Jack Brodsky has been named CTV Saskatoon’s 2023 Citizen of the Year for his decades of work as a community builder who made a difference in the lives of countless youths
by SHCA SHCA

Jack Brodsky Named CTV Saskatoon’s 2023 Citizen of the Year

Jack Brodsky has been named CTV Saskatoon’s 2023 Citizen of the Year for his decades of work as a community builder who made a difference in the lives of countless youths

An SHCA board member was named CTV Saskatoon’s 2023 Citizen of the Year for his decades of work as a community builder who has made a difference in the lives of countless youths.

Jack Brodsky, who has lived in Saskatoon since he was four years old, is a graduate of Aden Bowman Collegiate Institute. In 1978, he became a certified engineering technologist though Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

In the following years, Brodsky learned the family construction business while also learning the importance of giving back to the community. He was a co-owner of the Saskatoon Blades from 1976 to 2013 and was instrumental in developing a scholarship program for graduating Western Hockey League players. He’s also volunteered for many organizations and has served on multiple boards.

Read the next issue of Think BIG magazine this spring to learn more about Brodsky’s commitment to the construction industry and his community.

SHCA The Interchange - Default background
by Shantel Lipp Shantel Lipp

SHCA’s Plans for 2024

Shantel Lipp - Portrait

The start of a new year is a time to consider how we want to improve our situation. Whether it is your own personal life or your professional endeavours, it is a good time to initiate what is necessary to inspire change that will make a difference. 

Getting where we want to go is not something we can typically do on our own. We often need others to join in our activities and support us if we are to achieve change that matters. That is true in your role – as a business owner or an employee – and it is true in mine and each of our board members’ as well. We must work with others and dedicate the time and effort necessary to move toward realizing that vision together. 

At the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association (SHCA), change is often discussed and as the voice of the industry. We have plenty to say about the changes needed in Saskatchewan to support our economy remaining strong. I promised in my last message published in “The Interchange” that I would have more to share about how SHCA will be speaking out about how Saskatchewan is not keeping up. That applies to long-term planning, infrastructure funding and government policy renewal.

Through the year, SHCA will be very active, speaking up about what matters to our members and our province. Now that 2024 is underway, the board and I are preparing for how this year will unfold so that we optimize when we deliver important messages not only to those in government, but all who will be running in this year’s elections as well as voters.

We have an MLA reception scheduled for SHCA on March 4. This event is your opportunity to speak directly to the MLAs to fill them in on the industry’s strengths and challenges, and describe how government impacts you positively and negatively. 

Saskatchewan’s budget is typically delivered that same month, so we will be watching closely to see what it contains as it relates to our members and the work available to you. We are looking for the government to show it understands the need for long-term infrastructure planning and funding, including multi-year commitments as seen in our neighbouring provinces. We also want to see changes to procurement practices and greater transparency. 

Between now and then, we will continue to speak up about employment opportunities in our industry. Finding those who would be a good fit for jobs you need filled is a challenge, even though heavy construction employers are known to be one of the better paying employers in the province – statistically second only to the mining sector. I know that when hiring, you often see attitude as being more important than experience and that employers in our industry are often willing to train, seeing that training is an investment to secure the employees you need. We will be promoting the reasons why those looking for a new employment opportunity should consider heavy construction for their future. 

This will help build what the province requires so people and goods can move through and beyond our province. We know other industries are as interested as we are in seeing Saskatchewan maintain and build infrastructure that meets the level of growth in the province. We will be finding ways to deliver that message together with them. 

An opportune time to deliver that message will be ahead of the elections that will take place in Saskatchewan later this year, which is an election year for the province as well as in municipalities, so we will be seeing politicians campaigning later this year. The first election is the provincial election, which is to be held on or before Oct. 28, 2024. Not long after, those voting for mayors and councillors in urban municipalities as well as reeves and councillors representing odd-number divisions in rural municipalities will go to the polls on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. 

