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Indigenous students are an important part of Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s community

Saskatchewan Polytechnic is committed to the renewal of relationships — miyo wahkohtowin — with our Indigenous communities. Since 2013, Sask Polytech has celebrated Indigenous student success every month by sharing a role model story on its annual calendar, on saskpolytech.ca and through social media. Over the years, the school has shared more than 100 Indigenous student success stories, including some about Indigenous students and graduates in the heavy construction industry. 

These stories recognize the importance of Indigenous peoples throughout Sask Polytech, within our home communities and to Saskatchewan’s economy.

Take father and daughter duo, Dave Martin and Desireé Martin, from Moose Jaw. As a child, Desireé remembers being at her father’s Sask Polytech convocation ceremony and thinking to herself, “I’m going to be up there one day.” She realized that goal in 2020, graduating with her own welding certificate.

The journey hasn’t always been easy for the Métis woman. “I struggled with personal issues, but the impetus for me to overcome them was so I could be well, and do well in my program. I used all the Sask Polytech services I needed to succeed. I’ve grown so much as a person in my time here,” said Desireé.

She has a good role model in her dad, Dave Martin, who enrolled in welding apprenticeship training with the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC) when he was 38 years old.

“I wanted to show my children that you just never give up,” Dave said recently. 

It’s not easy to focus on schoolwork when you’re raising a family. But he was determined to set an example for his kids. Dave went on to get his Interprovincial Red Seal ticket and has worked in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. 

“If I could go back in time, I would have started at Sask Polytech sooner rather than wait until my late thirties. But I also tell people that you never stop learning—I learn something new every day,” said Dave.

“Nobody can stop you from following your dreams,” added Desireé. “Hard work pays off; the harder you work, the better the results.”

Billy Jean Cote, from Cote First Nation, also pursued her welding certificate at Sask Polytech. Talking with her adult education instructor at Parkland College one day, Cote remembers her saying that her experience at Sask Polytech was one to remember. That sounded encouraging, so she began exploring the various programs offered at Sask Polytech before enrolling in the welding program. 

Cote also signed up for the summer transition program, which took place a week before the start of the fall semester. “The summer transition program is my favourite memory,” she recalled. “I met a lot of people and got a lot of information about Sask Polytech.” 

As her program got underway, Cote was happy to see all the student support services available. “I liked having help to pursue my goal,” she said. “The instructors were really nice and tried their best to help in any area I was having trouble with.” 

Welding is a one-year certificate program with a focus on practical learning. Cote spent almost 75 per cent of her time in the shop, learning hands-on from experienced instructors. That inspired her to set a goal of working for Seaspan, a marine business that operates shipyards, ferries, tugs and barges on the West Coast. 

Cote has some inspiring words for anyone starting out on their educational journey: “Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. Look at the sunny side of everything and stay optimistic. Believe in yourself. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle. Never give up. You’ll thank yourself one day.” 

Sask Polytech’s Indigenous Student Success Strategy is an institution-wide strategy to provide Indigenous students with a variety of services that enhance the learning experience and remove barriers to success. As part of the strategy, Sask Polytech has reserved seats in all programs and 200-plus student awards for Indigenous pupils. Advisers and coordinators are available to help students settle into school life. 

To learn more about Sask Polytech’s Indigenous student supports, visit saskpolytech.ca/indigenous. 

CCA priorities include strategic investment in infrastructure, workforce development and changes to procurement

There is no debate. The infrastructure we design, build and maintain must anticipate a rapidly changing world, where future climate, technologies and social needs will be very different from today. But to achieve this, we need a considered and co-ordinated plan backed by a long-term investment strategy.

Infrastructure enables trade, powers businesses, connects workers to their jobs, creates opportunities for communities and protects the nation from an increasingly unpredictable natural environment. It also supports workers, providing millions of jobs each year in building, design and maintenance, accounting for over 1.4 million jobs in Canada.

As the industry’s national advocate, the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has been working to ensure the federal government understands the importance of fair and transparent procurement, consistent and sufficient investment in infrastructure, and attracting a skilled workforce.

These issues are CCA priorities for 2022. They were already raised with key elected parliamentarians during our annual Hill Day on Nov. 30, and in our response to the federal government’s National Infrastructure Assessment. Our united industry reinforced 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 fair procurement.

Investing in infrastructure will secure Canada’s growth economy

Setting national goals around building sustainability into our infrastructure is key to our future economy. The economy needs reliable infrastructure to connect supply chains and efficiently move goods and services across borders. The funds must be predictable, flow quickly and be aligned with provincial, municipal and Indigenous needs.

The creation of an independent advisory body can align governments at the provincial and municipal level to address infrastructure deficits across Canada. The stability of having multi-year project pipelines, based on evidence and independent expert advice, would also enable the development of the necessary skilled workforce and encourage private sector investment.

Supporting value and innovation through fair and transparent procurement

With productivity and sustainability issues on the rise, including net zero carbon targets and shortages in material and labour affecting profit margins, now is the time to modernize procurement practices. To build the infrastructure needed across the country and recruit the workforce of the future, federal procurement strategies need to adapt to encourage innovation, account for long-term value and sustainability, promote the use of alternative delivery models and support shared risk.

Building the workforce of the future

The construction industry is facing a serious workforce shortage that will impact our progress on building for the future. Skilled tradespeople cannot be created overnight. Now is the time to focus on building workforce capacity and boosting skilled training programs.

