Recent Articles

Canadians are relying on construction to build back better

By Mary Van Buren, President, Canadian Construction Association

Representing more than 20,000 member firms, the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) is proud of our mission to inspire a progressive, innovative and sustainable construction industry. The key to our success is working with our valued partner associations like the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association. 

Released earlier this month, our 2021 Annual Review celebrates our industry’s collective achievements to Build a Better Canada with lasting benefits for all Canadians.

CCA Annual Review 2021

We accomplished so much for the industry together – creating new opportunities to engage members, strengthening our voice and influence with government and modernizing how we work and deliver our services. It’s been a busy and successful year. 

CCA has strengthened its influence and continues to drive change on key issues that make a real impact…not only to the industry, but to all Canadians. 

We are working collaboratively to create a new vision for infrastructure planning and investment in Canada. CCA led a broad consultation process to ensure CCA’s response to the National Infrastructure Assessment reflected the national interests of our membership. The recommendations, endorsed by 60 local construction association partners, include the need to unclutter the funding mechanism and allow provincial and municipal authorities to implement investment through a lens of local priorities. A long-term strategic vision and framework will provide stability to projects, encourage investment and support the development of the necessary skilled workforce.

The points raised in the report also provided the basis for CCA’s Invest in Canada campaign, reinforcing the need to develop a long-term infrastructure investment strategy, secure the right skills for the industry now and in the future by attracting a diverse and inclusive workforce, and expand project delivery models that support shared risk and fair procurement. CCA will continue to advance these messages to keep the importance of infrastructure at the top of mind of Canadians. 

With economic revival being a priority for all Canadians, CCA also recognizes the importance of scaling up Canada’s trade-enabling infrastructure. With reports that Canada has fallen from 10th to 32nd in terms of global trade infrastructure, CCA has been working in partnership with the Western Canada Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association (WCR&HCA) to improve investment in the Western Canada trade corridor [Editor’s note: Read more on this topic on page ##]. Canada’s growth economy needs reliable infrastructure to connect supply chains and efficiently move goods and services across borders. CCA is interested in partnering on a similar initiative with Atlantic Canada’s heavy construction sector.

We are also leading the charge in advocating for change within the construction industry, bringing our voices together, providing a platform for anti-racist initiatives, stressing the importance of sustainable infrastructure and how construction is the path to a green future, publishing the Insight report: Innovation and R&D in construction and championing growing workforce capacity through our Talent Fits Here campaign. 

CCA has strengthened its influence and continues to drive change on key issues that make a real impact…not only to the industry, but to all Canadians.

Stay in touch!

Canada will be counting on the construction industry to build back better. You can count on CCA to be a collaborative partner with the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association, providing helpful tools, sharing best practices across the country and being your voice with the federal government.  

Stay in the loop by subscribing to CCA’s newsletter at
bit.ly/ccasubscribe, or following @ConstructionCAN on Twitter,
or LinkedIn. Please email me at mvanburen@cca-acc.com if you have any feedback or comments on how CCA can serve you better.

Valuing the importance of trade to Canada’s economic success will contribute to this country’s ability to develop a resilient economy. 

Appropriately funding the infrastructure that supports trade will be critical for Canada’s economy to be able to recover from setbacks in order for it to strengthen and grow. These points have been made by the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) to the Trudeau government ahead of the federal budget, which is scheduled to come out April 7.

The heavy construction associations in Western Canada have been working with the CCA since spring of 2021 to elevate their call for a federally financed investment program for trade gateways and corridors in the West. This budget submission is one more opportunity to get this initiative in front of those making spending decisions at the federal level. 

Risks and rewards for Canada are pointed out in this submission. There have been plenty of tests of Canada’s economy in recent years and more challenges continue to develop. The COVID-19 pandemic, extreme weather (such as the flooding that washed out B.C. highways late last year), supply chain impacts, inflation and more have created pressures and exposed sensitivities.

Funding infrastructure for the purpose of trade has a role in ensuring Canada is resilient when faced with pressures and challenges. Infrastructure that supports trade can reduce Canada’s economic vulnerability. Investing in infrastructure by government is vital to expanding trade and building the Canadian economy. 

“Commitments to infrastructure spending must be sufficient to close the serious gaps that have been identified and position Canada for the future,” the CCA said in its pre-budget submission to federal finance minister, Chrystia Freeland.