As I said at the beginning of this message, we want to improve our situation, and by our situation, I mean more than our industry’s situation. What we are bringing forward is important beyond those in heavy construction. It matters to our province’s fate. It is significant to many industries that contribute to our economy and its strength. It impacts the future prosperity of our province and its people as well as the services they rely on for their quality of life. 

I also said getting where you want to go requires others to join in. Our members can help to amplify the messages our association is delivering. I encourage you to actively participate in SHCA’s activities this year and to share the messages we will be delivering so they reach every corner of our province. Keep an eye on our website and follow our social media accounts for updates on all we have planned and will undertake this year. 

Man holding a yellow hardhat
by SHCA SHCA

WCB Approves 2024 Premium Rates

The Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) has approved the 2024 average employer premium rate to remain unchanged from the 2023 rate of $1.28 per hundred dollars of payroll.

 “The primary drivers of the 2024 premium rate are claim costs and payroll,” said Gord Dobrowolsky, WCB’s chair. “The average premium rate this year will not increase, however we are expecting total costs to continue to rise in the future. This could place upward pressure on premium rates. The WCB’s rate model ensures a balance between stable rates and a fully funded compensation system.”

 In 2022, 90 per cent of employers achieved zero injuries and zero fatalities. The WCB is working to support workers and employers across the province to prioritize and effectively manage workplace safety. Currently, serious injuries account for the majority of claim costs within the workers’ compensation system. Approximately 10 to 13 per cent of claims result in more than 80 per cent of costs.

The WCB has a legislative obligation to remain fully funded. In response to changing accounting standards, the WCB has finalized a comprehensive review of the funding policy. The funding policy has been superseded by the sufficiency policy, which measures funding adequacy in a different way. The sufficiency policy reconfirms the WCB’s commitment to hold sufficient funds to balance long-term obligations to workers and employers.

 “To help reduce volatility in premium rates under the new accounting standards, the WCB’s sufficiency policy targets a range of between 100 and 140 per cent funded to cover the costs of current and future claims,” said Phillip Germain, the WCB’s CEO. “The 2024 rate ensures we will be able to maintain our funded position.”

Employers can help prevent work-related injuries through effective safety management systems. By working together, all stakeholders can prevent disability through effective rehabilitation and return-to-work plans can help employers reduce claim costs and manage work-related injuries. By reducing the number and severity of injuries in the workplace, industry premium rates will be positively impacted. Employers and the WCB can work collaboratively to develop safety management systems and return-to-work programs to help prevent and manage work-related injuries.

To further support workers and employers, WorkSafe Saskatchewan, the partnership between the WCB and the Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, launched the 2023-2028 Fatalities and Serious Injuries Strategy in March of this year. The updated strategy, built on the success of the 2019-2021 strategy, focuses on two key streams of work that will be undertaken to reduce injuries and fatalities – a regulatory and enforcement stream, and a prevention and learning stream. The strategy lays out a direction for working together with stakeholders, including non-profit safety associations, to address high-risk industries and occupations that are resulting in workplace fatalities and injuries.

 “The WCB will continue to work closely with employers, workers and health-care providers to support the prevention of work disability through collaborative planning,” said Dobrowolsky. “As we head into 2024, we continue our commitment to eliminate workplace fatalities and injuries in the workplace. It is only together that we will achieve this vision.”

Yellow hardhat with the Canadian flag in the background
by SHCA SHCA

2023 Fall Economic Statement Lacks Concrete Actions

The 2023 Fall Economic Statement, released near the end of November, focused heavily on necessary housing investment, but fell short in other important areas including measures to shore up Canada’s trade-enabling infrastructure. Approximately two-thirds of Canada’s GDP is from trade, yet the statement remained silent on bolstering Canada’s trade network which pays for the social infrastructure Saskatchewan enjoys.

