Eyes on the Prize in 2020: BCWCA weighs in on the anticipated state of construction for the year to come.

By / Jordan Whitehouse

As one Lower Mainland company put it recently, they had “quite a bit of work on the books” for the year ahead, and BCWCA Executive Director Jeff Triggs is expecting something similar for wall and ceiling members in all regions of the province, most of which are concentrated on Vancouver Island, in the Southern Interior, and on the Lower Mainland.

“Building in the commercial sector will continue to be very brisk,” says Triggs, “and reports are that residential sales may start to recover from the shock of the mortgage stress test and empty home taxes.”

There are always concerns, however, and this year is no different. “Not unlike past years, expectations are somewhat tempered by the possible impact that geopolitical events could have on the overall economy,” Triggs says.

And as with many trades across the country, this year will continue to see a continued shortage of workers in the province’s wall and ceiling sector. The stucco and plastering trade has been hit particularly hard in British Columbia, says Triggs, as companies have reported not being able to find workers that they can hire, let alone train.

There are positives on the workforce front, though. For example, Triggs says the province’s Industry Training Authority continues to be supportive of the BCWCA’s Red Seal Wall and Ceiling Installer Program. It teaches apprentices to assemble both non-load bearing and load bearing steel studs, interior and exterior gypsum products, suspension systems, rainscreen systems, curtainwall, acoustical, and specialty ceilings for residential, commercial, and highrise construction. The program has financial benefits, too, including government incentive grants, tax credits, and a $2,000 completion grant once the Red Seal is earned.

Triggs also says that industry and government continue to reach out to female and Indigenous parts of the population to increase their representation and participation in the construction trades.

Tapping into the foreign worker pool has been a struggle, however. “I am hearing of resistance by government to allow foreign workers into work in the plastering trade despite not being able to find anyone in Canada to do the work,” Triggs says.

As for any legal or regulatory issues that are top of mind for Triggs, cannabis is the most significant. “Employers must be vigilant with their safety and education programs with the legalization of marijuana,” he says. “While common sense would suggest that workers not use on the job, the recent release of edibles and other products may result in delayed effects that are possibly unexpected by the user, compromising the safety of all on site.”

Learn more about the BC Wall and Ceiling Association and its programs at www.bcwca.org. ▪