2014 Priorities and Achievements –
Canadian Construction Association
The Canadian Construction Association is the national voice of the non-residential
construction sector in Ottawa and an advocate for its 20,000 members on issues
of national importance. Through an integrated membership structure with
some 65 partner associations across Canada, construction firms of all sizes are
well-represented at the local, provincial, and national level.
The following is a brief report on CCA’s activities on behalf of the industry
throughout this past year.
Industry Summit
1.Business Practices
Not surprisingly, the poor quality of design documents was a top trend/challenge
identified under business practices, as well as slow payment practices and concerns
associated with procurement.
In June, CCA invited the chief
elected and staff officers
of its 65 provincial partner
2.Business Succession
As 99 per cent of construction firms operating in Canada—many being family-owned—are
considered small businesses (i.e. fewer than 100 employees), and more than 60 per cent are
considered micro businesses (i.e. fewer than 5 employees) , it was also not a surprise that
business succession was top-of-mind for many Summit participants.
associations to an Industry
Summit held in Victoria, British
Columbia. The purpose of
the Summit was to identify
3.Globalization
A recurring trend or challenge raised during the Summit was the ability of medium-sized
firms to continue in a market consisting of increasing project sizes, project bundling, and
more integrated delivery approaches. This theme is even more relevant given that Canada’s
buoyant construction market and rather mature P3 environment has attracted large
European firms, as well as the recent free trade agreement with the European Union. In
addition, the procurement provisions of that Agreement also bind provincial and municipal
governments, meaning the agreement will have a greater impact across the country.
opportunities and challenges
the non-residential construction
sector would face over the
coming 5 to 10 years.
The two-day session culminated
in the identification of seven (7)
themes of relevance to the
4.Government
Industry’s relationship with governments at all levels was raised as a concern given the
recent inquiries into corruption and collusion within the construction industry in some
sectors/regions of the country.
industry. These themes were
then further expanded upon
with three statements to
The growing fiscal challenges of governments are a concern, particularly at the provincial
level where enhanced infrastructure investment is required. A further concern expressed
is the emergence of the concept of “social license” with respect to the large resource
and trade-based infrastructure projects (e.g. pipelines) and the seeming inability or
unwillingness of governments to bring those projects on stream.
explain their rationale as critical
areas of importance.
5.Infrastructure
Similarly to the theme of “Government,” other worrisome trends were identified under
Infrastructure, including:
• More infrastructure assets approaching the end of their useful service life;
• Less political support for ongoing investment in infrastructure renewal; and
• Asset owners becoming more dependent on social license to proceed with new
construction.
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6.Labour
As is the case in many industries across Canada, the Canadian construction industry has
also identified labour supply and training as a key concern and area of interest in the
coming years. This is particularly the case in those regions experiencing high demand from
the resource and energy sectors.
7.Technology
Technologies and their continuing impact upon the industry were also raised as an
important theme in the construction industry. Emerging technologies and trends such as
building information modelling (BIM), Lean construction, integrated project delivery (IPD),
and a number of new methodologies and products will all continue to shape the industry
going forward.
With these themes and their summaries, the Canadian Construction Association will undertake its strategic
planning to shape the direction of CCA’s services and advocacy priorities over the next few years.
Recent
Accomplishments
and Current
Priorities
Infrastructure Investment
CCA and its partner associations across Canada continue to work closely with all levels of
government to ensure a timely and effective implementation of the new federal Building
Canada Plan. This 10-year, $53.5 billion plan will help serve as a catalyst for further provincial
and municipal investments in infrastructure. When combined with federal government
investment to improve its own infrastructure, more than $70 billion has been earmarked for
infrastructure investment over the next 10 years.
Some of CCA’s recent
accomplishments and current
priorities are:
To combat fears that governments may view these significant, but still insufficient
investments, as “mission accomplished,” CCA will be releasing a number of strategic reports
over the coming year to ensure the federal government remains focused on infrastructure in
the lead-up to the next federal election.
The first of these reports will be released this fall by the Canada West Foundation, which aims
to measure and highlight weaknesses in Canada’s existing trade-enabling infrastructure. This
will be followed by a similar report from the Mowat Centre at the University of Toronto, which
is looking at the strategic role that municipal governments can play in the development of
Canada’s trade-enabling infrastructure. Finally, in the fall of 2015, CCA and its partners will
release the next edition of the Canadian Infrastructure Report Card, which will report on
the adequacy of Canada’s municipal assets in the areas of roads, overpasses and bridges,
sewers, water treatment and water delivery systems, public transit and municipal sports and
recreational facilities.
Combined, these reports should ensure the adequacy of Canada’s current infrastructure
and infrastructure investment issues remain top-of-mind with the media, elected officials
and the public.
