Month: May 2019

ICBA CAST: Chris Gardner and Jordan Bateman break down the NDP’s union-friendly changes to the Labour Code and Employment Standards, cratering housing starts, and John Horgan’s unCanadian oil war.

Are you confident in your estimating skills for today’s competitive market? Our Electrical Estimating course in Langley May 15-16 and in Burnaby September 19-20 is here to help!

Our two-day, hands-on course will take you right from the start of an estimate to the final bid price. Here’s some of what’s covered:

• Role of an Estimator
• Setting up to Estimate
• Methods of Estimating
• Estimating Tools and Forms
• Labor Manual and Use
• Pricing
• Review Drawings and Specifications
• Organization of Estimate
• Measuring and Counting
• Use of Forms
• Reviewing of Addendums Listing of Material
• Pricing, Labour Units and Extension

And much more! Check out the full course listing and register for either session at www.icba.ca/courses. Plus you’ll earn 2 Gold Seal Credits and 28 Group A CPD Points from BC Housing!

We’re also offering an advanced session on June 12 and 13 in Langley, and October 24 and 25 in Burnaby. Subscribe to our training newsletter at www.icba.ca/trainingnewsletter for the latest updates.

Annual budgets are probably the truest measure of a gov­ernment’s priorities and vision, or lack thereof. The most recent B.C. NDP bud­get, passed with the help of the Greens, was widely characterized as a “stand pat” exercise – so much so that reporters didn’t have enough questions to fill their allotted time with the finance minister.

But it’s hard to square the outlook that underpins this budget with global economic trends. While we have enjoyed a lengthy period of economic expansion, a slowdown has already taken hold in China and Europe, and the predominant view among economists is that 2018 is likely to have been the economy’s high point for some time to come.
If ever we needed a focus on productivity, competitiveness, and maximizing the economic benefit from every public dollar spent, now is the time. Yet we saw none of that in the NDP budget. In fact, debt accumu­lation, spending and tax levels are all heading in the wrong direction and at a troubling pace.

Added burdens like these will be a further drag on already slowing investment, growth and job creation. The budget was frightening in acknow­ledging such an impact in the construc­tion sector – a projected 30 per cent drop in housing starts over the NDP’s term of office. Winter is coming, economically speaking, and NDP mis­management is going to make it tougher to weather the storm that is closing in. Continue reading “BC Construction Monitor: Standing Pat is No Economic Vision for B.C.”

https://www.facebook.com/theicba/videos/666363617134905/

Do you serve on a joint health and safety committee in your workplace? Our Responsibilities of Joint Health and Safety Committees course is here for you! As of April 2017, all new committee members must receive eight hours of training. This course will help you fulfill that requirement.

Participants will:

• Know how to use the OHS Regulation and WC Act to access health & safety requirements;
• Explain the roles and functions of the Joint Committee and the Worker Representatives;
• Learn how to perform an incident investigation;
• Learn how to perform a formal site inspection; and
• Develop a foundation in knowledge to:
  • Promote workplace health and safety
  • Assist in ensuring the health and safety program elements are implemented;
  • Conduct and participate in Joint Committee Meetings; and
  • Work cooperatively to address workers’ health and safety concerns.

Topics covered:

1. Use of WorkSafe OHS Regulation;
2. Joint Health and Safety committee and workers representatives;
3. OHS Program;
4. Safety Inspections;
5. Incident investigations;
6. Refusal of unsafe work;
7. How to work as a committee;
8. Different types of recommendations; and
9. Hazard management.

You’ll also earn 8 Group A CPD Points from BC Housing! Our next session is May 17 in Burnaby, and again June 7 and July 9. Register for this or any of our other upcoming sessions at www.icba.ca/courses.

The construction industry moves fast. Technological challenges and advances come quickly, and businesses need to be ready.

That’s why ICBA has joined with Procore to present an ICBA event, “Construction Technology: Reshaping the Industry”, a complimentary breakfast at Vancouver’s Terminal City Club on June 4th.

Four very accomplished leaders from our industry will share their perspectives on how we can adapt and navigate our organizations through unprecedented change coming to our industry.

