CCA Advocacy Update- Q2 2023

Reports

Building on the success of our previous quarter, the Calgary Construction Association has been actively advocating to both the City of Calgary and Government of Alberta on the issues that matter to you, our members. We’re working hard to raise the profile of our industry with decision makers and in the media, while ensuring that your voice is heard. Here is a summary of our activities in the second quarter of 2023.

Expansion of our Provincial Presence

As in the previous quarter, a strategic goal of ours this quarter was to continue to expand our Provincial presence. This was particularly important as Q2 saw the re-election of the United Conservative Party in a hotly contested election.

Ahead of the Spring’s Provincial Election, we proudly released our provincial policy platform. Titled, “Building A Better Calgary”, the platform highlighted challenges and opportunities for provincial policymakers as they continue to contemplate the role Calgary’s construction industry has in building a better City and Province.

The platform proposes a range of measures designed to foster an environment in which construction businesses can thrive, create jobs, and drive economic growth across the province. The three key policy priorities are:

Priority #1: Supporting A Strong Construction Workforce in Alberta.
Priority #2: Addressing Issues Around Public Procurement and Risk.
Priority #3: Supporting Calgary Through Strong Infrastructure.

Moving forward, these priorities will be the basis of our initial conversations with the newly elected Government of Alberta. You can find the full policy report here.

Government of Alberta Acts on Alberta Career and Education Taskforce

We welcomed action by the Government of Alberta to boost career-focused programming for middle and high school students and accept recommendations from the Alberta Career and Education Taskforce. These actions are important particularly as we anticipate a skilled worker shortage in the coming years.

The recommendations from the task force include boosting access to off-campus education, developing and funding training for teachers and scholarships for career education programs, and improving measuring and evaluating existing programming.

The province also said it would revamp its dual-credit system — one that lets high-school students earn credits toward both their high school diploma and a post-secondary or apprenticeship program — by addressing financial and accessibility barriers identified by the task force.

Last quarter, the Calgary Construction Association joined our colleagues at the Edmonton Construction Association in advocating to the Government of Alberta that the recommendations from the task force be accepted and implemented. We are pleased to see that our voice was heard, and action was taken.

Media Exposure

Throughout this quarter, the Calgary Construction Association continued its media campaign of publishing press releases and expanding our voice in the traditional media. We were featured in no less than 10 different news stories, articles and interview. Our headlines include:

A. Single-family home construction in Calgary unable to meet demand – The Globe and Mail

B. Event centre key to “Calgary of the Future”: Black – ConstructConnect

C. Alberta UCP win means consistency for construction: Stakeholders – ConstructConnect

D. Alberta prompt payment measures on public works projects lauded by industry – ConstructConnect

E. Calgary arena and event centre moves forward – REMI Network

F. Calgary inks $1.22B deal for event centre development – Calgary Herald

G. New Calgary Event Centre deal part of a $1.2 billion Rivers District upgrade – Livewire Calgary

Maintaining Relationships with City Hall

Another main objective this quarter was to further solidify our relationship with City Hall. This quarter saw the Association engage with the Green Line LRT Team, Mayor’s Office, and provide commentary on projects and policies like the Event Centre and Fieldhouse project.

Building a New Event Centre and Culture and Entertainment District

In late April, the City of Calgary announced an agreement in principle with the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation, Calgary Stampede, and the Government of Alberta to build the long-anticipated Event Centre and Culture and Entertainment District in Victoria Park. The Calgary Construction Association welcomed the announcement of a new event centre agreement in Calgary. We believe that this exciting new development will not only enhance the entertainment options in the area but also provide significant economic benefits for the construction industry through jobs and follow-on investment in the Rivers’ District.

Anticipating a New Field House

In late June, Bill Black and Frano Cavar appeared before the Multisport Fieldhouse Committee. We are pleased to see the committee move forward and vote in favour of proceeding with the design phase of this critical civic amenity.

To ensure success, Bill spoke about the importance of having our industry involved early on in the process – and how alternative project delivery models and approaches can be beneficial in preventing cost overruns and scope creep, especially on significant and complex public infrastructure projects like the fieldhouse.

Maintaining Ties with the Green Line LRT Board

We’ve continued to maintain a strong relationship with the Green Line LRT Board. We were pleased to have Darshpreet Bhatti, CEO of the Green Line LRT project, attend our AGM as our keynote speaker and answer questions directly from our industry.

Dedicating the new Calgary Construction Association Member Centre

In June, we officially dedicated the new Calgary Construction Association Member Centre. We’re proud to carry on the legacy of hard work and dedication built into this space over the decades and look forward to seeing it used as a gathering place and hub for Calgary’s construction industry.

We were also honoured to have Mayor Jyoti Gondek join us at the ceremony and unveil a plaque commemorating the opening of the space.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be hosting an open house for our community to come and see the space. We can’t wait to host our industry and have this space become a hub and home for our members now and in the future.