The CCA’s pre-budget submission to the federal finance minister pressed Ottawa to consider a number of recommendations around infrastructure investment and planning. Other recommendations it brought forward were around procurement and building a workforce for the future. The Western Canada Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association (WCR&HCA) had contributed to this submission with a focus on drawing attention to the Western Canada Trade Gateway and Corridor Initiative (WCTG&CI). The recommendation was to invest in Canada’s trade infrastructure with this initiative highlighted.   

The WCTG&CI is focussed on Western Canada’s trade gateways and corridors including existing and new marine and inland ports as well as road, rail and air modes supporting freight and passenger flows that are significant to international commerce, both regionally and nationally. 

This initiative would bring about a globally recognized, efficient network of trade gateways and corridor systems in Western Canada to support sustained trade-based economic growth through regional trade productivity, competitiveness and global trade reach. Spending on this initiative is recommended to begin this upcoming budget year. To accomplish the WCTG&CI, a federal contribution of $5 billion over seven years, starting in 2022–23, is needed. This would need to be accompanied by an additional $6 billion in public and private sector investment.  This funding for the WCTG&CI would be based on leveraging the success of the Asia Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative (APG&CI), which was advanced to support Canada’s global trade profile.

In the Speech from the Throne delivered in late November, Governor General Mary Simon outlined the federal government’s agenda. In her speech, she spoke of the building a resilient economy, which the CCA referenced in its submission. 

Current events have reinforced the need to fund trade infrastructure to increase Canada’s economic resiliency, the CCA explained in its submission. “As a trading nation, part of positioning Canada for success in the future is ensuring that our goods can get to global markets,” the submission reads. “But our trade-enabling infrastructure is vulnerable, as demonstrated by the global pandemic, the impact of recent extreme weather events in British Columbia and the blockades that stopped commerce between Canada and the U.S.

“Canada needs to significantly recapitalize its trade corridor fund for long-term, strategic investment in trade-enabling infrastructure, including the Western Canada Trade Gateway & Corridor Initiative, to drive our nation’s economic growth.”

The WCTG&CI would be the latest nation-building investment programs. Others, such as the APGCI, the National Policy Framework for Strategic Gateways and Trade Corridors, the Ontario-Quebec Continental Gateway and the Atlantic Gateway & Trade Corridor have contributed to elevating Canada’s global reputation. Then, there are the trade agreements Canada has signed. These agreements have raised the expectations of Canada’s trade partners and could increase demands on the infrastructure as it exists now. 

Canada has the opportunity to raise its export profile through Western Canada’s potential. The provinces of Western Canada are rich in resources, are home to value-added manufacturing and are ready to produce the goods that are in demand on this continent and around the world. With 32 per cent of Canada’s population, our region contributes 37 per cent of its exports and nearly 38 per cent of Canada’s real GDP.

Plus, Western Canada is Canada’s port of entry to Asia, the region of the world that holds the greatest potential for growing Canada’s global trade profile and productivity. Getting Western Canadian resources and goods to Asia and the rest of the world requires infrastructure to move them and the people involved in the industries that generate them.  

As the CCA works on gaining federal commitment to the WCTG&CI, there also needs to be a provincial push for it. The WCR&HCA is made up of the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association, the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association, Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association and the British Columbia Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association.

The WCR&HCA is working to gain the support of the individual premiers of all four Western provinces, who have aligned within the New West Partnership to boost trade and bring down barriers to the free flow of goods and services across the West. 

SHCA reacts to the 2022–23 provincial budget

By Martin Charlton Communications

There is little to nothing to be excited about in the provincial budget for 2022–23 when it comes to highways. 

Members hoping the budget would reveal more capital funding for highway projects were disappointed to learn that virtually all the work it contains has already been tendered. The amount the budget contains – and the message that sends – contradicts what the provincial government is telling the public about wanting to grow the economy past pre-pandemic levels. 

“When the government talks growth, that’s future-forward talk but their investment is a blast from the past – and not in a good way,” said Shantel Lipp, president of the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association. “The government just continues to talk about what they’ve done in the past, and that is not demonstrating future-forward thinking.”

This tendency to talk about the past rather build the future was evident when Highways Minister Fred Bradshaw spoke during the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM)’s annual convention this year. 

