The company was fined for contravening subsection 7-6 (1) of the regulations (being an employer fail where there is a risk of injury to the head of a worker to provide approved industrial protective headwear and require a worker to use it, resulting in the serious injury of a worker), as well as contravening subsection 9-2 (2) of the regulations (being an employer fail to ensure that workers use a fall protection system at a temporary or permanent work area if a worker may fall three metres or more; or there is a possibility of injury if a worker falls less than three metres, resulting in the death of a worker).
The Court imposed a total fine of $232,142.86 with a surcharge of $92,857.14, for a total amount of $325,000. Five other charges were withdrawn.
The charges stemmed from two separate incidents that occurred near Spiritwood, Saskatchewan. The first occurred on November 11, 2021, where a worker was struck by a gate and seriously injured while attempting to load bulls onto a trailer.
The second incident occurred on January 26, 2022, where a worker was fatally injured while attempting to clear snow off a roof when the worker fell through a fiberglass skylight.
The Water Security Agency (WSA) is working on key water infrastructure projects stretching from the Prince Albert to Meadow Lake regions. These projects are within three Northern Saskatchewan watersheds, the Churchill River Watershed, Saskatchewan River Watershed and North Saskatchewan River Watershed.
The projects include:
Cowan Lake Dam structure replacement
Candle Lake Dam structure and stoplog upgrades
Christopher Lake outlet structure
“A sustainable and reliable water supply is fundamental and is especially important in Northern Saskatchewan,” WSA Minister David Marit said. “As Northern Saskatchewan continues to grow, and we see increased water demands – maintaining our infrastructure is critical to continue to meet the social, environmental and economic needs for all users in these regions, including our Indigenous communities and rural municipalities.”
More than $1 million is being invested into these three projects in 2024-25.
The Cowan Lake structure replacement, east of Meadow Lake, is the largest of the three projects. This year, WSA will begin work on the detailed design of the new Cowan Lake Dam, which will include an upgraded dam, replacing the control structure and a riffle fishway approximately 35 metres upstream of the existing structure. This is a multi-year project and is currently in the procurement stage.
North of Prince Albert, the Candle Lake Dam project is concluding safety upgrades to improve the operating conditions of the structure for safety to both WSA operators and the public, as well as a pedestrian walkway to provide the public dedicated space to cross the structure. WSA also installed a new system for lifting bulkheads and upgraded the fishway inlet structure. The total investment for this project is $2 million.
“A sustainable and reliable water supply is fundamental and is especially important in northern Saskatchewan.”
– David Marit, Water Security Agency
Southwest of Candle Lake, WSA replaced the control structure at the Christopher Lake outlet with a precast concrete structure. This will allow the structure to be operated more safely and efficiently for WSA operations staff and includes public safety fencing and guardrails. The total investment for this project is $800,000. Wrap up activities are progressing.
These projects were identified as a priority as part of the 10-Year Rolling Infrastructure Rehabilitation Plan – part of WSA’s effort to advance priority maintenance projects for the long-term safety and security of citizens of this province.
WSA is investing more than $42 million in 2024-25 to advance more than 60 key water infrastructure projects with a focus on ensuring Saskatchewan’s infrastructure supports a sustainable, adaptable and reliable water supply. Since 2012, WSA has invested nearly $255M in the province’s water management infrastructure.
May’s numbers for investment in building construction from Statistics Canada show that Saskatchewan has seen a 21.2 per cent year-over-year increase in this category in March 2024 over March 2023 (seasonally adjusted), which ranks third in terms of percentage change among the provinces. This follows in the wake of the 19.4 per cent year-over-year increase that was recorded in February 2024 (seasonally adjusted).
“It is clear that people and businesses are more confident investing in Saskatchewan than ever before,” Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said. “Our construction sector is seeing this growth because of the deliberate efforts we’ve made to create a creative business environment industry can rely on. This unprecedented investment into the province is creating new jobs and opportunities in every corner of our province.”
In March 2024, investment in building construction totaled $392 million in Saskatchewan.
Investment in building construction is calculated based on the total spending value on building construction within the province.
A report released by Statistics Canada earlier in May indicates that the value of building permits in Saskatchewan increased by 15.8 per cent year-over-year for March 2024 compared to March 2023 (seasonally adjusted).
Private capital investment is projected to reach $14.2 billion in 2024, an increase of 14.4 per cent over 2023. This is the highest anticipated percentage increase in Canada.
This is an exciting time of year to be in our industry. Summer is nearly here, and the push is on to get out and construct all the projects you have been contracted to develop.
Seeing 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 is undeniable evidence of all that our industry does to support our communities and the provincial economy.
As I drive around – on roads our members built – I look around to see so much other infrastructure that requires heavy construction to exist: the sidewalk where pedestrians can safely walk; 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 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. 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 because of the infrastructure that our members build and maintain. It prepares future stages of development so people have places to work and live.
While it is common for our industry to just get the job done and focus on ensuring 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 a functioning society. There is so much for a person to notice and take pride in once we start looking for it. While those in the industry know it, let’s remind others of it too.
While you are working this summer on whatever project your crew is doing, remind people we built that – whether you are telling the employees at the hotel where you are staying, the restaurant where you eat or the gas station where you fill up. Not only do they get the benefit of this new infrastructure, but indirectly, they also benefit from the money your company is spending in their community as your crew moves in for the duration of the 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.
In turn, this helps our message land more impactfully when we meet with governments who rely on us to construct the infrastructure they decide to build. Governments pay attention to the public who vote them into office. Having the public value our contribution to our communities helps reinforce what SHCA says to politicians.
I hope your summer is filled with solid projects that make a difference to the many people living and working in our province. Here’s to a safe and prosperous season ahead.