The announcement to leverage the Canada Infrastructure Bank to support more housing may finally recognize the fact that more homes cannot be built without the essential housing-enabling infrastructure to support it – a position the industry has repeatedly emphasized to all orders of government. Details on these necessary investments are missing. The industry is expecting to see a long-term, comprehensive infrastructure investment plan in the federal government’s 2024 Budget.

The industry is encouraged that the federal government recognizes the workforce shortage yet a focus on internal labour mobility rather than more progressive policy changes to immigration are not the answer. Free mobility within Canada is simply not an adequate solution to address the workforce shortage when collectively Canada does not have enough workers coast to coast. This is why the industry is calling on the government to help address the workforce shortage by overhauling immigration to attract labour from abroad.

Finally, while the commitment to getting major projects built faster is positive, implementation will rely in part on the government’s willingness to review and modernize their procurement practices. This includes considering alternative delivery models and better balancing risk between owners and contractors.

The Canadian construction industry will continue to partner with government to build a strong foundation for a stronger Canada.

SHCA The Interchange - Default background
by Shantel Lipp Shantel Lipp

Planning for 2024

Shantel Lipp - Portrait

The Infrastructure Summit & Trade Show was all I hoped it would be.  I hoped those who attended would find it relevant, practical and impactful, and based on the reviews I have received, it seems to have hit those marks. Summit delegates shared rave reviews of the format of the summit, and attendance for the first year far surpassed my expectations.

As we bring 2023 to a close, I am so pleased with what we have planned for 2024.

The summit was so successful that it will be the model for all future fall conferences, and we look forward to growing this event in future years. Planning for 2024 has already begun. All attendees, sponsors and exhibitors will be surveyed to gain additional information about successes as well as opportunities for improvement to make next year’s event even better.

I was told again and again there was something for everyone, which is exactly what we hoped would be appreciated. The goal of the summit was to showcase the entire industry, so that’s why there were sessions that related to business, earthmoving, paving, equipment and production.

The technical sessions were very valuable, I was told, as was the opportunity to hear about projects outside of Saskatchewan like the Ten Mile Slide in B.C. Over a very busy two days, the summit featured 34 technical sessions, two keynote presentations, 28 exhibitor tradeshow booths and was capped off with the industry awards ceremony. All the breakout rooms were full, as were the morning keynote sessions.

Highlighted by many at the summit were the opportunities for contractors, consultants and Ministry of Highways representatives to connect over our need to work collaboratively rather than meeting in confrontation. Our keynote speaker on the first morning of the summit was Mark Nesbitt, who has worked for more than 30 years in the aggregate, mining, trucking and construction industry. He explained why building relationships matters when you are trying to develop employees working for your company as well as advance your own career and business. You can read more about what he shared during his address in the next issue of Think BIG magazine.

The setting of the summit was conducive to team building and that brought people together to get to know one another and see how we can better work together to achieve what must be accomplished.

That need to work together to achieve monumental accomplishments was a key message delivered during the panel discussion on the first day of the summit. There is a need to plan long term and invest appropriately in trade infrastructure to grow Canada’s economy. Several national groups dedicated to trade, business, construction, manufacturing and more joined together to form a coalition that is pressing politicians across the country to take this need seriously.

Representatives of some of those groups in the coalition were brought together for the panel discussion to describe the relationships and work that came together to develop the Canada Trade Infrastructure Plan (CTIP). CTIP urges the Council of the Federation to pursue a federally-leveraged, nation-building plan to revitalize Canada’s trade-enabling infrastructure to support sustained economic growth and expand and diversify Canada’s global trade profile. More on this work will be shared in the next issue of Think BIG as well.

While others focus on the federal government, my attention is on the 2024 election year for provincial and municipal governments. My efforts will be dedicated to pressing them on vital matters. Through most of 2024, expect to hear much from SHCA about the ways in which Saskatchewan is not keeping up. That applies to long-term planning, infrastructure funding and government policy renewal.

This lack of commitment is causing us to lag. Saskatchewan creates billions of dollars in trade every year and there are targets and efforts dedicated by the province to grow our trade. A significant portion of the provincial GDP depends on trade. Our transportation infrastructure must be able to support even more movement of products and people in and out of the province, so we must do more than keep up.

