CCA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
CCA OF THE FUTURE Wm (Bill) Black, B.Sc., CEC, LEED AP, CCA President & COO When we were putting together the publica tion for last year while reflecting on a tough 2020, we were hoping that life would open up over the year to come. Little did we know that the resilience that we had celebrated from 2020 in adapting to the pandemic would be required for yet another full year of COVID-related restrictions and uncer tainty. Now, looking back on the ways that the last two years have affected so many aspects of society on a global scale, our industry here in Calgary and across Alberta has been able to adapt and continue to operate as an essential business throughout the entire pe riod. This is a remarkable achievement. Here we are another year later daring to imagine that restrictions are behind us yet again – construction folks are, if noth ing else, eternal optimists! We are gradu
MEDICAL
CORPORATE
ally taking tentative steps back into the life we used to take for granted and as we do, we are realizing just how much we missed. There are still challenges facing us in the return to “normal”, or whatever that is now. Consequently, this next chapter will not be as simple as merely flicking a switch back on after a major societal reset over such a long period, but we are ready for whatever it brings. Our
ability
to
remain
operational
throughout was solely due to the industry’s willingness to step up and take collective ownership of the safety protocols required. In doing so, we showed real leadership and demonstrated an unprecedented level of multi-stakeholder collaboration that has taught us a lesson that we must not forget – namely:
RETAIL
“CREATING DESIRABLE SPACES”
HOSPITALITY
A UNITED AND ALIGNED INDUSTRY IS MUCH STRONGER THAN A FRAGMENTED ONE This is particularly important when we consider the challenges that remain as well as whatever may come in the years ahead.
PROCUREMENT There is no doubt that public and private procurement practices have universally des ignated our services as a commodity to be bid out to the lowest common denomina tor. In that scenario, value and quality take a back seat to cheap and fast. Our industry is much better than this and we will not survive or raise the bar on the results of our work in the race to the bot tom world that has already prevailed for far too long. Whether it is the downloading of design or the relentless downloading of risk, our industry is going to need to take stock and align against these forces or face a bleak future. Matters came to a head in the UK with the Egan Report in the late nineties and now the Australian industry is facing the realities of the same magnitude. What makes us think we will escape a similar fate? CCA will seek to facilitate the same collaborative capabilities experienced through COVID in seeking better ways to advocate for proper recognition of our industry, how it actually operates, and why it needs to be engaged properly.
FLOW OF MONEY
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Calgary Construction Association
www.createprojects.ca
Prompt Payment legislation will come into effect later this year and, while we cel ebrate this as progress in an area of great challenge, this will likely not mean an end to the flow of money issues that have dogged