Standard Construction Documents
One of the primary mandates for CCA continues to be the development and promotion
of standard construction forms and guides related to industry best practices. There are a
number of new documents planned for release this year, including a new Prequalification
Guide for Owners, an update to the CCDC Insurance Guide, and a new Guide on the
Construction Management Project Delivery Method.
Immigration Reform
Immigration reform remains a top CCA priority. In brief, CCA’s current priorities in this area
deal with the following:
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• Temporary Foreign Worker Program – Preserving the ability of construction firms to access
foreign-trained workers on a temporary basis, including the seeking of a more responsive
and efficient system;
• New Federal Skilled Trades Program – Expansion of eligible trades; and
• New Express Entry system expected in 2015 – Seeking to ensure employer access.
Corporate Social Responsibility
A CCA task force is currently examining best practices associated with corporate social
responsibility (CSR) and is looking at the possible development of a background document
on the relevance and importance of CSR to the construction industry-at-large, and individual
construction firms.
Drug and Alcohol Programs
CCA recently developed a generic drug and alcohol policy for use by construction firms.
Industry Research & Development
Now independently operational, CCInnovations is the result of a challenge by the CCA that
an Institute be established to instill a new culture for innovation in the Canadian construction
industry. Its objectives are:
• To use innovation to make the Canadian construction industry more competitive;
• To define a broad research, development and innovation agenda to support national goals;
• To establish an effective system of selecting, pursuing and funding research projects and
programs;
• To identify the means by which new products and services can best be commercialized; and,
• To facilitate the dissemination and adoption of innovation, technology and new practices.
Policy Opposing Restrictive Bidding Practices by Public Owners
Recently the CCA Board approved a new Policy Statement (a full list of CCA Policy Statements
is available on the CCA website) opposing the increasing practice by public owners of
precluding contractors from bidding if they have pursued or are pursuing claims against that
owner or other owners.
National Construction Industry Ethics Course
CCA has approved a proposed course outline for a national construction industry ethics
course to be developed by BuildForce Canada.
New Tool to Combat Owners Self-Performing
CCA developed a document for the use of contractors and partner associations in combating
the spread of own-force construction by public owners. The document argues against the
practice and is written as a checklist intended to help partner associations and members
persuade elected officials of the significant cost differentials between own-force construction
and openly tendered construction. The document is available from all CCA partner
associations and can be downloaded from the CCA website at www.cca-acc.com.
Canadian Common Ground Alliance
CCA appointed Mr. Vince Bellissimo of Timbel Limited in Toronto, a director and past
president of the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association (OSWCA), to the
board of directors of the Canadian Common Ground Alliance (CCGA). The CCGA is engaged
in the development of a national best practices guide for the management of sub-surface
infrastructure. By participating in CCGA board activities, CCA can ensure a contractor’s
perspective is considered as part of the development of the national best practices guide.
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Usage of the Careers in Civil Construction Website
CCA recently updated its resource for partner associations to provide information to
prospective employees considering careers in the civil trades. For more information, please
visit: www.careersincivilconstruction.ca.
Silica Exposure Limits
At the urging of the Alberta and BC road builders, CCA agreed to undertake the development
of a national silica management best practices guide. The guide is expected to be completed
and publicly available before the end of the year.
In addition to the guide, CCA is also exploring with the BC Construction Safety Alliance the
development of an online silica management and exposure mitigation tool for contractors.
The tool, if approved, should be available to contractors by the spring of 2015.
Aboriginal Best Practices Guide
The CCA Board agreed to fund the development of an industry best practices guide for
working on, and in partnership with, Aboriginal Canadians. The guide, which is currently
under development, is intended as a practical primer for contractors and is expected to be
publically available in 2015.
2015 Federal
Budget Priorities
Apprenticeship:
• Increase the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit from 10 per cent of eligible wages up
to a maximum of $2,000, to 25 per cent of eligible wages up to a maximum of $5,000.
CCA’s recommendations for this
year’s federal budget are:
• Remove the eligibility restrictions limiting the credit to only the first and second years
of an accredited Red Seal Trade program to permit applicability to all years of any
provincially recognized apprenticeship program.
Labour Mobility:
• Introduce a new mobility tax deduction for tradesperson expenses incurred as part of job
searches outside a 250 km radius from their permanent residence that are not covered by
employers or other government support programs.
Infrastructure:
• As the federal deficit is retired, allocate a portion of future surpluses to augment program
funding under the National Infrastructure Component of the New Building Canada Plan
for the modernization of Canada’s trade enabling-infrastructure.
Innovation:
• Increase research funding to support industry-led research and innovation.
Tax Reform:
• Improve industry productivity by increasing the maximum permissible annual
depreciation for Class 38 assets (mobile equipment assets) from 30 to 50 per cent.
For more information on any of the items contained
in this report, please contact Bill Ferreira at CCA at
613-236-9455 or by email at bferreira@cca-acc.com.
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