CCA Updates
Articles
Calgary Construction Association Reacts to Event Centre Agreement Collapse
For Immediate Release – December 22, 2021 Calgary Construction Association Reacts to Event Centre Agreement Collapse Calgary, AB – The Calgary Construction Association (CCA) Is deeply disappointed to learn that the agreement between the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation (CSEC) and the City of Calgary on the construction of a new Event Centre in Calgary’s Rivers District has reached an impasse. As city-builders, we were excited to see the development of a new Event Centre and Culture and Entertainment district that all Calgarians could be proud of. We believe that the Event Centre is the catalyst project to lead off...
PSI and Act highlights webinar
Two new legislation change related resources have now been posted to YouTube: This webinar provides an overview of the updates to the OHS Act that took effect on December 1, 2021. Fundamental rights, protections and obligations remain in place, but with a new focus on outcomes rather than process. Change highlights: the 2020 Occupational Health and Safety Act – YouTube This webinar provides an overview of potentially serious incidents reporting requirements. Topics include: what is a potentially serious incident, how to report a potentially serious incident, how government uses the reported information. Reporting and investigating a potentially serious incident...
‘Boom time’: Premier Kenney high on Alberta’s future
via LIVEWIRE Calgary by Darren Krause Calgary Chamber of Commerce CEO Deborah Yedlin and Alberta’s Premier Jason Kenney speak to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce at the Westin Hotel in Calgary on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. ARYN TOOMBS / FOR LIVEWIRE CALGARY Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said with potential projects that could come online it will be ‘boom time’ in Alberta within a couple of years. Premier Kenney made the comments after speaking to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Wednesday at the Westin Hotel. “One of the coolest parts of my job is I get a direct window into a...
Bylaw opens the door for Calgary green energy home improvements
via LIVEWIRE Calgary by Darren Krause Calgarians may be able to access funding, repayable through property taxes, to fund green energy improvements to their homes. COURTESY ENMAX MEDIA CENTRE Calgarians could have access to clean energy improvements for their home in 2022, repayable through their annual property taxes. The Clean Energy Improvements Program (CEIP) bylaw was approved by city councillors Monday, opening the door for home retrofits. The bylaw would allow the city to borrow $10 million and apply for a $5 million grant from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to deliver the program. The $5 million would be a revolving...
Update on our advocacy efforts
Update on our advocacy efforts: I’ve been very fortunate to join the CCA as the Director of Government Relations at a time when our local municipal political environment has been going through new leadership and change following the October election. Indeed, my hiring coincided with the largest Council-shift in Calgary’s history. With that in mind, we’ve already begun advocating on behalf of our membership while fostering strong and productive relationships with City Council and Administration. Earlier this month, we sent each City Councillor and the Mayor a welcome package that explained the role of the Association, who we are, and...
Briefing- City Council Approves 2022 Budget
Last week, Calgary City Council adjusted the 2022 One Calgary Service Plans and Budget. The following is a summary of the potential impacts on Calgary’s local construction industry: Downtown Revitalization: City Council approved $55M further downtown revitalization programs, as outlined in the Greater Downtown Plan. This is on top of the $45M already committed to redevelopment grants and will be distributed as rebates to approved programs. To date, five projects have been granted the “go-head” for office conversion and redevelopment. According to reports, this new funding will help six projects take up 790,000 square feet of vacant office space, bringing...
UCalgary academic leader inducted into National Academy of Construction
via University of Calgary Dr. Janaka Ruwanpura, vice-provost and associate vice-president of research (international) at the University of Calgary, was recently inducted into the prestigious National Academy of Construction for his outstanding contributions to the construction industry. The citation of his election describes Dr. Ruwanpura as an “esteemed university leader with an international reputation for excellence in project management and best practices research and creator of collaborative degrees and funding models for students.” Ruwanpura, as a longtime professor of civil engineering in the Schulich School of Engineering, is the fourth Canadian and first Calgarian to receive this honour among hundreds of...
Briefing Note: Calgary City Council Declares Climate Emergency – What Does This Mean for Calgary’s Construction Industry?
Summary: On November 15, 2021, Calgary City Council declared a climate emergency. Other cities in Canada that have already declared climate emergencies include Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. Specific calls to action of the Notice of Motion include: Updating the city-wide corporate GHGs reduction target to net-zero by 2050; Moving the City to develop strategic business plans and budgets across ALL departments that will invest in and accelerate high priority emission reduction and climate risk reduction opportunities; Advocating for funding from all orders of government to accelerate immediate and near-term actions to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce climate...
Alberta posts highest construction levels in years, but supply chain woes impede projects
via CBC News by Bryan Labby Home-building disruptions trigger higher costs, delays and frustration A framer puts together part of a new home being built in southeast Calgary. The supply chain disruption has affected the price of homes and how long it takes to build them in Calgary. (Bryan Labby/CBC) Pedro Ocana says he’s lost three customers, at least temporarily, as the supply chain disruptions, project timelines and price increases have impacted his custom-home building business in Calgary. The president of Sunset Homes says those customers are waiting until the uncertainty and unpredictability affecting many aspects of the construction industry subside. “They want certainty of...
Amazon cloud computing division to open second Canadian hub in Calgary region
via The Canadian Press Amazon says it plans to open a second cloud-computing server hub in Canada in late 2023 that will result in billions of dollars of investments in the coming years. Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud division, says the new hub will be based in the Calgary region to provide better service to Western Canada. Its other hub is located in the Montreal area. The company would not say how many Amazon employees will work directly at the new server cluster, but says the project will sustain an estimated annual average of 409 direct jobs by 2037...