We expect a turnout of more than 250 attendees from our industry so it should be a great opportunity to network as well. We would be delighted if you could join so please register at the link provided below. If you would like to bring a colleague or two please register them as well or forward them this post.

How to Register: 

• Click the following link – www.icba.ca/tech

Program Details:

• Tuesday June 4, 2019
• 7:00 – 7:45 AM – Check in / Networking / Breakfast.
• 7:45 – 9:30 AM – Panel & Q&A. Please note there will be no individual presentations (no PowerPoint), instead it will be a panel event throughout.
• 9:30 – 10:00 AM – Networking / Finish.

Where:

• Terminal City Club – 837 W Hastings St, Vancouver, BC V6C 1B6
• Dress Code – Business casual
• Cost – Complimentary – You are our guest

Panel Moderator Extraordinaire

• Helen Goodland – Managing Principal at Brantwood Consulting.

Accomplished Panelists 

• Tooey Courtemanche – CEO at Procore Technologies.
• Darin Hughes – President at Scott Construction
• Sheryl Staub-French – Professor at UBC Faculty of Applied Science – Department of Civil Engineering
• Steve Robinson – Owner at Pitt Meadows Plumbing & Mechanical

It’s a great panel representing a cross section of the industry so looking forward to you joining us so we can eat, drink, and learn about how to make the hard work of construction easier.

These days, social media for business is as much of a requirement as bilingualism in Parliament. Not sure how to take advantage of it? Register now for our Social Media for your Business workshop June 4 in Langley!

Social media is a powerful (and not to mention FREE) tool that can be used to promote to, engage with, and learn about your customers. Here are the key takeaways from this half-day session:

• Picking the RIGHT platforms for your brand
• How to optimize these platforms
• Measuring the ROI of social media efforts
• Tips and tricks for creating a calendar full of great content
• How to manage your time spent on social media

Plus, you’ll earn 2.5 Group B CPD Points from BC Housing! Register at www.icba.ca/courses.

VANCOUVER – The NDP Government’s first construction contract under their union monopoly deal will cost taxpayers $22.5 million more than expected, and is another reason why the NDP should kill its so-called Community Benefit Agreement scheme, says the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA).

On Thursday, the NDP Government announced that the Illecillewaet project near Revelstoke, which will widen Highway 1 to four lanes for two kilometres, had been awarded to a building trades union-organized company. The contract came in at $85.2 million – $22.3 million more than originally budgeted, and work hasn’t even started yet.

“The NDP’s sweetheart deal with their building trade union allies has driven the cost of this project up by a third, and they’re not even in the ground yet,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA President. “It’s no surprise – there were far fewer bidders than expected as many roadbuilding companies are avoiding the NDP’s forced labour model. It’s a backroom deal of the worst kind.”

Under John Horgan’s new law, within 30 days of employment on the job site, any non-union worker or a worker from another affiliation is forced to join an NDP-approved union for work specific to the project. The new policy gives the building trades unions a monopoly on several government-funded construction projects, reducing efficiencies and driving up costs to taxpayers.

“By giftwrapping a monopoly to their union allies, the NDP government is overspending on labour on this, on other Highway 1 work, the Pattullo Bridge replacement, and the Broadway subway,” said Gardner. “This means there will be less money for other construction priorities around B.C.”

ICBA, other construction and business associations, progressive unions, and open-shop companies have joined forces in a court challenge of the NDP’s CBA scheme.

“The NDP should not be allowed to cut out 85 per cent of construction workers in this province, simply because they do not belong to a union that gave them campaign donations,” said Gardner. “This building trades union-only monopoly on major taxpayer-funded projects is offensive. Forcing workers to join a building trades union and to become an employee of a new crown corporation is a sop to the unions who happened to have donated $2.5 million to the NDP over the past few elections. It should be stopped immediately.”

Construction, renovation, and maintenance of health care facilities bring specific risks associated with potentially fatal infection and illness. If your jobsite is a health care facility, we want to help you with our two upcoming workshops. The first is Fundamentals of Infection Control During Construction, Renovation and Maintenance of Healthcare Facilities, on June 25 in Burnaby.