A strong federal partner is also needed to help the industry recruit, train and retain tomorrow’s workforce. Applying quotas when the workforce simply does not exist will not solve the root issues. Instead, the industry must be seen as a career of choice, particularly among underrepresented groups. This can be achieved through partnership between industry and government, including funding for CCA’s Talent Fits Here campaign and programs that support building workforce capacity.

Setting national goals around building sustainability into our infrastructure is key to our future economy.

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 to 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, by following @ConstructionCAN on Twitter, or by looking up Canadian Construction Association on LinkedIn.

Please email me at mvanburen@cca-acc.com if you have any feedback or comments on how CCA can serve you better.

Shared wisdom to help your company successfully recruit and retain a culturally diverse workforce 

Employers are beginning to hire more Indigenous employees. More Indigenous people are obtaining post-secondary education and training. This combination would suggest an expanding middle class of Indigenous people with disposable income. This fast-growing demographic presents businesses with a new market to access for growth opportunities.

Whether you are engaging the Indigenous community for purely business reasons, or if you want to be more inclusive, the following lists can help your organization learn from others who have done this successfully.

In 2018, Workplace Strategies for Mental Health consulted with Indigenous experts and elders from across the country to learn how to better support the recruitment and retention of Indigenous employees. What follows is the wisdom that was shared.

Pre-planning – be ready to do it right

• Establish a concrete business case for proactively including more employees from the Indigenous community. A short-term philanthropic endeavour is less likely to be sustainable.
• Be aware of making assumptions – knowing enough about the Indigenous community to think you understand, but not enough to know you’re wrong. Understanding the Indigenous demographic involves a host of cultural nuances that will prevent slotting a “square into a circle.”
• Building trust at the outset is crucial. Expect the default mindset could be one of mistrust when engaging with any new community or culture. Ask from the outset what your organization can do to demonstrate trustworthiness. This is not a business-to-business endeavour. It is your business interacting with a specific community/culture.

Understand the culture

• Seek guidance from an elder to help with your planning and strategy. Explore options to keep the elder on as a support for other Indigenous employees going forward. They can help by being available to talk, supporting solutions and bringing a healthy spirit into the workplace.
• Draw up a proposed agreement/plan/strategy and share with the Indigenous community for consultation and consent. Be prepared to adapt.
• Consider mutually beneficial partnership agreements with Indigenous community stakeholders such as recruitment firms or training providers. Learn what mutually beneficial means to them before offering a proposal.
• Anticipate any systemic barriers such as how and where you recruit and try to remove or mitigate them in advance. See challenges as opportunities to learn.
• Clearly communicate your plan to existing employees and unions in advance.
• Consult naysayers to ensure the widest possible consensus on your strategy. Including them internally and externally can be difficult, but rewarding.
• Avoid having any outreach seen as potentially negative by being proactive in using cultural awareness training and Indigenous teachings for leaders to help uncover do’s and don’ts.
• Be careful of a one-size-fits-all approach. Every community is different. Every company is different.

Getting started

• Start small (one or two new recruits) to work out any challenges and then build on your successes.
• Consider potential job openings and review your current hiring criteria. Determine what is absolutely necessary for the job. Specifically, look for where life experience or soft skills can be equivalent to formal education and adjust your criteria accordingly.
• Indigenize content such as job descriptions, outreach and awareness to be more relevant. Get help from someone within the community.
• Contract with a recruiting organization within the Indigenous community to help identify qualified candidates as they relate to your specific organizational needs. Ask this organization to provide help and guidance, especially around cultural nuances.
• Sponsor a pre-employment session in which each potential candidate would get an understanding of the essential skills required as well as the organization’s demands, culture and norms. This can help manage expectations and improve the fit between applicants and your organization.
• Begin a youth internship program to help increase exposure to community members for existing employees while helping Indigenous youth learn about the workplace.
• Offer an interview opportunity to all Indigenous community members who attend your job fair. This could provide a valued experience for both the interviewers and interviewees.

Set new employees up for success

• Set up regular and consistent communication touchpoints so that there is ongoing discussion among all stakeholders. Ensure that after each discussion, all stakeholders share the same understanding of what was decided.
• Include land acknowledgement in orientation to demonstrate understanding and respect for cultural history and demonstrate an act towards reconciliation.
• Make the orientation comprehensive, fun and dynamic.
• Complete the orientation promptly after hiring to support employee engagement and effectiveness.
• Ensure the orientation builds trust by getting to know each employee from the start.
• Explicitly explain to each new hire why their job is important and how it contributes to the organizational goals.
• Make sure your organization’s mission and values are clearly reflected in the orientation and in the actual work itself.
• Provide a specific explanation of how a violation of organizational values will be addressed.
• Be clear about what is appropriate in terms of grooming, clothing and use of workspace.
• Discuss the process for discipline and how to avoid it, as well as who can support them should it happen.
• Talk specifically about integrity. Explain how involving others in taking sides can make things much worse. Ensure everyone knows who they should go to when they need help with resolving a work issue.
• Explicitly share how to speak up respectfully about any issue to mitigate fear of coming forward for help or concerns.
• Create a culture of “trial and learning” rather than “trial and error.” Set the expectation that we can always learn to do better.
• Teach problem solving and critical thinking to all new hires. Guide people to make sound decisions and recognize when they need to check in with others. Make this objective rather than personal.
• Seek out experts from the Indigenous community to help your organization support and encourage employees.
• Check in regularly on new hires for at least six months as part of the orientation.
• Match each employee with a mentor (Indigenous or not) who is sincere, respectful and patient. Allow time for weekly check-ins between mentor and employee.
• Each employee should be supported to be successful on the job in a way that works for them.