It is not just SHCA calling for money to be invested in Saskatchewan’s highways this year. So, too, are members of SARM. Ray Orb, president of SARM, told reporters who covered the convention that as the economy continues to rebound, highways will experience more wear and tear from trucking and transportation.

At SARM’s bear pit session with the provincial government on March 19, the state of Saskatchewan’s highways was brought forward to Bradshaw by concerned rural municipal councillors.

Bradshaw’s response was to point out what the government has invested so far and to say there are limits on what the government can do given the number of kilometers of highway there are in the province to maintain. 

The status quo – which this budget reflects –will not help Saskatchewan grow, which the provincial government says it wants. But saying it doesn’t make it happen. Putting money towards it does, and that is not what happened with this budget. 

With the spring tender out, it is confirmed there is no money for new projects. The spring tender schedule has enough work on it for one SHCA member to handle – and that is when that member’s capacity is maxed. 

“We need a government that will invest in – not spend – on highways,” said Lipp.

There is a return on investment that Saskatchewan is missing out on with the approach the Saskatchewan government is taking with this budget when it comes to highways.

“Investment brings business opportunities to Saskatchewan and requires thoughtful planning,” said Lipp. “Spending is a reaction to what’s happening now. The two aren’t the same.”

While the overall budget for the Ministry of Highways is up, the amount dedicated to capital investment is down. 

The Saskatchewan government announced $846 million for the Ministry of Highways for 2022–23. This includes a capital investment of $452.5 million. The 2021–22 budget contained $830 million for highways with $520 million for capital projects.  The 2020–21 budget had $647.9 million, including a capital investment of $357.6 million. 

	2022–23	2021–22	2020–21
Ministry of Highways budget	$846 million	$830 million	$647.9 million
Capital investment	$452.5 million	$520 million	$357.6 million

The highlights in the budget, according to the provincial government, are:

• $88 million for major projects supporting Saskatchewan’s 10-year Growth Plan, including the construction of 14 sets of passing lanes and the twinning of Highway 3 west of Prince Albert (which were mentioned in the highlights of the previous provincial budget)
• $12.4 million for enhanced intersection safety as part of the five-year, $65 million intersection safety investment
• $6.8 million for spot improvements through the Safety Improvement Program
• $137 million for 200 kilometres of thin membrane surface highways and other rural highway upgrades, including 160 kilometres of upgrades
• $131.2 million for 820 kilometres of capital preservation improvements to highways 
• $55.2 million to rebuild 15 bridges and replace 100 culverts 
• $22.5 million, including $7.5 million in stimulus funding, for the Rural Integrated Roads for Growth program
• $6.6 million for the Urban Highway Connector Program  
• $850,000 for the Community Airport Partnership program 
• $530,000 for the Short Line Railway Improvement Program 

The budget once again references the Saskatchewan government’s 10-year Growth Plan, which came out in late 2019 to cover the decade between 2020 and 2030.

The goals listed for highways in that 10-year plan are to build and upgrade 10,000 kilometres of highways, including over 2,000 kilometres of thin membrane surface (TMS) roads, as well as rebuilding 200 bridges and replacing 2,000 culverts. The province maintains over 26,400 kilometres of highways, the largest per capita network in Canada.

During the 2020 construction season, more than 1,030 km of improvements were made. During the second year in the growth plan, the number of kilometres improved was even higher.  

“At the end of 2021, it is expected Saskatchewan will be ahead of schedule with more than 1,350 km of improvements this year, totaling 2,350 km improved by the end of December,” the government stated in a May 2021 news release. That message was repeated in news releases in August 2021 and at the beginning of March 2022. 

The spring and fall tender plans for 2021 contained a combined $242.7 million in new projects. In the 2021 Fall Tender Plan, there was $157.3 million in new highways projects. The 2021 Spring Tender schedule had new projects with an estimated value of $85.4 million.

In May 2020, the province announced a commitment of $2 billion over the course of the next two years towards infrastructure projects throughout the province. Funding worth $300 million was earmarked for highway projects over two years that were to include thin-membrane surface upgrades, passing lanes and improvements to municipal roads and airports.

“When the government talks growth, that’s future-forward talk but their investment is a blast from the past – and not in a good way.”

