Month: December 2022

SURREY – Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana, two NFL legends who have combined to win eight Super Bowl championships, will be the guest speakers at the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) Gala Dinner in Vancouver next spring, ICBA president Chris Gardner announced today.

“Bradshaw and Montana are two of the most exciting players in NFL history, with Super Bowl success matched only by Tom Brady,” said Gardner. “To have them together on our stage will be an outstanding experience – we can’t wait to hear their stories of success and perseverance.”

The ICBA Gala will be held on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at the JW Marriott Parq Hotel in Vancouver.

Combined, the two NFL Hall of Famers have won 8 Super Bowls, 3 season MVPs, and 5 Super Bowl MVP awards. They each authored a signature throw that lives on in football lore: for Bradshaw’s 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers, it was the Immaculate Reception; and for Montana’s 1980s San Francisco 49ers, it was The Catch.

Bradshaw has been a host on FOX NFL Sunday for two decades and acted in several movies. In recent years, he has also shared openly about his struggles with mental health and has recently overcome two different types of cancer.

“Terry Bradshaw is a formidable champion, the ultimate survivor, and an incredible entertainer,” said Gardner. “His work to break the stigma around mental health in professional sports and other masculine-dominated industries is inspiring. He has that rare gift of being able to connect with his audiences emotionally.”

Montana, nicknamed Joe Cool for the clinical way he carved up opposing defences, has generally stayed out of the public eye since retiring, while doing significant charity work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“For a generation, Joe Montana has been the gold standard of how to perform under intense pressure,” said Gardner. “He never lost a Super Bowl game and launched the 49ers dynasty; it’s impossible to tell the story of the NFL without spending a lot of time talking about Joe Montana.”

Since 2017, the ICBA Gala has become the can’t-miss networking event and celebration of what the men and women working in construction do every day to build B.C., with nearly a thousand people gathering in Vancouver annually.

Bradshaw and Montana join an impressive list of Super Bowl champion quarterbacks to speak at the event, following Hall of Famers Peyton Manning (2017), Brett Favre (2018) and Troy Aikman (2019), and former Seahawk Russell Wilson (2022).

Tickets went on sale last month to ICBA members, and hundreds have already sold. A small number of tickets are available to the public starting today, Monday, Dec. 5.

Visit icba.ca/legends to get tickets.

As we reach the end of 2022, it’s only natural to think back on the year that was – the joys, the sorrows, the challenges, the wins, the relationships built and broken, all of it. ICBA Wellness recognizes this seasonal pattern of life and this month’s curriculum is on reflection.

Reflecting doesn’t have to be formal or rigid, but it does take intention. It rarely happens by accident.

I find my best reflection time in the car, driving home from work. This month, I’m trying to read a reflection question just before I leave, in order to launch a train of thought in my mind. Notejoy.com has some simple questions to use as a starting point:

• What is the most important goal I achieved this year?
• What was the most enjoyable part of my work (both professionally and at home)?
• In what area do I feel I’ve made my biggest improvements?
• What was the most challenging part of this year for me?
• Who were my most valuable relationships with?
• What was the best way I used my time this past year?
• What was my single biggest time waster in life this past year?
• What was the biggest surprise of the year?
• What’s the biggest mistake of the year, and the lesson learned as a result?
• What was the most fun I had this year?
• What was my best memory of the year?
• What are three words to describe the past year, and why?
• If I could travel back to the beginning of the year, what advice would I give myself?

Take a few minutes this December to think about your year – it may provide important, unexpected insight for 2023. 

Each week, ICBA’s Jordan Bateman reflects on what we’ve learned as we participate in ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program. ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program is helping more than 80 companies and 8,000+ construction professionals better understand mental health. This program is free for all ICBA members – check out icba.ca/wellness for details.

The following op-ed, written by ICBA VP-Communications Jordan Bateman, was first published by Business in Vancouver on Dec. 8, 2022.

The unstoppable force of Indigenous rights has crashed into the immovable object of the NDP Government’s sweetheart deal with its union supporters – and it’s up to new Premier David Eby to fix another self-made NDP problem.

When the NDP’s management of the healthcare system is being roundly criticized, you’d think the Cowichan District Hospital replacement should be a good news story. After all, it will add 74 new hospital beds and three new operating rooms to the fast-growing Vancouver Island area.

Instead, the new hospital is a year behind schedule, hundreds of millions of dollars over budget, and the site of Indigenous protests – all because of the NDP’s restrictive and unfair labour policies.

Let’s start with the cost overrun – which even in a hot construction market, is eyepopping. The budget was originally announced as $400 to $600 million in 2018, but shot up to $887 million when they finally got around to putting it into the provincial budget.

Last month, Finance Minister Selina Robinson admitted that the cost had bloated again – now to $1.446 billion, and they’re barely in the ground yet.

Robinson claimed a myriad of factors for the overruns, but really there’s only one major reason. The NDP’s so-called Community Benefits Agreement, a thinly-veiled sop to the Building Trades Unions who have given the party millions in donations, work hours, and candidates.