Think about your management approaches

• Be patient and friendly. Build trust by taking things slowly, day by day. Start with “Hi” and build to “How are you?” Keep trying and follow through.
• Consider cultural differences that may be seen as disrespectful, such as prolonged eye contact or raising your voice.
• Identify barriers to learning. Ask the individual how they learn best.
• Look at accommodations related to trauma and distress. Don’t presume to know what is needed. Ask, where do we go from here?
• Consider the different cultural approaches to career advancement. Some may not ask for a promotion, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t interested.
• Ask each employee what they see as their future role to understand their motivations.
• Consider their preferred type of recognition. This can include sweet grass pins, food or a simple thank you.
• Consider different perspectives to demonstrate respect and acceptance. For example, if someone’s auntie passes away, they may not technically be entitled to bereavement leave. But if the auntie was integral to their life, an exception could be made. Be open to listening and understanding.

Engage with the community, learn from that interaction and ask how you can support success for each employee.

Consider your organizational culture

• Include cultural awareness and inclusivity training for all employees. This could include field activities such as sweat lodge ceremonies, medicine walks, or Indigenous crafts or teachings.
• Consider offering remote training for those who live on reserves or other remote locations.
• Ensure discipline is fair and consistent for all, regardless of gender, ethnicity or any other characteristics.
• Require your employee and family benefit provider to offer counsellors who are particularly effective and sensitive for Indigenous employees.
• Consider Indigenous strategies to help support success such as a quiet room, sharing circles, clearing the air and smudging.
• Review some of the Indigenous teachings for leaders.
• Encourage mindfulness and positive intention among all employees.
• Become familiar with the culturally sensitive supports and resources available from within your employees’ Indigenous community before they are needed. This can include elders, counsellors and agencies.
• Be mindful of “tokenism,” which The Free Dictionary defines as “the practice of hiring or appointing a token number of people from underrepresented groups in order to deflect criticism or comply with affirmative action rules.”

This list is not exhaustive, nor is it necessary to include every idea. The most important advice is to engage with the community, learn from that interaction and ask how you can support success for each employee. 

This article was adapted from content prepared by Workplace Strategies for Mental Health. It is reprinted with permission.

CEO of Heavy Construction Safety Association of Saskatchewan counts ongoing industry support as key to organization’s success

Thomas Archer has no words when asked to describe the industry support he receives for advancing road construction safety.

Archer has been the CEO of the Heavy Construction Safety Association of Saskatchewan (HCSAS) since July. Since then, he has experienced again and again how employers and employees – in what the Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) classifies as road construction – react to the safety training, programming and advice that his association offers.

“I find the support that the heavy construction sector gives us (at HCSAS) is really amazing,” said Archer. “Anytime anyone asks me, ‘How do you like it at HCSAS?’, I can‘t even put it into words properly.”

Valuing safe and healthy workplaces

It’s clear to Archer how important safe and healthy workplaces are to those in the heavy construction industry. He said members’ support of HCSAS goes far beyond funding the association through the premiums they pay to WCB, which form a grant provided to the association.

“We have members that will allow us to come onto their business and their property,” said Archer. “They allow us to use their equipment for powered mobile equipment training. We have members who have dug and created confined space educational pieces for us on their property.”

The HCSAS offers a lot of practical hands-on training as well as theoretical instruction, which members welcome.

“The engagement we have with the membership is pretty amazing and the fact that they want to get involved and take part and contribute is just incredible,” said Archer, who worked for the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association earlier in his career as well as the Saskatchewan Interactive Media Association.

Industry-designed safety support

The HCSAS is one of seven safety associations in Saskatchewan. These associations were organized and sponsored by employers who fall within different industry rate codes assigned by the Saskatchewan WCB. Their goal is to promote injury prevention and workplace safety through education and other initiatives. Those in Class R, which is known as Road Construction, sponsor the HCSAS.

Class R includes workers doing earthmoving, paving, dam construction, dredging, excavation, gravel work, landscaping, trenching, line construction for power and telephone, snow removal, land clearing, pipeline construction, building moving, demolition and more.

Those working in the businesses that make up the industry thoroughly understand their operations. This familiarity is important, as it allows them to identify hazards in their workplaces that could lead to injuries.

However, not every member of HCSAS has employees performing the exact same type of duties, which means not all face the same hazards. For example, the hazards involved in working on a power pole high off the ground can be different than they are for someone hauling gravel or aggregate to a site.

“What we do is we teach people how to identify the hazards that are in the scope of work that they do,” said Archer.

“We educate them on how to identify hazards, what the legislation might be around those hazards and how to mitigate those hazards.”

Training enhances an employee’s ability to detect what puts them – and others on a particular worksite – at risk of injury. They can better scan their environment, identify and consider the risks, and make adjustments to reduce the likelihood of an injury.

