Month: May 2021

The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) has won the Reed Award as the 2021 North American Trade Association of the Year.

“Winning the North American Trade Association of the Year award is another indicator of the exceptional team we have at ICBA and all the hard work they do supporting our members in the area of group health benefits, workforce development and training, and advocacy,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA President. “I am very proud of what our team has been able to deliver over the past year – their commitment and hard work, particularly given the challenges related to the COVID-19 global pandemic, has been remarkable.”

The Washington, DC-based Reed Awards, named after Campaigns & Elections founder and campaign marketing pioneer Stanley Foster Reed, embody excellence in advocacy, grassroots engagement, and campaign management.

“By design, a Reed is extraordinarily difficult to win. And when you do walk away with a Reed you know it means one thing: Your work is hands down, no questions asked, the very best in the industry,” said Shane D’Aprile, Co-Publisher, Campaigns & Elections, before the ceremony.

Over the past four years, ICBA has won 12 Reed Awards for its advocacy on behalf of our open shop construction members and clients.

ICBA was previously named North American Trade Association of the Year in 2019.

The following op-ed by ICBA president Chris Gardner was first published in the Alaska Highway News on May 21, 2021:

In the age of COVID-19, it’s difficult for other news stories to get much attention. People are rightly focused on protecting their families and neighbours, preserving their jobs and small businesses, and thinking of the day when their lives can return to a more normal and natural rhythm of family, community, sports, and work gatherings.

Decisions in Ottawa and Victoria that would normally be the subject of well-publicized debate and media coverage is another of the many casualties from the weariness settling into people’s lives as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The recent B.C. Budget is an example of this phenomenon. Like a shooting star, it appeared on a Tuesday, (April 20^th), lighting up the media sky for all of 24 hours, and then disappeared.

But if one takes time to do a proverbial deeper dive into the provincial budget, they will find that once again, the much-needed Taylor Bridge replacement, is nowhere to be found in the Government’s three-year financial outlook. No money, no plan. Despite the fact the 61-year-old Highway 97 bridge is experiencing rapid deterioration of its steel grid deck and catwalk, its name does not garner even a passing reference in the list of favoured projects. If this bridge fails, it will be a massive blow to the residents and economy of both the north and south Peace.

It’s even more troubling when one considers how much extra money the area served by the bridge will pump into provincial coffers in the coming few years. Victoria is generally quite happy to spend the money generated in the Peace River region, but much less interested in funding the infrastructure that makes it possible.

Not only did the natural gas sector help bring last year’s deficit down, it’s set to overperform expectations going forward. Over the next three years, the government expects to pull in $1.35 billion in natural gas royalties and Crown land drilling rights, far more than was expected even a year ago. Most of that money will be generated in the same area the aging Taylor Bridge serves.

This revenue doesn’t take into account the boost in production that will occur when LNG Canada – supplied by the Coastal GasLink pipeline in the south Peace – comes on stream.

Despite this influx of cash and its obvious connection to, and the importance of, the Peace River region, there is not a single dollar budgeted in the three-year plan for replacing the Taylor Bridge. This is a troubling omission and is symptomatic of the tendency for important regional issues to get short shrift from those holding the purse strings in the provincial capital.

Over the next two years, an independent commission will examine the number of seats in the provincial Legislature – the fear is that the large urban centres in the province will see the addition of more members of the Legislative Assembly while regions like the Peace will experience a reduction in seats. This will further dilute the influence of regions vital to creating jobs and opportunity in B.C., and make it harder for voices from the North and the Peace to be heard on important issues that require support from the provincial government.

In an effort to amplify the voices from the Peace, earlier this year, ICBA launched a campaign to get the Taylor Bridge on to the radar of Premier John Horgan and Transportation Minister Rob Fleming.  You can help by sending them an email through a website dedicated to building support for a new Taylor Bridge, BuildTaylor.ca.

This disconnect cannot be allowed to get worse, so when the boundary commissioners come knocking, they need to hear loudly and clearly from our northern cities, towns and communities.  And, COVID-19 pandemic or not, the Taylor Bridge needs to be replaced.

The following first appeared in the May 25, 2021, edition of Energy Now:

Bamboo Access Mats: A green alternative to traditional products.

As the focus on environmental responsibility in all areas of our lives continues to grow, participants in the energy and construction sector in Canada are continually looking for ways to meet and exceed the standards imposed by society, governments, and resource developers.

One of the more interesting recent product innovations has come in the area of access and rig mats.  These products are used to build temporary roads and platforms that support equipment and provide passageway over unstable and environmentally sensitive ground.

It all began in 2011 when Dean Forbes, a Calgary-based entrepreneur, was asked to see if he could come up with a workable solution to problems with existing access and rig mats. Traditionally made of various woods like oak, fir and pine, these mats are easily damaged, became waterlogged, rot on site and mulch into the ground, driving up project costs for replacement and cleanup. It was uncommon for companies to purchase these products with any thought of reuse.

Dean was able to turn to an extensive global manufacturing network that he had accrued from years of construction and development supply for initial research and development.  He gathered a team of engineers and fabrication experts to start the design process.  This research and development period ultimately resulted in the development of the laminated veneer Bamboo Access Mat using bamboo sourced in Vietnam.

“Our team was really pleased that we were able to develop matting products that checked a lot of important boxes. Because bamboo is a grass that reaches full growth between 3 and 6 years (compared to 50 years for local hardwoods), our environmental footprint is much smaller” says Forbes “And the nature of the laminated bamboo system means our mats are more durable, flexible, lighter, absorb less water, and are more impervious to rot and insects than traditional matting.”

Since bamboo requires no chemicals and very little water to grow, it is an environmental wonder-plant. While bamboo is still an emerging material in the matting space, Western Canadian companies that have tried Crocodile Products’ access mats have quickly become impressed by the unique characteristics that are appreciated by clients around the world, from Asia to Europe to the United States.

Former ICBA Vice President Gord Stewart, who was instrumental in the Association’s advocacy efforts in the energy space, and in expanding ICBA into Northern BC, recently joined the Crocodile Products team.

“I was introduced to Dean and Crocodile Products through an industry colleague and immediately became intrigued by the ‘green’ story, but also because they support local developing communities in Vietnam through well-paying manufacturing jobs and bamboo forestry and farming,” says Stewart. “I think this is a really innovative product and look forward to representing Crocodile Products with my colleagues in the construction and resource industries.”

The manufacturing and supply chain that Forbes has built over the years has also recently come into play as the price for lumber and plywood has soared over the last year.  The durability and longevity of bamboo is bolstered by the cost savings in comparison to traditional timber sources.

Also, three quarter inch plywood prices have tripled in some markets causing builders to reconsider the viability of some projects. “Crocodile Products affiliated company CrocPly utilizes our global infrastructure to offer the highest quality plywood products to the Canadian market that can help builders mitigate the impact of local price hikes” says Forbes.

Overall, the natural features of bamboo and the durability of Crocodile’s engineered bamboo products are forcing buyers to evaluate their priorities when it comes to temporary ground cover and building materials.  Throwaway products are not solutions and gone are the days when it was socially acceptable to stabilize the ground with our forests to advance our oil and gas resource development.  Crocodile Products provide an easy shift away from tradition.

For more information on Crocodile Products, visit their website at crocodileproducts.com