I look forward to sharing with you more details about this effort we will undertake in the coming year, and I ask that you help us amplify this message so it reaches the province’s voters and becomes an issue on the campaign trail. I know that you know it matters, but we must help others recognize and appreciate its vital importance.

Until then, I hope you have an enjoyable December filled with lots of cheer and goodwill ahead of a safe and prosperous new year. 

Stock picture of an Overpass
by John Mark Aquino John Mark Aquino

 $25 Million Highway 6 and Ring Road Overpass Project Reaches Midway Point

Construction has paused for the winter on the $25 million Highway 6 and Ring Road overpass project in Regina. When complete, the improvements will better support and build Saskatchewan’s export-based economy.

“This infrastructure project will allow the transportation system to better and more safely handle truck and other traffic on a key economic corridor,” Highways Minister Lori Carr said. “This project builds a stronger Saskatchewan and will help protect the ability to ship goods more efficiently.”

The project involves construction of a pair of new overpasses and associated works at the location of the existing two structures at Highway 6 and Ring Road, which is also sometimes referred to as the south end of Albert Street in Regina.

The new overpasses will each have a clearance height of 5.3 metres and will accommodate larger vehicles. The overpasses being replaced had 4.7 metres of clearance and are nearing the end of their service life, as they were originally completed in 1966. The new overpasses will each continue to have two lanes of traffic.

Construction on the project began in spring of 2023 and saw the new northbound overpass open to traffic in late October. Two-way traffic can now flow normally using both overpasses. 

The new southbound overpass and the remainder of the projects are expected to be completed in 2024, with construction resuming next spring. 

by SHCA SHCA

Mary Van Buren Announces Her Spring Departure from the Canadian Construction Association

Mary Van Buren

After six successful years as the president of the Canadian Construction Association (CCA), Mary Van Buren has announced that she will be leaving the association in the spring of 2024.

As the first female president in the association’s long history, she has guided CCA into a new era that is digital first and inclusive. Her focus on modernization was critical in CCA’s ability to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, while advocating on behalf of the industry and continuing to deliver member value in the face of a global crisis.

Under her leadership, CCA has developed an expanded focus on innovation and best practices, and is currently piloting a digital contract service which will roll out in early 2024.

One of the most significant achievements of her tenure has been the review of CCA’s governance model, and the restructuring that allowed the association to be more nimble in addressing member issues. Working closely with the board of directors as well as the governance and nominating committee, Van Buren’s commitment to governance effectiveness has seen the consistent evolution of the model and led to CCA receiving aGovernance Award from the Governance Professionals of Canada in 2023. 

While her impact on the association is evident, her unwavering commitment to engagement stands as the bedrock of her success at CCA. Through her steadfast dedication to collaboration, she has strengthened the relationship with CCA’s 62 partner associations and developed new strategic partnerships that have not only delivered more value to CCA’s 18,000 member firms but also elevated the profile for the national construction industry.

“The construction industry is essential to Canada’s economic success and quality of life, yet it doesn’t always get the credit it deserves,” said Van Buren. “I am so proud to have brought more attention to an industry that has such a profound impact on our country and affects positive change in our communities every day.

“To see the growth in member engagement in advocacy and the resulting effects that a strong, unified voice for the industry has, is especially rewarding. I am so fortunate to have an excellent team who are committed to advancing the industry’s interests across the services we provide.”

Brendan Nobes, chair of CCA, said, “The board of directors sincerely thanks Mary for her stewardship of the association over the last few years. Through her commitment to advancing member issues, she has raised the industry’s profile, and her legacy of leadership will be long lasting. While we are sad to see her move on, we understand she is interested in taking on new challenges and wish her all the best in this next stage of her career.”

A search process is underway with a goal of a smooth transition and continuing the positive momentum gained under Van Buren’s leadership.