– Shantel Lipp, President, SHCA

The contribution of SHCA members to the province’s economy and their ability to stimulate Saskatchewan’s economic recovery was outlined by Lipp in the government’s news release about that planned spending.

“Provincial road builders generate more than $5 billion in provincial GDP out of an economy of $73 billion or roughly seven per cent of the total provincial economy,” said Lipp. “We employ close to 30,000 workers, making our industry one of the largest employers in the province. We welcome any move toward maintaining and eventually growing these job numbers to get our economy on track.”

That same year, the province announced a “record $437 million fall tender.” 

A lot has changed in the world since the fall tender. Status quo is not sufficient to ensure Saskatchewan has the good highways needed for trade, Lipp explains, especially now as the province faces an unprecedented demand for agricultural products. The province also acknowledged there is and will be stronger than expected global demand for potash and oil, which is projected to increase its revenue by more than $1 billion.

“We’re missing investment opportunities by not building up our trade capabilities,” said Lipp.

Saskatchewan serves the world through trade and highways are a critical piece of infrastructure to support trade. The Saskatchewan government’s 10-year plan says that “infrastructure is critical to Saskatchewan’s economic success over the next decade and building a better quality of life for Saskatchewan people.”

Highways are referenced in the section in the 10-year plan about “improving Saskatchewan’s export infrastructure to get Saskatchewan products to market.” The plan states that Saskatchewan is the largest per capita exporter in Canada, exporting 70 per cent of what it produces to over 150 countries around the world.

The 10-year plan states that $5.5 billion has been invested in Saskatchewan’s highways since 2007, improving more than 14,000 kilometres of provincial highways with over 3,600 kilometres of repaving. During this period of time, 280 bridges and about 1,500 culverts have been replaced and almost $570 million has been invested in northern highways. 

Sharing news that SHCA members need to know

New board members on the Saskatchewan WCB

The Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) is pleased to welcome two additional part-time board members, Judy Henley and Jack Brodsky, in 2022. They join the WCB’s current full-time board members – chair Gord Dobrowolsky, worker representative Garry Hamblin and employer representative Larry Flowers – to serve the workers and employers of the province.

“We are so pleased to welcome Judy and Jack to the WCB’s board. Their knowledge and expertise will be a great asset to our organization and in turn will benefit our customers, the workers and employers of Saskatchewan,” said Dobrowolsky.

Henley has a wealth of experience in local, provincial and national leadership roles. As a health care worker and member of CUPE 5430 from Melville, she has been active in CUPE since 1985. Having served in many leadership roles within CUPE at the local, provincial and national levels, she also spent 20 years as secretary-treasurer of CUPE Saskatchewan. In 2020, Henley was elected as the new president of the Saskatchewan division of CUPE. She is an active member of the CUPE Local 5430 pension and benefits committee and subcommittees.

Brodsky brings years of experience in construction, leadership, sports and community service. He worked for his family-owned business, Brodsky Construction, for more than two decades in various roles, including part owner. For 37 years, he was a co-owner of the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League. He has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, and is currently a board member of the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association. Since 2014, he has been working with his sons as the vice-president of business development at Brodsky Construction.

“We look forward to the insights that our two new board members will provide,” said Dobrowolsky. “As a board, together we will continue to strengthen our governance.”

This fulfils the changes to Section 4 of the WCB’s legislation, The Workers’ Compensation Act, 2013, to include part-time members on the board. The amendment to expand the board was made in response to a recommendation of the 2015 Committee of Review.

All board members are appointed by the provincial government. The board members ensure a strong governance framework for the WCB. They provide strategic direction to leadership and effective oversight of financial and operational performance. Board members also approve policies, oversee risk management and engage with customers and partners. The full-time board members perform their appeals and adjudicative function.

“We are excited to work with Judy and Jack as a board going forward,” said Dobrowolsky. “Together with our staff and leadership teams, we will continue striving to achieve our vision to eliminate injuries and restore abilities. On behalf of the board, I want to welcome Judy and Jack to our existing board group.”

$9.3 million worth of pavement marking completed

Another successful year of pavement marking has concluded for crews at the Ministry of Highways.

“In 2021–22, the Government of Saskatchewan invested $9.3 million in pavement markings,” said Highways Minister Fred Bradshaw. “This important safety investment provides clear direction for Saskatchewan’s motorists, which helps decrease collisions.”

