ECA LAUNCHES GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE

The new committee has also already met with elected officials at the Legislature

By Lisa Kopochinski

In an effort to educate the board on political advocacy and share direct concerns and opportunities from members, as well as advocate for the construction industry in Edmonton, the ECA recently launched its Government Relations Committee.

The ECA board acts as a collective voice of industry and, in discussions with government, they want to hear industry concerns through this one voice and in collaboration with the Alberta Construction Association as the provincial advocacy partner association.

“This committee was set as a priority from our board retreat in September to be able to have a voice at the table locally and provincially, meeting with elected officials,” explains Derek Ciezki, ECA board chair and partner at SMP Engineering. “We want to share our mandate and policy priorities of sustainable capital funding, fair procurement practices, and effects of labour shortages in completing projects on time and on budget in light of the upcoming election. It’s also an avenue to develop relationships with Ministries of Infrastructure, Jobs, Economy, and Labour.”

Board member Leah Marchon, a partner and senior advisor at Lloyd Sadd, says the committee also helps the ECA ensure its initiatives are aligned with the

Back row, left to right: ECA Board Chair Derek Ciezki; ECA President David Johnson; ECA Director of Corporate Development Matt Schellenberger; and Calgary Construction Association (CCA) Board Chair John Manes.

Front row, left to right: ECA Vice Chair Jen Hancock; ECA Chair of Government Relations Committee Leah Marchon; CCA President & CEO Bill Black; and CCA Director of Government Relations Frano Cavar.

Calgary Construction Association and the Alberta Construction Association, which should help each bear more influence when attacking key initiatives that affect all members.

“It’s been timely to create the committee as we’ve moved out of the less personable approach of Zoom/ Teams meetings and are able to get more boots on the ground with our members and key decision makers in the industry,” said Marchon.

Marchon adds that she wanted to be a committee member and has always been interested by the different levels of government.

“Coming from the supplier side of the construction industry, I am not able to directly speak to the day-to-day impacts of government in our industry. I wanted a better understanding of the process of making progress between industry and the government,” said Marchon. “What started as a genuine interest has developed into a much better understanding of the relationship between government and industry.”

Ciezki said his interest lies in making a difference and representing a growing and progressive industry that can have a major impact on the economy and city for years to come.

“In my current role as chair of the Government Relations Committee for the Consulting Engineers of Alberta and past president of the board, I found a lot of value and benefit associations have and the impact they have on decisions that are made in parliament and policy we can influence,” says Ciezki.

He is also interested in working with a political advocacy specialist and registered lobbyist by introducing the process of the election, how bills are passed and augmented, such as the Prompt Payment Act, and the impact the ECA has representing the voice of a large construction industry.

Current Achievements

To date, Marchon said she is pleased with what the committee has achieved already, such as successfully meeting in person with the UCP Caucus, the NDP Caucus, independent sitting ministers within the UCP, the Minister of Jobs and Economy and Minister of Skilled Trades, as well as a lunch meeting with the Edmonton City Council.

“We have weekly advocacy calls with Brookes Merritt, CEO of Loyalton Strategies, to keep us up to speed on what is going on within our province and city. This keeps us on track to ensure we’re staying on top of current events and building on our existing relationships,” said Marchon. “In our short five months of being a committee I’m happy with the traction we’ve made.”

The committee has also already met with elected officials at the legislature, including the Ministry of Infrastructure Deputy Premier Nathan Neudorf and his administration, including Deputy Minister Mary Pearson, ADM Ghassan Elchazli and Cathy Maniego to discuss policy priorities and mandates of the ECA, as well as where the ministry is with investment in the province and city.

“A meeting with city council and Mayor Sohi took place on April 5 to discuss local issues related to downtown economic