 2021 SHCA Equipment Rental Rates Guide & Membership Roster.

If your company had a membership listing in the 2020 version, you can check your listing information in your printed copy or by viewing the online version here. Contact the SHCA office if you require a new username and password.

To inquire about your membership listing or to request any changes, contact Tracey Koch at traceyk@saskheavy.ca. Members who do not submit any changes to their listing will see their membership listings remain the same as they appeared in 2020. 

Advertising sales are also ongoing for the 2021 SHCA Equipment Rental Rates Guide & Membership Roster, with very limited premium positions still available for reservation. View the media kit here and contact adsales@lesterpublications.com with any questions or to reserve advertising space, including a logo to appear over your membership listing. If your company needs assistance creating advertising artwork, the graphics department at Lester Communications Inc. will be happy to help.

Municipalities of Saskatchewan has created a COVID-19 Update to help keep municipalities informed of provincial updates and new resources. On the website’s landing page, viewers can click on a particular focus area in order to access all available resources under that topic, including for employers.

Click here to view the resource page from Municipalities of Saskatchewan or to sign up to receive weekly updates.

One of the quickest ways to differentiate legitimate business communication from spam is the quality of the writing. Improper grammar, misspellings and incomplete sentences in an email are signals to hit the delete button, with the assumption the message is a potential cyber security threat.

Bad writing that appears on a website or in a social media post most certainly will have people questioning the quality and credibility of a company’s work, especially its attention to detail.

This holds true for all written business communications. If it is not written well and carefully edited, a company risks being ignored. Good writing always makes a company look better.

Quality content is a must for a company’s social media presence, on its website, in news releases and news stories, blogs and speeches. These pieces require different styles of writing. It’s imperative to understand the difference.

An experienced writer is specially trained to understand and deliver these different writing styles. Having someone on your team who possesses this skillset will allow a company more time to focus on what it does best – run a business.

For example, writing for social media requires concise wording that fits within set character limits. It also needs to be punchy in order to attract the attention of readers. Writing for a website requires the understanding of readability – long and wordy content doesn’t work online. Website content is the right blend of words and phrases that make it possible for people to find you via search engines. A well-constructed news release or news story piques the interest of the audience and is relevant to the target audience. Doing this increases the chances of being read and shared.