For years, construction and other business associations have been warning about the costs of these deals, which mandates that only unionized companies can work on CBA projects.

This cuts out 85 per cent of all construction professionals in British Columbia, meaning far fewer bids on work. The less competition, the higher the cost.

Years ago, the NDP’s own agency, Infrastructure BC, tried to nudge the politicians to use their common sense, presenting evidence that union monopolies would jack up construction prices by 23 per cent. Keep in mind, that was a best-case scenario for taxpayers. History has shown overruns of 38 per cent, such as the 1990s-era Island Highway Project.

Back then, the construction industry was closer to a 50-50 union-open shop split. Today, it’s 85-15 in favour of open shop – which means even less competition, and even higher cost.

As frustrating as that is, it’s not news to the NDP, who see higher project costs as an acceptable price for you to pay, if it means rewarding their long-time supporters. But it’s about to become much more awkward.

Now, Indigenous workers are learning how discriminatory this government can be.

When the NDP decided to order a union monopoly for the Pattullo Bridge project, Indigenous-owned companies were exempted, and allowed to bid, even if they weren’t part of the NDP’s chosen unions. This meant some contracts went to non-Building Trades Union companies – and this prompted a rethink at NDP headquarters.

They closed that perceived loophole with no consultation, and now Indigenous workers have to be just as unionized as everyone else, whether they want to or not, UNDRIP and Reconciliation be damned.

As you might expect, things escalated. Last week, Jon Coleman of Jon-co Contracting, part of the Khowutzun Development Group, blocked access to the Cowichan site.

“This is our territory and our people and they are not granting us an exemption to work on our unceded land,” Coleman told The Times Colonist. “We shouldn’t have to be a union to work in our own territory. There has to be an exemption and I’ll stay here until there is.”

Coleman, an Indian Day School survivor, went on: “In the 40 years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never been handled like this … it feels like residential school all over again — shame on them. The difference between then and now is I have a voice.”

Frankly, all taxpayers should be reacting like this. Regardless of how they choose to organize their workforce, everyone should have the right to bid and work on government projects. The best bid should prevail, not the one that’s closest ideologically to the government.

In 2018, then-NDP Transportation Minister Claire Trevena justified union monopoly CBAs, claiming “any benefits to the community definitely outweigh whether there is an increased cost or not.”

The Cowichan District Hospital Project is proving her wrong.  Already an additional $579 million out the door – money that could have funded six high schools, or doubled the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction budget…for the next 23 years. The cost of tilting the playing field to her building trades cronies has instead sapped the community of several benefits – and picked another unnecessary fight with Indigenous communities.

Since becoming Premier, David Eby has reversed several of his government’s unpopular policies – including ones he himself originated as a minister. It’s time for him to do it again, and scrap the NDP’s union monopoly.

 ICBA TEAMS UP WITH CRIME STOPPERS TO OFFER $100,000 REWARD AFTER VIOLENT AND DESTRUCTIVE ATTACK AT COASTAL GASLINK PIPELINE SITE 

 Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest and charge of those responsible is asked to call Crime Stoppers anonymously to become eligible for the reward 

VANCOUVER, B.C. (December 12, 2022): A $100,000 private reward has been posted by the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) in a bid to accelerate the process of finding, and bringing to justice, the group of vandals responsible for a premeditated violent attack at the Coastal GasLink LNG worksite near Houston B.C. last February. 

The initiative was launched Monday in partnership with Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers, which stands ready in this special program to administer the reward and accept anonymous tips from anyone with information that will lead to arrests and charges. 

RCMP say video footage shows approximately 20 masked individuals attacked nine security guards and construction workers, heavy equipment, and outbuildings in a clearly premediated and coordinated nighttime assault by attackers with axes. In one case, a worker trapped inside a truck had his window smashed out by an axe. 

Fires were set and heavy equipment was hijacked to batter other onsite equipment and shred trailers. Lights and video surveillance at the site had been disabled, a school bus was parked to block access in or out of the site and the Morice River Service Road was blocked by felled trees, fires, and spikes. 

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured but the terrifying attack caused millions of dollars in damaged equipment and was traumatic for those working on site that night as well as their colleagues, families, and friends. 

Sending a message that violence in the workplace and on job sites should never be tolerated, the ICBA decided to offer the $100,000 reward to help find those responsible. 

“The people working on this pipeline are highly trained and skilled and are building an incredible national legacy of which we can all be proud,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA President. “Their expertise and hard work should be upheld as an example of Canadian ingenuity and exceptionalism. They deserve no less than a full investigation and the assurance that the perpetrators of this attack will be held accountable and brought to justice. ICBA is proud to stand up for construction and energy workers and offer this reward.” 

“Crime Stoppers is pleased to support the ICBA in this endeavour, and we’re here to make sure anyone who wants to pass on information ANONYMOUSLY can do so by contacting us. We will pass on the information to the police, and the tipster will still be eligible for the reward,” said Linda Annis, Executive Director of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers. 