Connected to industry needs

The connection HCSAS has to industry remains strong because of how the association is structured. It, like all the safety associations in Saskatchewan, is a not-for-profit organization. It is governed by a board composed of workers and Class R employers.

Board members approve the HCSAS’s strategic plan and budget, as well as associated grant requests. They oversee operational activities, evaluate the effectiveness of the association’s programs and initiatives, and are 100 per cent accountable to their association membership.

HCSAS also stays connected to its members through its program consultants – based in the northern and southern parts of the province – who promote the safety culture. The program consultants stay in contact with members to promote HCSAS’s three main service streams: advice, education and programs.

These consultants go to members’ worksites to discuss safety. They are welcomed because they are there to educate and advise, not to penalize. They promote training through classes related to specific subjects, such as supervising other workers, hoisting and rigging, working as a flag person, ground disturbance and more.

They also encourage people to pursue safety certifications through HCSAS programs. The Certificate of Recognition (COR) provides the knowledge and tools needed to develop a recognized workplace health and safety system. Through HCSAS programming, there is also the opportunity for employees who have met the minimum standard in their safety knowledge and experience to be designated a National Construction Safety Officer (NCSO) or a National Health & Safety Administrator (NHSA).

Continuous improvement through connection

While there is a lot of activity already underway, Archer said work is being done to further enhance HCSAS’s connection to industry. New platforms are being tested and embraced to increase communication and share knowledge. Some of this was prompted by the pandemic, which reduced travel by the program consultants and encouraged the use of technology to deliver training. But the interest in an even greater connection is also due to a desire for continued improvement.

“We‘ll be doing a lot more engagement around getting the membership’s expertise and bringing that to the table, too. That‘s really important to find out what our members need and from there, how we are going to develop the courses or take the courses we already have and make them even better,” said Archer.

Within the industry, he sees how the support for safe operations goes beyond what is shown to the HCSAS. Companies themselves share what they have learned about hazards and what can be done to reduce incidents and accidents.

“From what I‘ve seen so far, they talk to each other a lot and they help each other out and they share information,” said Archer. “I think that‘s really amazing, for a sector to take a look and see what‘s going on in the ecosystem and help each other out.”

Proving improvements

Data is an important tool to identify safety trends. The HCSAS can help employers learn how to track their safety data, such as injury numbers.

“We try to help people become aware of what that data says about how you manage your organization – and then look for trends in safety,” said Archer.

That data can help an employer identify how its own safety record is changing over time, in response to improvements and setbacks in addressing hazards.

The HCSAS can also help employers understand how their safety record compares to others in the industry. It has access to confidential data that indicates injury trends within the R11 rate code. Those numbers can point the HCSAS to opportunities for improvement in the industry through risk management, including training.

Overall, Archer said the data on injury rates shows improvement.

“Our injury rates are going down. Where our injury rates have been going over the years is down and, again, that’s credited to the industry for participating in safety and becoming more aware.”

In WCB’s latest annual report, it shows that the rate code R11, which is road construction and earthwork, saw its total injury rate fall once again in 2020. In 2016, it was 5.91 per 100 workers; while in 2020, it came in at 4.48. The time loss injury rate for that same code has also declined since 2016.

Concern for others drives safety

Archer knows most people in the industry take safety seriously – not because they are compelled to do so and not because they are driven by facts and figures, but because they care about the well-being of their co-workers and employees.

However, there are other benefits that make safety good for business, such as procurement requirements. Governments and others procuring the services of HCSAS members require those bidding on work to show they are mitigating risks by being safe.

“It gives you a little bit of a leg up against your competitors when you have a really good safety program and can show you understand how to manage risk,” said Archer.

While this is beneficial, Archer does not think it is the main motivation for employers.

“The owners I‘ve met so far do care about their workers and they want to make sure that they go home safe, especially when they‘re working with big equipment or if they‘re working with power lines. Those are high risk activities and we’re a high-risk industry.”

Reducing unnecessary pain and suffering is a primary goal of HCSAS and Archer said many association members are driven by the same goal. 

With an economic ‘super cycle’ on the horizon, the proposed Saskatchewan Workforce Retention Program could help address the provincial labour shortage

Jobs are going unfilled in Saskatchewan and a solution is being proposed to help relieve the strain on employers, as major projects move ahead in the province and workplaces adapt through a pandemic.

Saskatchewan recorded a peak number of job vacancies in the second quarter of this year. Between April and June, Statistics Canada figures show there were 16,990 positions that went unfilled.

Some point to the federal government’s pandemic income support programs for individuals as causing the issue. These programs were meant to provide emergency income to Canadians impacted by COVID-19 and to, early on, address the jobs being lost to the pandemic. But there is a labour shortage around the world and it is coinciding with an elevated unemployment rate, suggesting there is more to the situation.

Pressure on Saskatchewan employers

While economists, human resource specialists and others try to figure out exactly what is occurring, employers in the province have work that needs to be done if they are to capitalize on opportunities.

“Saskatchewan seems to be heading into an economic super cycle with a lot of projects on the horizon,” said Andrew Williams, who conceived an employer support program he’d like to see the provincial government create. He is the chairman of the Saskatoon and Region Homebuilders Association and CEO of North Prairie Developments.