SHCA The Interchange - Default background
by Shantel Lipp Shantel Lipp

SHCA Infrastructure Summit & Trade Show Takes Place Next Week

Shantel Lipp - Portrait

I am counting down the days until the first ever SHCA Infrastructure Summit & Trade Show takes place in Regina next week, and I can’t wait for you to see all that it will bring to the forefront.

First, you will see the importance and impact of the heavy construction industry within and beyond Saskatchewan reinforced. I look forward to seeing contractors, suppliers, engineers, government officials and other professionals coming together to focus on infrastructure and transportation for two full days on Nov. 29 and 30, 2023, at the Delta Hotel & Convention Centre.

You have heard me say that funding to develop and maintain that infrastructure can deliver a return when there is a strategy for investment. This event is another opportunity to deliver that message. The role of infrastructure in trade relationships and the need for long-term investment in infrastructure  to grow trade that will benefit our economy are why this event will be valuable to more than members.

I hope all who are there  will take in the panel discussion, which is in the agenda for Nov. 29. You will hear the panel discuss how trade and transportation infrastructure intersect in Canada’s economic growth strategy. The panelists will include: 

  • John Law, senior fellow with Canada West Foundation and co-author of From Shovel Ready to Shovel Worthy: The Path to a National Trade Infrastructure Plan for the Next Generation of Economic Growth  
  • Gary Mar, president of Canada West Foundation 
  • Mary VanBuren, president of the Canadian Construction Association
  • Kyle Toffan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Highways  
  • Jodi Banks, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Trade and Export  
  • Chris Lorenc, president of the Western Canada Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association (WCR&HCA)  

Mar and VanBuren are involved in a coalition of national organizations that also includes the Business Council of Canada and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. They are concerned about the current level of investment as well as the lack of coordination and planning on a long-term strategy and the state of the federal trade corridors fund.They have endorsed the WCR&HCA report by the Canada West Foundation, From Shovel Ready to Shovel Worth: The Path to a National Trade Infrastructure Plan for the Next Generation of Economic Growth.

This coalition is approaching the three orders of government to advocate for a nation-building strategy to invest in Canada’s trade corridors to harness trade-based economic growth. This summit is important for government because for decades the private sector has been asking for a long-term permanent plan to grow business investment.

I am excited about the opportunities you will have to deepen your knowledge  about infrastructure, equipment, labour needs, projects, investment and much more.

As projects become more complex and technology evolves, there is always a need to prepare for the future. At the summit, you will gain information through industry education sessions that can help you become an even better builder. Technological advancements within the industry will be highlighted through technical sessions across a broad sector of industry applications.

Valuable information on many different topics will be shared by Brandt Industries, Gerry Huber, Wirtgen Group, Water Security Agency, Asphalt Institute, SMS Equipment, SaskPower, Cenovus Energy and the Women of Asphalt. They will cover cold in-place recycling, how to use intelligent compaction, asphalt volumetrics, balanced mix design, AI advancements in roadbuilding equipment, new technology in tack coats, flood mitigation, the future of carbon capture and mining, and the inclusion and retention of women in the industry.

There will be opportunities to learn more about the production and processing of materials as well as troubleshooting asphalt plants and greener ways of paving. You can expect to see virtual reality being used to attract young people to our sector as well as to conduct safety training.

It is a time to develop personally as well as professionally. Speakers at the summit include Mark Nesbitt, who will discuss creating the next generation of construction leaders. There will be a presentation by Pamela Barnum, who will describe how to unlock the code of non-verbal communication. Also speaking is Bob Vaughn, who will cover projects becoming more complex and how to create a culture of success.

There will be so many people you will want to meet and interact with – whether it is at the innovative trade show  or the industry awards and banquet that will wrap up the event.

It will be a busy two days full of people embracing our industry and sharing what it means to this province we call home. I look forward to seeing you there to take part in all that activity to show you value a strong future for all who make up and support the heavy construction industry.