“It’s reasonable to assume someone with knowledge of such a crime might fear retribution if they spoke with anyone about it. But please be assured, Crime Stoppers never collects personal information. In the decades we’ve been in operation, we have never identified any of our tipsters. They are never contacted again by us or the police or have to testify in court. We encourage anyone to contact us about any crime, whether it’s relatively small in scope, or as costly and dangerous as this case.” 

If you have information that may be helpful in this case, please contact Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit www.solvecrime.ca. 

By Chris Gardner, President, Independent Contractors and Businesses Association

Set foot on a construction site and it’s impossible to miss the commitment to safety. There are safety orientations, toolbox talks, specialized training, safety officers and signs everywhere. Safety gear and protective clothing like hard hats, boots, high visibility vests, gloves, and goggles are required before the work starts.

The safety of people always comes first and always trumps every other consideration on every construction job site. British Columbia’s construction employers, and the men and women who wake up and go to a job site every day to build our communities and support their families, are committed to ensuring everyone gets home safe at the end of every day.

That’s why the February 2022 attack on construction workers building the Coastal GasLink LNG pipeline near Houston, BC, is deeply troubling. RCMP say video footage shows “20 or so masked individuals” attacking nine security guards and construction workers, heavy equipment, and outbuildings, “in a very aggressive and calculated method.” The violent attack caused millions of dollars in damage and was traumatic not only for those working on site that night, but also for their colleagues, families, and friends.

This was carefully planned and premeditated. According to Coastal GasLink, lights and video surveillance at the site were disabled. Heavy equipment was used to batter other equipment and shred trailers. A school bus was used to block access to the site. The Morice River Service Road was blocked by felled trees, fires, and spikes.

“Our people were terrorized during this violent incident,” a CGL spokesperson said.

“Workers and their families should never have to endure the traumatizing events that unfolded in the early hours of Thursday, Feb. 17,” added Kevin Kohut, Provincial Director of CLAC, one of the unions representing workers on the project.

Despite near universal condemnation from elected officials, industry groups, labour unions, and other leaders, ten months later, no arrests have yet been made. No one has been held accountable.

That’s not acceptable. For the men and women working in construction, more must be done to send a message that their safety matters and that violence in the workplace and on job sites will not be tolerated. That’s why the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association has partnered with Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers to offer a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and charge of those responsible for this violent and horrific attack.

It would be easy to just let this violence be forgotten, but there were real people, skilled professionals, whose lives were in danger simply for showing up at their place of work to support themselves and their families. In a post on the CGL website, one of the security professionals who was working that night called the event “terrifying. To have somebody come at you with an axe is, you know, a whole other level of… fear.”

He described what it was like to experience axe- and fire-wielding assailants smash his truck windows. “You know, to have this terrifying event where people are trying to come at you with an axe, and throwing axes through your window and trying to start a truck on fire, well… we just want to do our job, and work and go home to our families…”

It’s hard not to feel the fear in these comments. Our hope is this substantial reward provides the impetus for someone to step forward and provide information that will help ensure that those who perpetrated this heinous act of violence and terror are held accountable.

This LNG pipeline project is a nation-building undertaking being constructed to the highest environmental standards that will deliver the cleanest LNG on the planet. It will transport natural gas from northeast BC to the LNG Canada plant in Kitimat – the largest private investment in our country’s history – to be processed and shipped to markets around the world. CGL has signed agreements with all 20 of the First Nations along the pipeline route and the project has been approved and permitted by both the federal and provincial governments.

The people working on this pipeline are highly trained and skilled and are building an incredible national legacy of which we can all be proud – their expertise and hard work should be upheld as an example of Canadian ingenuity and exceptionalism. They deserve no less than a full investigation and the assurance that the perpetrators of this attack will be held accountable and brought to justice.

If you have information that may be helpful in this case, please contact Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit www.solvecrime.ca.

Christmas is a wonderful time of year.

Christmas is a difficult time of year.

Both of those statements can be true for anyone (and sometimes, at the same time for the same person).

If you’re finding things hard right now – perhaps it holds painful memories, perhaps you’re in pain physically or emotionally, perhaps you’re exhausted – please know that there are people out there who understand, who care, and who want you to find peace.

We encourage you to prioritize things that will help you relax, things that will help you remain calm. A favourite movie, a quieter Christmas day, a long walk – whatever it takes. Look after yourself and your mental health. Give yourself any time or space you may need.

And be honest and willing to reach out for help.

It’s a hard world out there; this Christmas, let’s keep an eye on one another and help each other find the peace and joy that can sometimes be elusive.

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Each week, ICBA’s Jordan Bateman reflects on what we’ve learned as we participate in ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program. ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program is helping more than 80 companies and 8,000+ construction professionals better understand mental health. This program is free for all ICBA members – check out icba.ca/wellness for details.