All wheels
greased By Chris Atchison, BCCA President The old saying “the squeaky wheel gets
PROMPT PAYMENT
roll out a “CBA light” for public proj-
the grease” is often true in life, but not
B.C. is still lagging behind other provinces on the introduction of prompt payment legislation. BCCA has kept the pressure on B.C.’s Attorney General David Eby, partnering with ECABC and MCABC to communicate industry concerns alongside the impact and realities of lack of payment. We’ve made it crystal clear that we expect legislation within the next 12-month period and have proposed a clear and simple plan for moving ahead. The Attorney General has agreed to town hall meetings across B.C. early this fall. The first episode of BCCA’s “Inside Construction” podcast is “Prompt Payment or Bust” and lays out the case for legislation with real-life stories from well-known B.C. contractors. Find it by Googling “BCCA Inside Construction Podcast”.
ects. This version will forgo the pre-
when it comes to operating an essential construction business in 2021. All wheels need the grease. All the time. This year has brought contractors and those who work for them no shortage of urgent and unique challenges. In the Southern Interior, as the industry has pivoted and collaborated to manage COVID-19 during extreme heat and wildfire, those fresh challenges rightly demand your urgent attention. In the background, the underlying serious challenges to the productivity and resilience of our industry have not moved to the backseat. They still ride right up front, demanding attention because they have the power to derail what you’ve worked so hard to build. That’s where the BC Construction Association (BCCA) and Regional Construction Associations like the Northern Regional Construction Association
COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENTS (CBA)
CBA introduced in July 2018. BCCA has fought the CBA’s mandatory unionization of workers on the grounds that it infringes on the rights of Canadians to Freedom of Assembly under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and we’ve been glad to see the rollout of the CBA much more limited than what was originally anticipated. That said, these new diversity hiring requirements on smaller public projects will include financial penalties for contractors not meeting those requirements. BCCA is working to manage the scope and complexity of the plan and has made a robust and detailed recommendation to Infrastructure BC. COMPULSORY TRADES B.C.’s new Skilled Trades Certification (commonly known as Compulsory
Infrastructure BC (previously known
Trades) system will require all workers
as Partnerships BC) is getting ready to
in selected trades to be either registered
(NRCA) come in. Let’s take a minute to catch up:
ferred union requirements of the full
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Northern Regional Construction Association
