CoNtENtS

Message from the President of the Fort McMurray Construction Association

KEIth PLoWMaN

At no other time in history has there been a pandemic that has been able to travel as fast and affect so many people. We are seeing a global response to a truly global pandemic. Our governments have acted to slow the spread and enacted an economic shutdown that is unparalleled in human history. This response has been necessary to preserve human lives and we are grateful for it. Once the pandemic starts to recede, we will, however, be left with a severely damaged economy. Economist Todd Hirsch with ATB Financial stated “that the recession currently facing Alberta is expected to be deeper than the one facing the country as a whole because of our heavy dependence on oil production. The drop in oil demand in the wake of COVID-19, combined with a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia that could extend well beyond the epidemic, are a one-two punch threatening to bring the Alberta economy to its knees. The Canadian economy will also feel Alberta’s pain, but the blow will be concentrated in the oil-producing provinces”.

While we are glad to see governments approving emergency stimulus packages to help the most vulnerable and provide short-term relief, we believe this is a short-term solution to a very complicated long-term problem. When the pandemic recedes and the restrictions are lifted we will see unemployment at levels not seen since the Great Depression. In the ‘30s, many governments invested heavily in infrastructure projects to put people to work. These projects are tangible and gave people pride in themselves and their community, and it is truly amazing to see how many of those projects are still in use almost 80 years later.

The past five years has been challenging for our region. The citizens and businesses within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) have been hit with a wildfire, economic downturn, flood, and global pandemic. It is testimony to all our members, citizens, and the construction industry in general that we have continued to push through these obstacles. In the year ahead:

• We will be tenacious in pursuit of our work, our goals, and in offering value to our members and the construction industry.

• We will be relentlessly focused on facilitating and enabling our members’ economic success. We will define our own success by theirs.

• We will continue to work with the Alberta Construction

Association and the seven other regional associations to press the key economic messages affecting our members to the Government of Alberta.

• We will continue to work with the RMWB on red-tape reduction, social procurement, proper procurement processes, etc.

• We will be at the forefront of the changes in our industry and how they can help our members to thrive now and in the future.

When the FMCA was founded 32 years ago, Fort McMurray was a small city with two oil sands players. Over the last 20 years, it has become a major contributor of the Canadian economy. Against this backdrop, the FMCA has grown and taken on a role as the voice of the construction industry in Wood Buffalo. At the FMCA, we are growing with our city and our industry, and we believe our best days are still ahead of us.

In closing, I would like to extend a huge thank you to our staff and to our directors who volunteer many hours to the association. Your integrity, leadership, and professionalism are an excellent example of what every association needs.

Sincerely.