More than $10 billion in major projects have been announced for the province, including some of the largest investments ever made in Saskatchewan. BHP’s Jansen S1 potash project, the new canola crush facilities announced by Viterra, Ceres Global Ag and Cargill, as well as the expansion by Richardson, the Red Leaf Pulp wheat straw mill and nearly $1 billion in forestry development at Prince Albert are a few of the immediate projects that will demand a strong workforce.

While construction is one of the sectors in Saskatchewan that recorded the largest number of job vacancies in the second quarter of the year, other sectors have even more jobs to fill – accommodation and food services, retail trade and health care and social assistance. There are many jobs in these sectors that do not require workers with post-secondary training.

Williams would like to see the province offer a new income tax incentive – to be called the Saskatchewan Workforce Retention Program – that would encourage people to choose to live and work in Saskatchewan for a number of years.

Before explaining the details of what he is proposing, let’s take a look at what is happening in the Saskatchewan labour market.

“That’s really been the issue, that the marketplace had a lot of pent-up demand, so we need more workers.”

– Paul Martin

What is happening in Saskatchewan’s labour market?

Ahead of the pandemic, in October 2019, Saskatchewan’s unemployment rate was at 5.3 per cent with 32,100 looking for work. A year later, when the Canadian Economic Recovery Benefit (CERB) ended, unemployment was up year-over-year. The unemployment rate was at 6.7 per cent with 39,900 unemployed.

This year in October, as the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) and the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB) ended, the unemployment rate looked slightly better than a year ago. It was at 6.2 per cent with 37,200 seeking a job.

“Why do we have great shortages when we had low unemployment or pretty much full employment going into the pandemic?” asked Paul Martin, who has been working with Williams to promote the concept of the Saskatchewan Workforce Retention Program.

“Coming out the back end of the pandemic, all of a sudden there are great gaps, and so the great gap suggests to me this is about growing demand. That’s really been the issue, that the marketplace had a lot of pent-up demand, so we need more workers.”

Where are the workers?

The number of jobs going unfilled in Saskatchewan is higher this year than in 2019. What about the number of workers in the province? How has that changed since 2019?

The number of working-age people in Saskatchewan went down in that time. Statistics Canada population estimates show 4,772 fewer in 2021 compared to 2019. (That age demographic peaked in 2019 after 20 years of growth in Saskatchewan.)

So where are those people? Some moved to other provinces. Since 2013/14, Saskatchewan has been losing more people of all ages than it gains, as they move to other provinces.

However, the flow of people in and out of the province was altered during the pandemic as travel became complicated. Net interprovincial migration was down in 2020/21 with Saskatchewan losing 9,410 compared to 11,412 in 2019/20, according to Statistics Canada.

Fewer immigrants made their way to Saskatchewan during the pandemic compared to the year before it began. There were 7,321 immigrants in 2020/21 compared to 13,369 in 2019/20, which is down from the 2015/16 peak seen over the last 20 years.

The labour force is made up of those working and those looking for work in the province. Saskatchewan’s estimated labour force contracted by about 6,800 people between October 2019 and the same month in 2021, according to Statistics Canada. Meanwhile, the agency’s figures show 5,100 more people were looking for work in October 2021 than in October 2019.

The number of people working in the province has not reached the levels seen in 2019. There were 14,500 fewer people holding a job in Saskatchewan in October 2021 compared to two years earlier. The number of payroll employees was down compared to two years ago. In the second quarter of 2021, there were 13,720 fewer compared to the same quarter two years earlier.

Those whose work requires professional designations and takes place in an office setting are also seeing a labour shortage, but it is less severe.

“At this point, the conversation is really being directed towards industry associations that have a lot of employees doing general labour,” said Martin. “That’s anyone in the building realm, from general construction through to road and infrastructure building, to those in the hospitality sector as well as in trucking.

He continued: “One of the great mysteries is where did all those people go? What are they doing? This is all symptomatic of what is being called the great resignation. People are rethinking their whole career plan.”

The proposed Saskatchewan Workforce Retention Program would benefit new workers entering the workforce or seasoned workers re-entering it.

Pandemic income support programs

Some question if people are getting by on the pandemic income support programs rather than taking a job.

Federal government figures show how many applied to those programs, but those numbers do not show how long or how many times those applicants relied on those programs.

The first such program was CERB. The prime minister announced it just days after the World Health Organization declared the pandemic in mid-March 2020. It provided income to those who were out of work, had their work hours reduced or had to care for someone because of COVID-19.

CERB ended in early October 2020. In that time, Saskatchewan had 241,650 total unique applicants for the program.

When the federal government announced a package of programs to replace CERB in October 2020, it said the Canadian economy had recovered 100 per cent of the jobs lost to the pandemic.

That package included the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) as well as the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit (CRCB) and the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit (CRSB). More people qualified for those than CERB, such as those who are self-employed and gig workers.

Those programs ended in late October 2021. In the year that they existed, Saskatchewan had 56,330 total unique applicants for CRB. To qualify for CRB, you had to be looking for work and not refuse reasonable work.

What employers need now

“Programs that support those facing barriers to employment so they can be overcome are important,” said Williams, “but it takes time for the benefits to be realized by employers. People need to be trained and gain experience, which can take years.”

The need for a quick fix led Williams to think about how skilled and experienced people could be encouraged to live and work in Saskatchewan and stay there longer. For example, in the building industry, he saw employees reaching retirement age and leaving the workforce.