Preventing and controlling infection while these activities take place requires the implementation and support of preventive measures intended to protect patients, staff, and visitors from potential harm. Focusing on the application of the CSA Z317.13 standard, participants will learn how to address necessary measures and help control infection risk in health care facilities. And you’ll learn 1 Gold Seal Credit!

The second course, Effective Implementation and Practical Applications of Infection Control During Construction, Renovation and Maintenance of Healthcare Facilities, takes place on June 26 and builds on the foundation established by the Fundamentals course the day before. Participants will gain insight into the latest developments and requirements of this critical field and acquire practical knowledge on how to apply the necessary measures to help control risk.

You’ll also earn 1 Gold Seal Credit for this session.

For more information and to register, visit www.icba.ca/courses. While you’re there, subscribe to our biweekly training newsletter at www.icba.ca/trainingnewsletter.

DELTA—Sixty years ago, on May 23, 1959, the Massey Tunnel opened to traffic. Today, thousands of commuters celebrated Massey’s 60^th birthday by waiting up to 60 extra minutes in its traffic.

To mark the Massey’s birthday and call on the NDP Government to expedite a replacement crossing, Delta South MLA Ian Paton and Richmond-Queensborough MLA Jas Johal joined Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) vice-president Jordan Bateman at an impromptu 60^th birthday party near the tunnel today.

Bateman, Paton and Johal have all been very vocal about the need for a replacement for the Massey due to safety and congestion issues. A planned new bridge was stopped by the NDP Government in 2017, delaying any possible replacement for years.

“The party has long been over for the thousands of drivers who use the Massey every day, and who know just how small, out-of-date and unsafe the tunnel has become,” said Bateman. “A new crossing was well under way until the NDP government came to power in 2017 and killed it for no good reason. They’re still dragging their heels on a replacement years later, and drivers are still asking for a new crossing.”

“This event is anything but celebratory. Local commuters and visiting travellers are sick and tired of sitting in B.C.’s worst bottleneck. They want action today— not a decade from now,” said Paton. “John Horgan and the NDP continue to stall this important replacement project while motorists and our economy suffer. It’s completely unacceptable.”

“At 60 years old, this tunnel is aging and seismically unsafe. It needs to be replaced with a safer and more efficient alternative,” said Johal. “John Horgan and the NDP have consensus from local mayors on how to proceed, yet they continue to sit on their hands. They are failing to provide relief to drivers and business owners.”

ICBA has launched a website, BuildMassey.ca, where drivers can send an email to Horgan asking that a new Massey crossing be expedited.

 

Yesterday, ICBA hosted an impromptu 60th birthday party for the Massey Tunnel, We wanted to get the media’s and politicians’ attention on Massey and the critical need to replace it. Judging from the coverage, it worked:

• Vancouver Sun: “The party has long been over for the thousands of drivers who use the Massey every day, and who know just how small, out-of-date and unsafe the tunnel has become,” said Chris Gardner, president of [ICBA]. “A new crossing was well under way until the NDP government came to power in 2017 and killed it for no good reason. They’re still dragging their heels on a replacement years later, and drivers are still asking for a new crossing.”
• Delta Optimist: “There were always five options to replace the George Massey Tunnel and always the best option was a bridge right over top of Highway 99 with the alignment that we have today. So study after study, and now they’re thinking possibly 2030, even if they got through the studies and were to get busy building a replacement for this tunnel…how many traffic tie-ups are there going to be between now and 2030?” he asked.
• CBC News: “[The tunnel] is now woefully undersized and desperately in need of a replacement, but the NDP government keeps dragging its heels on it,” said Jordan Bateman, adding that the tunnel would be extremely dangerous in the event of an earthquake.
• Global TV: “[The tunnel] is woefully out of date, it is falling apart, it is not seismically safe and it is in desperate need of replacement,” said Independent Contractors Business Association (ICBA) spokesperson Jordan Bateman. “It has now been two years, we are no closer to a new Massey crossing.”
• Fairchild TV (Chinese language)