Three in four Albertans voted to stay in Canada. Lumber duties just dropped ten points. And BC's advance polls close tonight. Good news for anyone who loves Alberta — and the excuse for a stalled project just disappeared. Episode 44 of ICBA Coffee & Construction — the news that matters to the people who build British Columbia and Alberta, with ICBA's Jordan Bateman.
On today's show:
☕ THE BIG ONE: About 75 PER CENT of Albertans voted to remain — 1.9 million ballots, counted by hand. Every riding in Calgary and Edmonton came in above 75 per cent. Danielle Smith: no second referendum while she's premier, and she pointed straight at the Pacific Link pipeline (permitting targeted for September 2027). Everybody from Mark Carney to the Business Council of Alberta said the same word: certainty. That's our word too. Our test is the same as Monday's — the first Pacific Link contract. A name and a dollar figure.
🗳️ BC VOTES, THREE DAYS OUT: 338,000 people voted in the first two days of advance polls. The Conservatives' costed platform bets on 3.2 PER CENT growth by 2029 (the Bank of Canada has the whole country at 1.8) — which means it's really a permitting promise, and we'll hold them to it. ICBA Economics on the NDP platform: it skips a $14-billion deficit and debt headed to $236 billion.
🌲 LUMBER: Washington cut duties on most Canadian softwood to 24.75 per cent, down from about 35 — 34.75 all-in with the 10 per cent national-security tariff. West Fraser lands near 20, Canfor just over 31. Not a deal. An annual review of 2024 shipments. The real fix is fibre.
🚧 WHERE THE WORK IS: The $37-MILLION Airport Trail / Stoney Trail interchange northeast of Calgary is open to partial traffic. Graham Infrastructure built it; Alberta put in $23.8 million and Genesis Land the rest. Province and private developer splitting a road that serves both — the right order.
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