Hundreds of billions worth of construction projects are on the drawing board in B.C. As a result, most construction contractors geared up for even more work this year, despite an already intense pace. This will keep the industry’s GDP and employment contributions growing at the same pace as the provincial economy.
HD Mining wins for B.C. economy
Great news out of the courts this week – HD Mining successfully defended its case against two big unions for the right to bring in temporary foreign workers to do test work on the Murray River Project underground coal mine.
ICBA raised its voice on the issue in the past because the project – like all resource development projects – means plenty of work for our members who win contracts on the project, as well as all the economic spinoffs felt in local communities.
Bid two-envelope bids goodbye
ICBA has just learned of some great news for contractors looking to put a bid in on work on BC Housing projects – their two-envelope bid system is dead.
Instead the provincial crown agency that develops, manages, and administers subsidized housing options in B.C. has returned to a pre-qualification system for its projects, meaning companies will know ahead of time whether they are even qualified to bid on projects.
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Training Tuesday – Building Better Foremen
Many great tradespeople take a foreman position and fail. Not for lack of skills or drive but simply for lack of guidance on how to be a great foreman. That’s why ICBA is bringing its one-day course to Victoria on June 6 so foremen can get a handle on the fundamentals of field leadership, organization, crew morale, efficiency, and productivity.
Training Tuesday – Hazard Recognition and Control
ICBA’s Hazard Recognition and Control session is designed to provide participants the required knowledge to understand the principle of hazard recognition and control as well as the methods used to ensure hazards are identified and adequately addressed in the workplace.
At the end of the sessions participants will have an understanding of the requirements for identifying hazards, the tools required to assess the identified hazards and score them by priority, and methods to take the information gathered and develop Safe Work Procedures to mitigate the hazards.
NDP’s giant gift to their biggest donors
Great article by Leo Knight from primetimecrime.com in yesterday’s 24 Hours Vancouver on the big gift the NDP are handing over to their biggest financial backers – organized labour. Knight quite rightly points out that “the NDP will look at returning to the labour code the system of card check instead of a mandatory vote. That is a huge payoff to the unions.”
NDP will hurt construction
British Columbia’s construction industry along with the entire economy will suffer if the NDP win the May 14 provincial election and bring in changes that will tilt the labour system towards the building trades unions.
ICBA President Philip Hochstein raised the alarm bell in a column that ran in today’s Vancouver Sun. The entire article is below.
Some Delays for BC Safety Authority Online Permits
Back in February we told you about the pending launch of a new online permit service by the BC Safety Authority.
MyConnection is BC Safety Authority’s new online service that will allow contractors to tackle a wide range of permitting tasks online, including purchasing installation and operating permits, viewing their permits, certificates and licences, and renewing operating permits.
Training Tuesday – Managing Your Time
What is the one thing everyone needs more of? Time! If time is money, how much is lost to the bottom line simply because hard-working employees “don’t have the time”? When working on a project, timing is essential. If you get behind on one part of the project, the entire thing can be set back hours, or even days.
Safety head’s up on stored flammable materials
The BC Construction Safety Alliance is giving construction companies a safety head’s up after an explosion on a Saanich jobsite after a propane tank being stored with a barbecue inside a construction container somehow ignited. It was the second explosion in recent months related to stored flammable materials on a construction worksite.
ICBA deal can help find workers
One of the key challenges construction companies are facing is finding the right person with the right skills for the right job. With looming skill shortages, companies are starting to look further and further afield for new hires.