“I wondered if they could be incentivized to stay for a few more years if given a tax break,” said Williams. Gaining a few more years of their labour could help bridge the gap.

Retaining and attracting skilled and experienced people is also important to at least narrow the gap. In the past, Williams had witnessed people leaving the province for careers elsewhere in Canada, and he was keenly aware of the Graduate Retention Program (GRP). Launched in 2008, it provides tax rebates of up to $20,000 to post-secondary graduates who live and file an income tax return in Saskatchewan.

Williams thought there would be a benefit to expanding that type of program to include more than post-secondary graduates. The proposed Saskatchewan Workforce Retention Program would benefit new workers entering the workforce or seasoned workers re-entering it. Those workers could be in Saskatchewan now or move here.

To be eligible, the new workers would need to commit to working and remaining in Saskatchewan for five years. In year four and five of living here, they would qualify for a $10,000 tax break for each of those years.

Bringing this proposal to the province

Williams brought the idea to the Saskatoon and Region Homebuilders Association to get it rolling. Now, it is time to see what others think. Industry associations are being approached with this concept to begin creating a coalition with a common voice.

“Government is going to have to decide whether it can salute this, but industry has said: ‘We have a problem. We don‘t have to reinvent the wheel to deal with it. Let‘s just expand the wheel. We think extending the Graduate Retention Program, which has proven to be productive and effective, is one of the solutions to the labour shortage – or at least part of the solution,’” he said.

The provincial government is being encouraged to recognize how the province as a whole can benefit from this idea.

“The more horsepower we have in the province, the more activity we generate, so this will create more investment in Saskatchewan. People will want to build more, so there is a benefit to government,” said Martin.

“The government will make more revenue if we get more people working for a longer period of time. They pay more taxes – sales tax and income tax – so the province is a recipient of that.

“It‘s revenue today for the government, who will pay out later.”

To work, a program like this requires commitment from employers as well as employees and government. Jobs that offer years of employment need to be created.

Saskatchewan will need to move quickly to address this labour shortage. This province is not the only jurisdiction in the world facing a shortage of workers and the province is already dealing with more people leaving than arriving. Expanding an existing program to quickly address the labour problem makes sense, believes Martin, at a time when so much about labour has become uncertain. 

In this issue of Think BIG, we are featuring Kelly Rann, Saskatoon Branch Manager and Corporate Sales Manager at EMSCO, a provider of heavy equipment rentals, sales, parts and service. The company has extensive experience in the heavy construction, pipeline and road building industries. 

A native of North Battleford, Rann got his start in heavy construction as an operator with P&E Logging in Glaslyn, which sponsored him to get his heavy duty apprenticeship. Think BIG caught up with Rann to hear more about his career, his personal definition of happiness and his real life heroes. 

Tell us about your career history.

Kelly Rann: After P&E Logging, I moved to Alberta to work with Finning as a resident field tech in Peace River for two years. Next, I moved to Cold Lake and spent five years with Finning, followed by three years with Site Energy Services as an equipment foreman, helping to manage fleet maintenance repairs and costs. I moved back to Saskatchewan in 2014 and worked in sales with Winacott Equipment to promote the Hyundai construction lineup. Finally, I moved over to EMSCO Heavy Equipment in 2020 with the Hyundai line and took on the branch manager role in Saskatoon.

What’s the best piece of business or career advice you have been given?

KR: I have always been told to be a good listener: Listen to your client and their needs, and adapt to your client without changing your company philosophy entirely.

What’s your favourite thing about Saskatchewan and working in the industry?

KR: I love the relationships that still exist here. In this industry, so much can be done electronically without contact, but here in Saskatchewan people still enjoy the personal relationships that are built over time.

How long have you been a member of the SHCA? 

KR: Between Winacott and EMSCO, I have been a member since 2015.

What is your idea of perfect happiness? 

KR: A balance of family, work and recreation. It would be ideal to have a fulfilling career that leaves you ample family time and recreational time to de-stress and enjoy the simple things in life.

What do you consider your greatest achievement? 

KR: My greatest achievement is my family. My wife and children keep me driven every day, watching my kids grow up and being there for them. Being supportive of my wife’s career and achievements is rewarding in itself.

What is your favourite occupation? 

KR: I love what I do, but I think it would be amazing to be a professional fisherman, either a pro angler in a tournament circuit or a guide. Being on the water is very relaxing to me.

 

Who are your heroes in real life? 

KR: My heroes are my parents, my wife and my grandfather. My parents have been my biggest fans, my wife has always supported me in my career ventures, and my grandfather was one of my biggest role models as he was also a mechanic by trade.

What is your greatest regret? 

KR: My greatest regret is not spending more time with certain people in my life. We get so busy with day-to-day business and activities that we forget about the small things. COVID gave us that reality back, but truthfully it’s going to be a hard balance now that things are closer to normal. It will take more dedication to make the small things a priority. 

Sharing news that SHCA members need to know

New Legislation Will Protect Contractors From Payment Delays

On March 1, 2022, The Builders’ Lien (Prompt Payment) Amendment Act, 2019 will be proclaimed into force in Saskatchewan.

“This government is committed to supporting the construction industry,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Gordon Wyant said. “These changes will ensure the prompt payment of contractors and subcontractors and will enable parties to resolve issues quickly and without added costs – which in turn will help projects move forward without delays.”

