The construction industry and its importance to the Saskatchewan economy was a prime topic for Karen Low at a noon luncheon Thursday at the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce.
Low, the executive director of Merit Contractors Association, spoke as part of an informational session aimed at contractors and business people about the booming construction sector and some key issues facing it.
“The main message I wanted to send here today was the idea that construction matters,” said Low. It plays “a huge part in our economy, it injects a lot of wealth into the economy and Merit Constructon is the voice of open shop contractors.”
She noted the sector is a bellwether industry and noted construction employs more people in Saskatchewan than agriculture, manufacturing and government at all levels. As well, the “average weekly wage for construction workers is now over $1,200 a week. So we’re not talking about low-paid marginal jobs. We’re talking about well-paid, safe, career-building jobs that are building communities, paying mortgages and developing communities,” she told the audience.
She pointed to statistics indicating that from 2006 to 2013 the number of building permits went up in Saskatchewan from $1.1 billion to $3.1 billion. In the Battlefords last year the number was over $81 million.
Low also pointed to the issues facing the sector that Merit has been working to address. She spoke of Bill 80 the Saskatchewan Construction Industry Labour Relations Act and Bill 85 the Saskatchewan Employment Act.
“The regulations came into force about a year ago,” said Low of Bill 85. “It really moved our province’s legislation forward and made us more fair and competitive.”
She also spoke of the infrastructure deficit and the use of public-private partnerships in order to finance those projects.
“P3s are definitely one option, but we would like to work with government at exploring other options to accomplish that as well.”
Low also spoke of the need for more people in the skilled trades. She noted one million tradespeople are needed to fill jobs across Canada, and that Merit refunds tuition costs up to $2,500 over four years for new construction apprentices.
“I think anybody can recognize that a million person deficit is a big issue we’ll have to deal with, soon,” said Low.
She notes there has been ramped-up training over the last five years that helped, and noted a lot of members have looked overseas and used the Sask. Immigrant Nominee Program to fill jobs.
“The other thing we’re doing is encouraging people to go into the trades, so we are building a profile of that as a career option.”
The luncheon is just one event Merit Contractors Association was featured at during the week. The organization also hosted a breakfast Friday morning at Western Development Museum for contractors on Workers Compensation Board claims, with advice on how to reduce time lost to those claims and also reduce premiums.