The reflective pavement marking assists drivers when it’s dark and in poor weather conditions. Between May and December, the crews repainted nearly 21,000 kilometres of centre lines and more than 38,500 kilometres of edge lines on Saskatchewan highways. If all those lines were placed end-to-end, they would be more than long enough to circle the earth.

More than 33,000 pavement signs, including arrows, medians, railroad crossings, bridge markers and crosswalks were also painted this past season.

In total, crews applied more than 1.2 million litres of paint on Saskatchewan highways.

The Ministry of Highways use waterborne or low VOC paint on 70 per cent of centre lines and 90 per cent of shoulder lines. In addition, 1,900 drums of glass beads are added to that paint, which enhances durability and improves visibility at night.

Serious worker injury leads to $70,000 fine for Saskatchewan company

On March 9, 2022, Ryderz Contracting Inc. pleaded guilty in Saskatoon Provincial Court to one violation of occupational health and safety regulations.

The company pleaded guilty to contravening subsection 129(a) of The Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 1996 (being an employer, contractor or owner, fail to ensure that no material or equipment is placed, stacked or stored so as to constitute a hazard to workers, resulting in the serious injury of a worker).

The charge stemmed from a workplace incident that occurred on April 21, 2020, at a worksite in Saskatoon. While loading concrete forms, the form cage tipped over and injured the worker.

As a result of this violation, the Court imposed a fine of $50,000, along with a surcharge of $20,000, for a total amount of $70,000.

Employers are required to provide safe and healthy workplaces, and must provide information, training and experience necessary for employees to perform their jobs safely. For more information about workplace health and safety training and resources, visit www.worksafesask.ca or contact an industry safety association.

The Ministry of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety works with employers and workers to eliminate workplace injuries and illnesses through education, inspections and prosecutions.

New initiative aims to grow Saskatchewan’s helium sector

The Government of Saskatchewan, in partnership with the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC), is accelerating the development of helium processing and liquefaction hubs in the province.

The Ministry of Energy and Resources (ER) will support the SRC with a grant of $140,000 to complete a Helium Liquefaction Hub Study, which will incorporate technical and economic components and provide the critical information needed to develop a commercial scale, value-added, export-oriented helium sector in Saskatchewan.

“We are already home to Canada’s largest purification facility, near Battle Creek, and liquefaction is the crucial next step, as we aim to supply 10 per cent of global helium market share by 2030,” said Energy and Resources Minister Bronwyn Eyre. “Only liquid helium can be exported overseas and as many end-users require liquid helium, a provincial liquefaction facility will improve both the marketability and pricing for Saskatchewan’s significant helium resources.”

Saskatchewan has high helium concentrations and some of the most attractive geology in the world for low-emission helium production. Helium is a highly desirable commodity with no substitute and is used in medical research and diagnostics, semiconductor manufacturing, space exploration, fibre optics, nuclear power generation and other advanced technology sectors.

The ER grant will play a key role in achieving the targets laid out in Saskatchewan’s Helium Action Plan: From Exploration to Exports, expected to produce significant economic benefits for the province, including 15 new helium purification and liquefaction facilities, 500 new permanent jobs and annual helium exports worth more than $500 million.

The Hub Study will bring together helium stakeholders and help provide companies with the information they need to make major investment decisions, including around establishing Saskatchewan as a regional helium liquefaction hub in Western Canada and surrounding U.S. states. The study will also include helium supply volume forecasts from Saskatchewan, neighbouring provinces and states under different market scenarios and a ranking of specific site locations.

Currently, helium is produced and purified in Saskatchewan, but must be sent to the United States for commercial scale liquefaction. Provincial liquefaction will also ensure that end-users in Canada have reliable access to liquid helium for critical equipment such as medical resonance imaging (MRI) machines.

SARM responds to 2022–2023 provincial budget

The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) appreciates this budget’s increased dollars for initiatives and programs that benefit rural Saskatchewan and believes this government is on track despite the deficits incurred in recent years due to the pandemic, weather events and more.

“Road and bridge infrastructure is integral to rural life,” said Ray Orb, president of SARM. Understanding that the bridge infrastructure deficit is growing, and additional investment is critical for Saskatchewan, SARM appreciates the investment to the Rural Integrated Roads for Growth (RIRG) program of $22.5M, including $7.5M in stimulus funding.

