• Trans-mountain and trans-Canada pipeline projects in support
of oil and gas export opportunities, the absence of which land-locks
our export capacity denying economic benefit, including
investment and jobs to Western Canada and Canada’s economy;
• Emerging network of inland port developments;
• Elimination of inter-provincial trade barriers
and harmonization of regulations;
• Attracting direct foreign investment and increase
exports to leverage new trade agreements; and
• Leveraging public/private sector investment in new/
existing business opportunities and jobs.
Western Canada Rural Municipal Associations and Big
City Mayor’s Caucus
Enhance the relationship with the provincial municipal government
associations and the Western Big City Mayors’ Caucus in support of
the WNCTTP and champion sustained and predictable municipal
infrastructure investment strategies.
Priorities For specific collaboration with CCA
It is suggested that the WCR&HCA and its member associations
participate in the following areas of common interest:
a) Infrastructure
With the election of a new government keen on increasing the
federal contribution to infrastructure renewal, focus national advo-cacy
efforts on two main goals:
• The rapid deployment of these funds to
meet the 2016 construction season
• Greater simplicity and transparency to the application
process to ensure that no new red tape is introduced
to unnecessarily stymie project approval decisions
b) Canadian Infrastructure Report Card
The report and its supporting communications material provide
member associations the tools to explain the report card’s results
and a platform for proposing next steps to address municipal infra-structure
renewal to the public and media.
c) Silica management and best practices guide
As urged by the BCRBHCA and ARHCA, participate in the devel-opment
of a potentially national mobile app currently under de-velopment
by B.C. Construction Safety Alliance (BCCSA). The app
would contain silica management best practices information in a
manner more portable and user-friendly for industry workers when
operating around or on sites where silica exposure is likely.
d) Standard specifications and contracts
Advocate and support standardizing municipal specifications and
contracts as a way of saving public owners money on civil works projects.
e) CCA Indigenous peoples engagement
There are ever-increasing investment and economic opportunities to
facilitate the development of long-term business relationships between
the construction industry and Indigenous peoples. The WCR&HCA sup-ported
the development of an industry/Indigenous people engagement
best practices guide. It will be able to participate in affiliating business
engagement with Indigenous peoples assisted by resource information
and guidance utilizing the CCA Indigenous peoples engagement guide.
WCRHCA conventions
Continue best efforts to continuously improve the quality and val-ue
of the annual WCRHCA conventions with a primary objective of
increasing the number of contractor attendees while ensuring that
the chosen themes reflect industry priorities.
Editor’s note: The above text was reprinted with permission from the
WCRHCA Priorities for 2016 & Beyond report.
SHCA
The summer months have been spent focused on several areas.
We have had several meetings with the Ministry of Highways and
Infrastructure and Priority Saskatchewan regarding Best Value
Procurement. The highlights of these discussions include:
• Establishing the best value scoring criteria
in terms of procurement
• Defining appropriate evaluation criteria for
the contractor performance index
• The Ministry of Highways is currently reviewing the
tools they have in terms of penalty and contract
enforcement and how that affects value
• I have had several meetings, both with the Ministry of
Highways and Priority Saskatchewan, and will keep
the board apprised of the progress on this file
• SHCA is obtaining feedback from the membership
on areas for improvement in terms of best value
• Another area the association has been working with the
Ministry of Highways on is improvements to the EPS
specification. Draft Special Provisions have been drawn up
– the following is a summary of the proposed revisions:
¡¡Including the higher compaction bonuses and MTD
sublot engineering limit of minimum 90 per cent
¡¡The optional Trial Lots
¡¡The Job Mix Formula reversion to the Asphalt Mix Design
¡¡The new bonus for echelon paving
¡¡Removal of the clause on the reduced film thickness
when RAP is incorporated that is currently
present in the Typical Special Provisions
The SHCA has also been assisting the Ochapowace First Nation
with their application to the federal government for a trade school
on their reserve. Should their application be approved, we have
committed to assist with the development of the curriculum as well
as piloting the program within our sector of the industry. We are fur-ther
working with This Much Enterprises and Sask. Polytechnic to
develop an industry supported employment coaching program for
First Nations students graduating from both schools.
As you are all aware, we have had a cabinet shuffle and now have a
new Minister of Highways and Infrastructure, the Honourable Dave
Marit. Dave has an extensive background in municipal government
and was on the board, and served as president of the Saskatchewan
Association of Rural Municipalities. We have maintained Jason Wall
as our Chief of Staff. I have had the opportunity to meet with our
new Minister and think he will be a great leader for the Ministry.
With the change in our integrated status, I have made some re-visions
to the membership fee schedule and have added a couple
more categories. We will create a category for contractors under
$1 million; we will also create a category for infrastructure owners,
owner/operators and social memberships. Please see the attached
category descriptions and corresponding fee schedule.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
8 Think BIG | Quarter 4 2016 | saskheavy.ca
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