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This year has been one for the history books.

The early stages of 2020 started rather routinely, with our association taking steps to have its voice heard and urge different levels of government to lean on our industry.

January and February saw us contact the federal and provincial governments, respectively. The Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association, in unison with Manitoba and Alberta, shared our collective vision with the federal government for western and national economic growth.

We wrote a policy paper with intentions of spurring discussions with the feds in terms of the economy and the importance of investing in trade-enabling infrastructure. 

The following month, we targeted the provincial government and voiced our frustrations with single-window procurement. Unnecessary delays in awarding tenders became commonplace for many of our members. This needed to be changed.

In March, we learned what we already knew – the 2019–20 provincial budget estimate remained status quo. The overall budget was $648 million, a drop of more than $50 million from last year’s budget. However, the $358 million set aside for capital expenditures slightly increased from 2018–19.

In April, our province and our country found itself firmly in the grasp of the COVID-19 pandemic. It had been present for a couple of months previous, but it wasn’t until this point when governments took the steps to shut down our economy with the temporary closure of non-essential business.

It was in April when we reassured our members that when life does return to normal, Canadians will look to our industry as one that can lead us to a stronger economic future. 

And we were correct in that belief. In May, we heard Premier Scott Moe say, “Over the next two years, our government will invest $7.5 billion dollars in…highways, municipal infrastructure and other important capital projects designed to build a strong Saskatchewan.”

It was great news for our industry, for our members and for the Saskatchewan economy.

The road to economic recovery here and across the country starts with our industry.

Our provincial government shares that sentiment. The money being spent now will create a legacy serving the economy for the next 50 years.

The funding represents a $2 billion increase over the government’s existing capital plan. The resulting projects are expected to support 10,000 jobs. More than $300 million of the funds are intended for highway projects, including surface upgrades and passing lanes, with almost $50 million dedicated to upgrades to municipal roads and airports.

There’s a bevy of infrastructure projects on the horizon that should keep our members humming. Who would have thought at the start of the year, when there was uncertainty among industry members, that we would be tendering major projects for the foreseeable future?

It’s safe to say, 2020 has been anything but predictable.

Here’s to a safe, healthy and prosperous year ahead.

The Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) announced earlier this week that it will hold this year’s average employer premium rate at the 2020 rate of $1.17 and will cap industry level rates at 10 per cent. This board level hold is to provide a measure of economic relief to Saskatchewan businesses struggling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the WCB’s rate model, the 2021 average required rate should have been $1.23 per hundred dollars of payroll without the board level hold. The increase was driven by a combination of factors, including the economic slowdown caused by COVID-19 and an increase in compensation and health care costs.

“Given the level of uncertainty surrounding Saskatchewan’s economy as a result of the pandemic, the WCB board proposed a hold for 2021,” said Minister responsible for the WCB Don Morgan. “By holding the rate at $1.17, the WCB will save employers approximately $13.4 million in 2021 premiums. This is in addition to approximately $1 million employers saved on interest and penalties in 2020.”

Premium rates are generally determined by two key factors – claims costs and payroll.

“We recognize the impact of the COVID-19 virus across the province. Payroll is down, as many businesses struggle to stay afloat,” said WCB CEO, Phil Germain. “This assistance from the WCB will benefit those employers. This is just another example of how we all – including workers, employers and government – work together to overcome the many challenges caused by the current pandemic and subsequent economic slowdown.”  

Prior to the premium rate plateauing in 2019, the average premium rate had been steadily declining, in conjunction with an overall reduction in work-related illnesses and injuries. In fact, the current average premium rate is 43 per cent below the 17-year high of $2.05 in 2004. However, WCB officials advise the rate may rise in 2022 if payroll costs remain low while claims costs continue to rise.

“We’ve seen a tremendous collective effort in recent years by workers, employers, safety associations and stakeholders to bring down the number of workplace injuries in our province,” said WCB chair Gord Dobrowolsky. “We’re making significant progress. In 2019, for the fourth year in a row, 88 per cent of Saskatchewan employers reported zero injuries in their workplaces. As well, the workplace total injury rate in our province has dropped by over 50 per cent since 2008.” 

While overall injury rates are down, the number of serious injuries continues to be a concern. In 2019, serious injuries accounted for 12 per cent of total workplace injuries in the province, but more than 80 per cent of compensation costs. The WCB is working with customers and stakeholders to innovate the WCB’s claims and injury prevention strategies. The development of the Fatalities and Serious Injuries Strategy in 2019 was the first major step toward reducing injuries and improving disability management and return to work in Saskatchewan. Find out more about the strategy at www.worksafesask.ca.

Employers can also play a significant role in keeping their premium rates down. Work-related injuries can be prevented by instituting a comprehensive workplace safety program. A solid disability management and return-to-work program will also help reduce costs and assist injured workers to recover and return to work safely and as soon as possible. 