“This will help RMs maintain and improve economically strategic municipal roads and bridges that support agriculture, energy, forestry and other rural-based sectors,” said Orb.

The success of Saskatchewan’s agriculture sector is imperative for the province’s economic growth. Agriculture producers in Saskatchewan can take comfort knowing the province is funding the Business Risk Management Programming at $338.5M and enhancing programs like crop insurance (and others) to ensure support will be there when it’s needed. SARM also appreciates the continued investment in irrigation expansion.

As municipal revenue sharing remains a reliable (and preferred) model for funding, one that RMs count on to serve their communities, SARM is disappointed that the funding was decreased for the second budget in a row, reduced to $276M. While increased funding to the municipal revenue sharing is needed, SARM greatly appreciates the continuation of the Targeted Sector Support Funding at $1.5M, money earmarked for capacity building and intermunicipal cooperation.

After the backlog and strain resulting from COVID-19, SARM is very appreciative of the budget focusing on funding and initiatives to improve our overall healthcare system. SARM is pleased with the inclusion of key rural focused initiatives such as physician recruitment, long-term care and funding for more health care programming and services in rural areas.

“Continued investment to reduce rural crime is also welcome news,” said Orb. SARM appreciates the noteworthy investments of $50.7M to create a Provincial Protective Services branch and a $2.5M increase for the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.

With broadband being a service that is essential to the livelihood and economic growth in rural Saskatchewan, SARM hopes the $337M investment in information and communications technology infrastructure will reach rural Saskatchewan to further contribute to a network of reliable and affordable broadband across this province.

Bring an MP to work – Seeking outstanding Saskatchewan projects

Is there a project your firm worked on that showcases innovation or sustainability? Is there one that involved a high level of engineering complexity, addressed environmental and sustainability issues, or that has had a positive social and/or economic benefit to the community? Then share the important story of this project with the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Saskatchewan (ACEC-SK).

A strategic ACEC-SK priority is to raise the profile of the valuable work undertaken by the Saskatchewan consulting engineering industry, to raise awareness of its importance to public health and safety as well as to the economy.

One avenue to do this is to participate in the national “Bring an MP to Work” program. ACEC-SK was very successful in harnessing the power of this program in 2017, and we are exploring how we can do this again.

By taking part, you can showcase your project and raise your firm’s visibility and highlight to elected officials the contribution your team makes to the economy and the social and environmental quality of life of your community. The project can be complete or still in progress.

Send your ideas to events@acec-sk.ca.

New Indigenous community infrastructure initiative financing to support Kahkewistahaw Landing

The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) has achieved financial close on a $15.4 million loan to Kahkewistahaw Business Landing Limited Partnership, wholly owned by Kahkewistahaw First Nation (KFN). The CIB’s investment will accelerate the Kahkewistahaw Landing Infrastructure urban reserve project.

The long-term financing is the CIB’s second opportunity under the Indigenous Community Infrastructure Initiative (ICII) and its first investment in Saskatchewan. The First Nations Bank of Canada and Indigenous Services Canada have also contributed to the project.

The CIB’s investment will be used for enabling infrastructure such as road works, utilities and broadband connectivity. The enabling infrastructure will allow KFN to build a multi-use gathering place that will house: a medical centre providing culturally sensitive social services, commercial and office space, a conference centre and hotel and the headquarters for the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations.

Kahkewistahaw Landing will help foster greater self-sufficiency and independence for First Nation businesses and professionals by improving their access to the provincial business capital of Saskatoon. The investment will benefit the KFN community members and the broader Indigenous population that resides in Saskatoon.

“We are proud of this partnership which will help deliver socio-economic benefits to the Kahkewistahaw community in Saskatoon. This investment is the second of many to come under our Indigenous Community Infrastructure Initiative. We are committed to collaborating with First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities to help develop inclusive and sustainable infrastructure,” said Ehren Cory, the CEO of CIB.

“Investments in infrastructure are essential to support Indigenous self-determination and building strong nations,” said the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services. “Our government is committed to working with Indigenous communities to help close infrastructure gaps by investing in clean water, housing, schools and health facilities that will support on-reserve job creation and promote healthy, safe, and prosperous communities.”

