Q&A with VICA CEO RORY KULMALA

Looking forward into 2023 and reflecting on 2022, VICA CEO, Rory Kulmala, provides his insights on what the industry is facing and what is required to create and sustain momentum in the construction sector on Vancouver Island.

VICA continues to develop initiatives that help with workforce engagement, wellness, and education. Describe some of the initiatives that the Association will promote and expand in 2023.

One of the key initiatives that VICA will continue to promote is the Tailgate Toolkit Project. We’ve been fine tuning this project for a few years and have made great strides in the province as far as regional participation in the conversation. We are working on getting more companies involved so that we can provide training, spread awareness, and help reduce the stigma in our sector.

We’ve been fortunate to run our Construct Your Future Program for the last six years. It’s a great program that introduces and supports younger people getting involved in the construction industry. It helps get them embedded and find opportunities in the sector.

The training and work placements that we provide have been consistent, and our members are a big part of that. We have a great team supporting our participants and they’re finding employment in the construction industry. After last year’s successful pilot in Nanaimo, we would like to explore expansion into the mid-island and create a longer-term strategy for those regions.

We continue to support and promote the B.C. Construction Association, particularly with apprenticeship services, and we also support the BCCA Employee Benefit Trust and try to show members what benefits are available to them and how they can help their employees.

Education and training are a big part of the core initiatives that VICA provides to its members. How has VICA made education more accessible and what can members expect this year?

Post COVID, the online presence has become important for all organizations. We have continued to offer live online course formats as well as in-person courses. Some courses truly benefit from the in-person format, but we also acknowledge the difficulty in freeing up an afternoon or a group of days to take a course.

There are many skills that need to be maintained and developed throughout the year, so by offering education and training in both formats we are demonstrating that it’s feasible, viable, and attractive to anyone wanting to take a course or seminar.

We are always looking to enhance member value, so we are introducing more free information sessions. I call it ‘news you can use’ and we are developing more of these interactive info sessions that are free for our members.

We are also leveraging what we’ve built over the last few years, and the online delivery model gives us the ability to collaborate with other construction associations to deliver exceptional programming. We have received great feedback about what and how people learn, and we have great instructors.

VICA advocates to put construction industry issues in front of government decision makers. What advocacy issues and strategies are at the forefront this year?

Prompt payment is an issue that has been long looming over our heads. Having a strategy in place would help with the movement of money and reinforce the stability of our sector. Ontario and Alberta have put prompt payment into effect, and it is beginning to prove beneficial. So, I think it comes down to priorities. The government is dealing with big issues such as the housing crisis, toxic drug supply, and the homelessness that is punishing our province. Those priorities are overshadowing the government’s ability to deal with prompt payment.

We would like to see prompt payment become a top priority. There are significant problems with getting subcontractors paid and this adds financial stress in today’s market.

Our labour force has been stressed for many years, and we are working with the B.C. Construction Association, the Canadian Construction Association, and other partners and associations to promote and showcase the construction sector from a labour perspective. That means making education accessible and creating targeted strategies that help serve our economy.

Our local governments have to create better efficiency within their processes, and we’ve been advocating on that front and are having conversations surrounding procurement and procedure. So, we are a voice at that table.

What are the most significant issues impacting the construction industry on the Island?

Housing is driving a lot of demand on the Island, and we are seeing that housing trend permeated through most communities on Vancouver Island. Rising costs create uncertainty in our markets, particularly from an investment point of view.

I’m optimistic about the construction sector being robust through a perceived recession because of the demand we have on Vancouver Island. It might get a bit soft; we’re starting to see the housing market correct from last year which is a good thing.

However, costs are still high - material, fuel, labour – which has created some additional stress in our sector.

We are also working on some challenges surrounding the Community Benefit Agreement that the government is facilitating through B.C. Infrastructure. We want to ensure that local companies are getting access to the big projects taking place on the Island and embracing the investments in our communities.

Engagement is built around a vision that drives a common purpose among association members. How is VICA continuing to drive engagement?

Coming out of a pandemic, we’ve been looking at more opportunities to engage with our members and for our members to engage with other members. We brought back our annual golf tournament last year - one in Victoria and one in Nanaimo and they were both sold out. We also hosted the Christmas lunch which was also sold out.

Our flagship event, the Vancouver Island Construction Conference, returns in April. We have a great line up prepared for our members, and we will be presenting our VICA awards at the conference this year.

We also continue to support our local organizations such as the Pacific FC, Victoria Harbour Cats, and the Nanaimo NightOwls while using these fun events as opportunities to socialize and showcase the trades to new audiences.

There are several fundraiser events planned that support our Young Builders Network, U40, and Women in Construction network, which are very active committees that are doing a lot in terms of engagement.

We are trying to help members return to a level of normalcy while showcasing what we do as an association. It’s not death by networking; there is a goal of climbing out from under the rock, blinking your eyes, and seeing that the world is still here. People are ready, and we’ve been busier than ever. It’s been great seeing our members back together again and we look forward to continuing to support one another. n