Employers can log into their secure WCB online account starting on Dec. 7, 2020 to view their 2021 industry premium rate, including their experience rating and certificate, if eligible. Employers who don’t have a secure WCB online account can sign up for one today at www.wcbsask.com.

The Re-Open Saskatchewan Training Subsidy (RSTS) program has been launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program is an employer-driven, short-term training program that provides eligible employers with financial support to train employees.

Funding to support training can help employers adjust to the impacts of the pandemic and safely align business activities with the re-opening phases of Saskatchewan’s economy.

The program is operated by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Immigration and Career Training.

Benefits of the subsidy:

• Training support through the RSTS program will ensure employers have access to training to maintain business activities while continuing to promote workplace safety and stimulate competitiveness without a financial burden;
• Employers select the trainee(s) and the training program;
• 100 per cent reimbursement to eligible employers for approved training;
• Approved employers will receive 33 per cent of the cost of training upon entering into a training agreement with the government. The remaining 67 per cent will be paid upon completion of final reporting and verification of actual expenditures; and
• The maximum payment is $10,000 to eligible employers for the RSTS program.

For information about the subsidy or to apply, click here.

SHCA members will fall under the Transportation and Logistics section to qualify.

In a new initiative to assist Canadian construction companies gauge their level of construction innovation, the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) has joined forces with KPMG in Canada to launch the complimentary Digital maturityassessment tool for the construction industry. 

Construction is rapidly evolving into a tech-savvy industry with the use of drones, automated vehicles and virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR). Advancing innovation is a top priority of CCA’s five-year strategic plan and vision to “Build a better Canada.”

New digital technologies, innovations and disruptive business models mean many construction organizations need to keep pace with the transformative changes required to drive growth, meet customer demands, increase productivity and attract the right digital talent to truly reap the benefits of the digital age.  

With access to KPMG Canada’s proprietary online Digital maturity assessment tool, construction companies of all sizes can now confidentially assess their digital readiness in a few minutes.

“The need for digital transformation to stay competitive in construction has been heightened by the pandemic,” said Mary Van Buren, CCA president. “This online tool will especially aid small and medium-sized construction companies by providing a benchmark of their efforts and insight on areas of future focus.”

“We believe it’s vital for companies to assess where they are on their digital journey to ensure technology and business strategies are aligned and delivering return on investment,” said Lorne Burns, KPMG Canada’s national industry leader, Building, Construction and Real Estate. “COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of embracing digital technologies to inform strategic decision-making, build resilience, enhance competitiveness and protect asset value amid disruption and uncertainty. We’re thrilled to be joining forces with CCA on making our tool available to the construction industry.”

Teaming up with KPMG Canada, a report on the findings will also be published at CCA’s 2021 annual conference.

The KPMG Canada Digital maturity for Construction tool can be accessed by clicking here.

The monthly job numbers are turning into a proxy for tracking how government rules around the pandemic are affecting business decisions.

We got the November numbers earlier in December and they showed a decline in part-time work. That likely is a reflection of the new restrictions on operating hours for bars and restaurants as business owners respond to government decrees.

But we also saw increases in a couple areas. First, the tally of full-time positions grew while part-time was falling. And the number of people looking for work – the size of the employment pool – also grew. Both of those are positive signals …signs that employers are feeling some level confidence when adding new full-time positions and those who had given up finding a job returned to the workforce. That suggests they have discovered new confidence in the market’s ability to deliver opportunities.

But a larger workforce also means a higher unemployment rate – it rose almost half a point to 6.9 percent pushing into second place among the provinces on this count, as Nova Scotia has now moved ahead of us.

Source: Martin Charlton Communications

The Municipalities of Saskatchewan recently announced that the 116th Annual Convention will be held online, Feb. 7–10, 2021.

With the uncertainty of COVID-19, Municipalities of Saskatchewan’s Convention Planning Committee made the decision to transition to a virtual event for 2021 to ensure that representatives from Saskatchewan’s hometowns can still come together in February to network, learn and advocate for the betterment of Saskatchewan’s communities.

The theme of Convention 2021 is Stronger Together. COVID-19 has shown that while municipal leaders can’t physically be together, they can still work together to build stronger communities by sharing information and acting with one voice to ensure Saskatchewan’s hometowns have the resources they need.

While many have probably attended webinars, online workshops and other virtual meetings, Convention 2021 will be much more.

The virtual platform used by Municipalities of Saskatchewan will give attendees the chance to:

• Attend keynote and education sessions in a virtual environment designed to make participants feel like they’re sitting among peers
• Interact with provincial officials
• Connect with other attendees
• Browse the Municipal Marketplace and speak with exhibitors face-to-face

Access additional educational content – like Netflix, but with content designed for municipal government

Visit www.suma.org for updates and information regarding the virtual convention.