Quick facts

• An urban reserve is defined as land within a city that has been purchased on the open market by a First Nation and granted reserve status by the federal government.
• The CIB has a commitment to invest $35 billion over the long-term across its priority sectors, and within that overall commitment, a target to invest $1 billion in partnership with and for the benefit of Indigenous Peoples.
• Through the ICII, CIB’s investment team will invest in community-based projects that provide a service and a direct benefit to an Indigenous community or communities to help close the infrastructure gap.
• The CIB’s investments are subject to approval by its board of directors. 

As you can imagine, I get excited for the release of the spring tender schedule each year, but when I saw what was contained in the schedule this spring, my enthusiasm cratered.

But as tough as I am finding it to believe there are basically no new projects, I can’t imagine the devastation being felt by those living in the Langenburg/Spy Hill/Rocanville/Moosomin area. There are people in that area who are still grieving nearly a year after a tragic rollover on Highway 8 while they fear for their own safety travelling on it today. 

Two young women, who were a couple of weeks away from graduating from McNaughton High School in Moosomin and were ready to take on the world, were travelling south of Langenburg together on Highway 8 in early May of last year.

After their vehicle left the highway, RCMP were called around 4 p.m. that Thursday to respond.

The officers should not have found what they did that day. Both young women were still in the vehicle. One was taken to hospital with injuries. The other did not survive the crash. She drowned after the vehicle rolled and landed upside down in just inches of water after it left the road. 

In the days following, counsellors were available to students and staff at McNaughton High School. Borderland Co-op in Moosomin, where both young women worked, also provided support for their staff with the food store closing early the day after the crash so employees could grieve.

The incident was investigated by an RCMP Collision Reconstruction Analyst. People in the area, however, thought about the condition of the highway where this occurred and continued their conversations about their own experiences on it as they grieved their loss.

Drivers in that area call Highway 8 treacherous, which is absolutely not an exaggeration after some lost wheels driving it due to the highway’s condition. The pavement is broken up and there is heaving and potholes along it. The narrow road has no shoulders or turning lanes. 

Those turning left off Highway 8 to get to Carlton Lake Regional Park or access one of the secondary grid roads often must come to a full stop on the highway. When farmers or truckers use Highway 8, it becomes impassable for other drivers. But to get to Langenburg, that is the highway you must take – to buy groceries, to make it to medical appointments, to go to school and to get to work among many more necessary daily activities people living there must do. 

People in Saskatchewan are not willing to accept there are limits on what the government can do given the number of kilometers of highway there are in the province to maintain.

Then, there is the economic activity that depends on this pitiful highway. It is a stretch that serves three potash mines (Mosaic K2 and K3 plus Nutrien), two large company farms (Norenda Farms and Hruska Farms), a farm machinery business (Bridgeview Manufacturing) and a canola crushing plant and refinery (Bunge Harrowby across the provincial border in Russell, Man.). 

Think of all the heavy haul trucks and equipment that would travel this highway to serve these businesses!  They rely on that highway, in part, because a section of it links the TransCanada to Highway 16.

Action was needed to ensure something was done to make this highway safe and people living and working in the area stepped up to make this known. People who drive that highway to get to work daily have pressed numerous employees in the Ministry of Highways to improve the safety of Highway 8 south of Langenburg. 

They talked to their MLA, Warren Kaeding, who assured them in November that Highway 8 would be fixed during the 2022 construction season. Yet, where is the project in the spring tender schedule released in late March?

Highway 8 was built in 1965 for primary weight at that time and has not seen a significant upgrade since then. People in the Langenburg/Spy Hill/Rocanville/Moosomin area have contacted Premier Scott Moe, Highways Minister Fred Bradshaw and their MLA, Warren Kaeding, to have it explained to them why they have been ignored in this spring tender. 

I want to elevate their concerns by sharing them with you to press the provincial government as well. This is a prime example of why it is unacceptable for the Saskatchewan government to keep repeating what it has spent on highways in recent years. People in Saskatchewan are not willing to accept there are limits on what the government can do given the number of kilometers of highway there are in the province to maintain. 

There is still so much to be done to ensure that people travelling through Saskatchewan are safe as they work to grow this province’s economic output and transport what we produce to the world. Their children should have safe highways to travel on to get to school and their activities. This is not the time for the government to rest on its laurels as families worry and those in businesses stress about travel close to home.