This new provincial legislation will protect and define the rights and obligations of owners, developers, contractors and subcontractors by establishing reasonable payment timelines for construction projects and introducing an interim adjudication process as an alternative to arbitration and litigation.

The payment timelines will mandate that owners and developers provide payment within 28 days of receiving a proper invoice for construction services. Contractors will have seven days to provide payment to subcontractors after receiving a payment from the owner or developer.

The new adjudication process under the Act will enable parties to seek interim resolution for disputed payments. It will be overseen by the Saskatchewan Construction Dispute Resolution Office (SCDRO), a not-for-profit corporation designated by the Minister to act as the official Adjudication Authority. The SCDRO will work with the ADR Institute of Saskatchewan Inc. to provide trained, independent adjudicators for disputes under the process.

These changes are similar to amendments recently introduced in several other Canadian jurisdictions, such as Ontario and Nova Scotia.

For a legal perspective on this legislation, see our story on page 47 of this magazine.

Brandt Completes Cervus Deal, Creates International Equipment Dealer Powerhouse

Brandt Tractor Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Brandt Group of Companies, acquired Cervus Equipment Corp. following a 97.66 per cent endorsement for the deal in an Oct. 12, 2021 vote by Cervus shareholders. The transaction sees publicly-traded Cervus transition to 100 per cent private ownership in an all-cash deal. 

The landmark transaction creates Canada’s largest-ever equipment dealer network, adding 64 agriculture, transportation and material handling equipment locations to Brandt’s existing John Deere Construction and Forestry dealerships across Canada. When fully integrated, it will give Cervus’s customers access to Brandt’s extensive national parts and technical support infrastructure. 

The purchase further establishes the firm’s position as a premier privately held Canadian company and the largest John Deere dealership in the world. 

“The addition of Cervus’s branch network is a big win for customers in all of the affected markets,” said Brandt owner and CEO, Shaun Semple. “We’ve got a lot to offer and we’re ready to roll up our sleeves and earn the loyalty of our new customers through a combination of premium products and services and a consistent, high-quality customer support experience.” 

The deal gives Brandt unparalleled market penetration, expanding its geographical footprint and enabling the company to add, in select markets, John Deere agricultural equipment; Peterbilt transportation equipment; and Clark, Sellick, JLG, Baumann and other material handling equipment in addition to their already-impressive list of products and services. 

With the acquisition of the Cervus locations in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Brandt now owns and operates 120 full-service equipment dealerships with an additional 50-plus service points and employs over 5,100 people. 

The transaction will make a significant impact across the industry as the company rolls out plans to introduce expanded parts inventories, service department capacities and extended hours of operation at the former Cervus dealerships. As operations are integrated, staffing in these locations is expected to increase by up to 40 per cent, with significant new facility construction across the entire network. 

“Cervus staff, customers and their communities will all benefit from this acquisition through a stronger, more diversified network of support dealerships,” concluded Semple. “Brandt is fully committed to ongoing investment in business infrastructure and community enhancement; there is tremendous opportunity for everyone in this deal.” 

The transaction officially closed on Oct. 22, 2021. 

Saskatchewan Announces $2.5 Million for Re-Skill Saskatchewan Training Subsidy

On Dec. 9, the Government of Saskatchewan announced the launch of the Re-Skill Saskatchewan Training Subsidy (RSTS), a new temporary program that provides financial support for the development of a skilled workforce to support Saskatchewan’s post-pandemic economic recovery. 

“With major job gains and a low unemployment rate, Saskatchewan’s economy continues on a strong path to economic recovery,” Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said. “The Re-Skill Saskatchewan Training Subsidy, along with other recently announced programs, will help further strengthen our labour force as the provincial economy continues to grow.”

The new RSTS is modelled after the former Re-Open Saskatchewan Training Subsidy, which was introduced in June 2020 as an emergency response to help employers impacted by the pandemic. The new RSTS will support economic recovery efforts and reimburse eligible private-sector employers 100 per cent of employee training costs up to a maximum of $5,000 per business. Applications to the program will be open starting Jan. 4, 2022.

For more information, employers can visit www.saskatchewan.ca/training-subsidy, call 306-964-1005 for Saskatoon and area or 306-787-4677 for Regina and area, or email cansaskjobgrant@gov.sk.ca.

Saskatchewan Announces $4.38 Million for Skills Training Programs

On Nov. 29, the Government of Saskatchewan announced funding of approximately $4.38 million for the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC) and several other training institutions to deliver training programs that will continue to grow a skilled workforce in Saskatchewan.

This funding will allow these institutions to expand their skills training programs in the construction, welding and health care sectors to help meet the labour needs of businesses. It also supports key actions of the Saskatchewan Growth Plan to ensure under-represented groups are enabled to participate in the economy.

“Saskatchewan is making significant investments in training our provincial workforce as we enter a period of strong growth coming out of the pandemic,” Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said. “This funding will prioritize training for individuals who are under-represented in the workforce, it will promote a more diverse and inclusive workforce, and it will grow the number of skilled workers in high-demand occupations in communities across Saskatchewan.” 

Several of these new training opportunities will be targeted at Indigenous individuals and will be delivered through partnerships between training institutions and the communities. The expansion of the Tiny House Project is one such project, and will provide Indigenous apprentices with work experiences, while working towards their journeyperson certificates by building small, modular houses in their local communities. 

