Month: January 2022

Each week, ICBA’s Jordan Bateman reflects on what we’ve learned as we participate in ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program. This program is free for all ICBA members – check out icba.ca/wellness for details.

This month, ICBA Wellness is focused on breaking through mental health stigma – a topic so important, we do it twice during the program.

The good people over at Here to Help BC note that “over half of people living with mental illnesses said that they were embarrassed about their health problems, and over half felt like they had experienced discrimination.”

Another study found that “just under half of Canadians thought that a mental illness was just an excuse for poor behaviour.”

This isn’t good enough, and as a society we should resolve to break through this stigma in 2022.

But how? Our ICBA Wellness reading this week encourages us to: “Start with yourself. Be thoughtful about your own choice of words. Use accurate and sensitive words when talking about people with mental health conditions, and be open to learning about those conditions.”

Over the past six months, I’ve learned a lot about mental health—and some of my own incorrect assumptions. And I’m looking forward to learning even more over the next six.

ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program is helping more than 50 companies, and thousands of construction professionals, better understand mental health. The program is free for ICBA members — see icba.ca/wellness.

 

 

SURREY – More than three-quarters of B.C. construction businesses are experiencing supply chain challenges, according to the results of a survey of Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) member companies.

The survey showed that 76% of businesses are taking more time to source construction materials for projects, including:

• 74% in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley
• 88% on Vancouver Island
• 88% in the Interior and Okanagan
• 68% in northern B.C.

“Supply chain disruption is a significant industry issue that is impacting construction and other markets across B.C., Canada and indeed globally. Contractors in virtually every trade and in every corner of the province are experiencing delays and challenges in getting the supplies they need to complete projects and meet deadlines,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA President. “Manufacturers worldwide are struggling with labour shortages and logistics breakdowns – in the short term, there is no relief in sight. The result in B.C. is rising costs for construction and project delays.”

B.C. construction companies say the impact of these supply chain issues is being felt in two key ways:

Impact	Total	Metro-Van	Van Island	Interior	North
Increased Prices	63%	65%	46%	57%	53%
Project Delays	79%	77%	77%	89%	74%

“We’re seeing shortages of everything from fixtures to finishings, and plastics to paint,” said Gardner. “The basic building blocks of construction are very challenging to source – some manufacturers have stopped taking orders because they have no visibility on delivery dates.”

Even dump trucks are in short supply in British Columbia. It is now a common occurrence for contractors to be facing daily shortages of up to half of the trucks they need on projects – and supply chain bottlenecks mean major manufacturers won’t take orders for new trucks until late 2022.

While unappreciated and rarely discussed, the reality is that trucks are the critical movers of excavated soil and aggregates that are necessary in the construction of our houses, roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and all major infrastructure projects.

“Contractors are experiencing delays and challenges on a scale not seen in decades, as they try to get the supplies they need to complete the work they have on the books,” said Gardner. “In an era where housing and construction costs continue to rise seemingly unchecked, supply chain constraints are another key factor putting pressure on affordability in the B.C. market.”

Yesterday, ICBA put out a news release reporting that 76% of our contractors are facing delays or cost escalation due to supply chain issues. Here is some media coverage of that news:

• Global BC
• Vancouver Sun
• Victoria Times Colonist
• Kelowna Daily Courier

Each week, ICBA’s Jordan Bateman reflects on what we’ve learned as we participate in ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program. This program is free for all ICBA members – check out icba.ca/wellness for details.

Within ICBA’s Wellness Program are links to other amazing resources that people may find helpful. On stigma, there’s a great online course from the Canadian Association of Mental Health that is worth your time.

It includes a slide on the equation of stigma:

Prejudice (attitudes) + Discrimination (responses) = Stigma

For too long, mental health issues were treated as a weakness, or a character flaw, or as something that could be overcome with the snap of the fingers. We know now that mental health is like so many physical injuries – it takes time to heal, to learn how to live with these things, to get meds right, to talk and to listen to experts and loved ones, to deal with these issues. There are no shortcuts.

But our attitudes need to shift – even in our own minds. No more knee jerk suspicion that someone might be “faking it” to get time off, or that a person is “weak” for struggling with these issues. We need to open our hearts and our ears to what they’re saying.

That’s how we break the stigma around mental health, once and for all.

ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program is helping more than 50 companies, and thousands of construction professionals, better understand mental health. The program is free for ICBA members — see icba.ca/wellness.

 

 

SURREY – B.C.’s construction industry is expecting more work and significant pay increases for workers in 2022, while dealing with the most significant labour shortage in decades, according to the results of a survey of Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) member companies.

Fully 96 per cent of ICBA’s construction companies expect 2022 to be as busy or busier than 2021

—56% say they will do more work in 2022, and 40% say they will do the same as 2021.

“This is a remarkable number showing the strong confidence the industry is feeling,” said ICBA President Chris Gardner, who released ICBA’s annual Wage and Benefits Survey of its member companies across B.C. today. “A year ago, COVID-19 had sent a chill through construction, but our members are now running full speed ahead – this is great news when you consider the impact of construction on B.C.’s economy.”

Construction in B.C. now employs nearly 250,000 people and accounts for 9 per centof the provincial GDP.  The average trade wage rate is expected to increase by 5.4% this year, a record high.

Despite this, the shortage of people is getting worse, not better – contractors continue to struggle to find the people they need to fully capture the opportunities they see for their business. Three-quarters (75%) of all companies say there simply aren’t enough workers, up from 61% in 2021.

In four trades – glaziers, masons, roofers and sprinkler fitters – 100% of companies employing those trades reported a shortage of labour. Plumbers (95%), carpenters (91%), pipefitters (90%), and refrigeration and HVAC mechanics (89%) are also desperately needed.

Companies are coping with these shortages in several ways: spending extra time on recruitment (70%), turning down work (62%), delaying project completion dates (60%), and increases in overtime (50%) — all of which drive up construction costs.

“The shortage of workers is acute and impacting very part of our economy. In Canada, we have an aging population and not enough people entering the workforce,” said Gardner. “The shortage of people combined with supply chain issues, means contractor margins are under enormous pressure. So while construction is busier, it’s much harder for contractors to maintain the same levels of profitability as in past years.”

The 2022 ICBA Wage and Benefits Survey also noted:

• Interior: 44% of contractors expect more work in 2022 than last year; 72% say they are short of workers, especially carpenters, labourers and plumbers.
• North: 79% of contractors expect more work in 2022 than last year; 71% say they are short of workers, especially truck drivers, carpenters and labourers.
• Vancouver Island: 60% of contractors expect more work in 2022 than last year; 84% say they are short of workers, especially carpenters. And labourers.
• Lower Mainland: 53% of contractors expect more work in 2022 than last year; 76% say they are short of workers, especially labourers, carpenters, and plumbers.

“You can draw a direct line from labour shortages and longer project completion times to the affordability crisis in B.C.,” said Gardn

er. “Contractors are experiencing challenges on a scale not seen in decades, and as costs rise to build homes and infrastructure, they inevitably get passed on to the end buyer.”

For results of the 2022 ICBA Wage and Benefits Survey, including several infographics that can be used by media, click HERE.