The training will be funded through the Canada-Saskatchewan Labour Market Transfer Agreements and provided by the SATCC and several other training institutions. In addition to the Tiny House Project expansion, the skills programs include:

• Welding
• Health care aide/Continuing care aide
• Medical lab assistant
• Electrical applied certificate
• Steel stud and drywall
• Introduction to scaffolding

For more information on the training programs, please contact Chris Gunningham with the Skills Training Branch at 306-787-8131 or chris.gunningham@gov.sk.ca.

2021 Highway Construction Season Wrap-up

Highlights from the 2021 highway construction season include new passing lanes and road improvements near provincial parks.

“Improving highway safety is vital for our government and we continue to make record investments into our transportation system,” Highways Minister Fred Bradshaw said. “With this year’s projects, the province is on track to meet its growth plan target.”

The Government of Saskatchewan has improved more than 1,000 kilometres of provincial highways this year, the second of its 10-year Growth Plan goal to build and upgrade 10,000 km of highways. 

A key commitment for the 2021-22 construction season was the installation of new passing lanes on Highways 2, 3, 7, 14, 16 and 39 in Saskatchewan. While some passing lanes on Highway 16 will be open this winter, additional work will be required in the spring. Passing lanes provide more opportunities for drivers to pass safely and reduce collisions. 

Highway improvements made this construction season include:

• 175 km of repaving; 
• 635 km of pavement sealing and medium preservation treatments; and  
• 240 km of thin membrane surface and rural highway upgrades. 

This year’s construction season also included completion of a bridge rehabilitation on Highway 1 east of Swift Current, as well as 12 bridge and culvert replacements across the province, including Highways 2, 5, 18, 26, 35 and 165. 

Government continues to invest in intersections and road safety. As part of a five-year $100 million commitment to intersections and road safety, several projects were completed including: 

• Intersection rumble strips at the junction of Highway 9 and Highway 22;
• Intersection improvements on Highway 364 at Balgonie;
• Intersection improvements at the junction of Highway 11 and North Grid Road north of Dundurn; and
• Intersection sight triangle and right-of-way sightline improvements across the province. 

To date, 60 per cent of all highway intersections in Saskatchewan have been addressed.

Two additional projects are expected to be completed this winter, including lighting at the junction of Highway 9 and Highway 18, and a flashing warning light at the junction of Highway 55 and Highway 240.

While many projects have wrapped up, work continues year-round. Drivers are reminded to observe posted speed limits in work zones and slow to 60 km/h when passing highway workers and equipment. 

The Government of Saskatchewan has invested more than $10.6 billion in highways infrastructure since 2008, improving more than 17,100 km of Saskatchewan highways. 

With the 44th Parliament officially underway, I am excited about the opportunities that I and my Conservative colleagues have before us. Much of my optimism stems from the hard-working people of the Prairies and the developments that are being made across the West. 

As the Conservative Shadow Minister for Prairie Economic Development and Inter-provincial Trade, I am thrilled to build on work from my previous Shadow Minister file of Canada-wide economic development. I will now be focusing more closely on regional issues and the conditions of industry and business in the place where I grew up – our Canadian Prairies. 

Our federal Conservative opposition is well positioned to hold the Trudeau Liberals to account. From the skyrocketing costs of consumer goods, labour shortages and threatened internet freedoms, this current federal government has not been shy about giving our caucus materials to critique. Continued dismissive rhetoric from the Liberals towards the interests of the West appears to be the expectation in the 44th Parliament. The government’s recent Speech from the Throne did not contain a single mention of the Prairies or a western stakeholder group.

It is my belief that our western provinces have the food, fuel and fertilizer that will lead the way when it comes to righting Canada’s post-pandemic economic ship. The world needs the raw materials that the Prairies have in abundance. It is our continued goal to not only show the Trudeau Liberals the untapped potential that exists, but to hold them accountable for ignoring it for so long. The value-added initiatives in our agri-food and energy industries are continuing to evolve to meet the needs of a shifting global landscape and changing environmental expectations, despite little recognition or assistance from Ottawa.

Going hand-in-hand with getting our resources to market is the construction of the infrastructure that extracts, prepares and delivers them. The Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association and other stakeholder groups like it are the backbone of the backbone, so to speak, of our economic strengths in the West. Without a strong construction industry to build the infrastructure we need to take advantage of the economic strengths found in our mountains, hills and prairies, we cannot utilize some of our greatest assets. As we close in on two long years of economic and social uncertainties thanks to COVID-19, our Conservative opposition is determined to get Canadian industries moving again. We need to start utilizing the greatest strengths of our region – the people and the resources – to their fullest potential.

In my role as Shadow Minister for Prairie Economic Development and Inter-provincial Trade, along with our Conservative caucus, I am committed to ensuring that the Liberal government answers for every dollar that is budgeted, allocated, transferred and spent towards furthering the economic development of other regions – while leaving Western Canada with its hands out. It is far past time this government started working as hard for the West as the West works to power and feed the rest of Canada. 

In the fields, the mines and the cities of our western provinces, I have seen firsthand the grit and the innovative spirit of those from Alberta, Manitoba and my home province of Saskatchewan – all taken for granted by the Trudeau Liberals. 

Our western provinces have the food, fuel and fertilizer that will lead the way when it comes to righting Canada’s post-pandemic economic ship.