Stu McNish of Conversations That Matter was in Fort St. John this week to talk to people about the consequences of delaying or scrapping the Site C Dam. It’s a must-watch: these are real people, real jobs, and the lack of support from Horgan-Weaver will have real ramifications.
ICBA Communications Director Jordan Bateman has a couple of clips in the preamble, but the real power is in the stories and conversations that follow.
ICBA’s Chris Gardner and Jordan Bateman talk about Site C, Leave It To Weaver, Card Check, Speaker Steve Thomson, and, oh yeah, a certain Speech from the Throne. Plus Jordan rants on man buns.
Search for ICBA Cast in the iTunes podcast store or listen here:
In today’s Journal of Commerce, ICBA President Chris Gardner talks about B.C.’s political instability and its effect on the construction business. Spoiler alert: it’s not good. From the piece:
“Uncertainty still remains,” said Gardner. “It’s a precarious situation, where the B.C. Liberal government is likely to be defeated in a confidence motion.”
The uncertainty about the policies of the new NDP and Green government that will emerge from that non-confidence motion, Gardner said, will be challenging for the business and construction sectors.
Site C, the large-scale hydro project in northeastern B.C., is a concern, he added, since NDP leader John Horgan and B.C. Green leader Andrew Weaver have called for a review of the project.
“Site C has been reviewed by the federal and provincial governments, has been sustained in nine court cases, and billions have been committed to the project. It’s irresponsible at this point to cancel it,” Gardner said.
ICBA has been dogged in its fight to save Site C and the 2,200+ construction jobs there. And it looks like the unions have finally smartened up and joined our battle for Site C. Right after the election, Tom Sigurdson of the union-run BC Building Trades Council threw Site C workers under the NDP bus. From the Globe and Mail:
But because BC Hydro balked at a pact with organized labour on the construction of Site C, he is not going to war with Mr. Horgan over the project. “That project has been problematic since the first shovel was in the ground,” Mr. Sigurdson said.
Fast forward a month to today’s JOC:
Sigurdson also voiced his organization’s support for Site C. “We’ve said there are projects we support; we support Site C and would like to see it continue. It’s one of a number of projects we will be supportive of,” he said.
Welcome to the Site C party, Tom. Feel free to join thousands of other British Columbians and sign an email in support at Get2Yes.icba.ca.
More than 40 years ago, a group of brave contractor and construction company owners formed ICBA. Leonard Remple was one of them, and today he sent us a note encouraging us to continue our fight for free enterprise in B.C. Here is Len’s letter:
In the early 1970s, B.C. was governed by the NDP and they revised the labour code of B.C. to favour the union movement. This imbalance between employers’ rights and unions’ rights created extreme hardships for private enterprise. An employer had no way of communicating with employees once the employees had been contacted by a union. If an employer did start a dialogue with employees, a charge of unfair labour practice was the usual consequence. The ramifications of this were serious and expensive to defend. If the employer decided to fight the charge, it would be debated at the Labour Relations Board, but the verdict was predictable because the LRB members were carefully selected for their role by the NDP government.
The labour code of B.C. was not a level playing field, resulting in untold frustration by employers who had almost no legal defence. This, of course, created a boldness by unions. This boldness became interpreted by unions as licence to make demands and if need be, use intimidation. Since intimidation did not always work, the next step was violence. Since these business owners had all their financial net worth invested in the business, it was also an emotional threat when violence erupted.
Whenever confrontations developed, the law enforcement agencies refused to intervene, excusing their non-involvement with the excuse: “We do not get involved in a labour dispute.”
These were the conditions throughout industry in B.C. It meant the entrepreneurs who had staked their life savings in an enterprise were at great risk of losing it all.
Some businesses surrendered to union pressure, but others decided to band together and lobby the government (non-stop) to alter the labour code to a balanced playing field. This banding together to fight for our rights was not for weak-kneed or spineless people. This was a war for the survival of our rights in a democratic country. No one should have the freedom to impede free enterprise. It developed from a firm stand into a CAUSE. That was the birth of ICBA, conceived by a small group of business persons who refused to give up without a struggle. And that was truly what followed: a struggle for survival.
It took a strong determination to withstand the struggle. It took more than determination, it required a strong will, strong emotional stamina and a risk of financial loss. That struggle was akin to a biblical principle (although ICBA was not religiously motivated) which reads, “without a VISION, the people perish”.
A “vision” can be defined as a clear goal, a solid passion, an unbeatable spirit, and an unwavering loyalty to the cause. There was an unstated attitude that prevailed with this small group of ICBA founders: “ALL FOR ONE, AND ONE FOR ALL”.
My admonition, through this letter, is that members do not take the present armistice for granted and become complacent with an attitude of, “those times are past and will never be repeated.”
The open shop concept is a treasure to be protected, fostered, encouraged, expanded and guarded vigilantly. Remember always: those who oppose the open shop concept will never genuinely accept it as a permanent part of our economy. The open shop concept is a constant gift to labour and therefore is a threat to unionization. ICBA must remain on guard and avoid the danger of complacency.
Reflect on a loss of freedom for the federal worker that took place in Canada’s parliament in the week ending June 18, 2017. The Liberal government canceled the secret ballot for voting for or against unionizing. Now all that is required is a card being signed by an employee. Imagine federal elections being handled that way. I can supply stories of how these signatures are frequently obtained. Most of us would find that method too coercive.
I recognize it is difficult to infuse a second-generation passion for a cause that we are now enjoying, but that is exactly my hope for ICBA members.
Be vigilant, NOT COMPLACENT. What has been gained can be lost at the whim of politicians. Open shop is like the statue of liberty, it is for all persons a benefit.
Sincerely,
Leonard Remple
Becoming a foreman is an important step on the career ladder in the trades; yet too often one is just elevated to the position without any training. The status quo has been “that is how I was treated by my foreman, so that is how I will deal with you.”
There is a better way, and ICBA’s How To Be A Better Foreman course is here to help give you the tools to succeed.
You’ll learn the fundamentals of field leadership, organization, crew morale, efficiency and productivity in this one-day course. You’ll also learn the valuable skill of dealing with workplace conflict without being a jerk, and understand how you play a major role in increasing jobsite productivity. This course has been offered for several years, training over one hundred people; it’s one of our most popular workshops! Here’s what some of our past participants have said:
We’re offering the course in Victoria and Burnaby in August; we often fill the course so don’t procrastinate in signing up! For more information on these courses and others, or to register, please visit www.icba.ca/training. And remember, you don’t have to be a member of ICBA to take our courses.
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C.: Just hours after the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed two anti-Site C cases and just hours before the B.C. Liberal government is expected to fall, the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) launched a poster campaign in Fort St. John to demonstrate public support for the Site C dam project, the more than 2,200 people employed there, and the clean energy it will produce for decades.
ICBA’s pro-Site C poster makes up the front page of today’s Alaska Highway News and was delivered to nearly 12,000 homes and businesses in and around Fort St. John. ICBA president Chris Gardner and regional vice president Mike Davis are in Fort St. John today to launch the campaign.
“B.C. is staring down the prospect of an NDP government and their politics of saying no to responsible resource development projects like Site C,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA President. “Unfortunately, it will be workers, local suppliers, and families in towns like Fort St. John that bear the brunt of the NDP’s poor decisions.”
ICBA launched its #Get2Yes on Site C campaign with a media event at BC Hydro’s Vancouver headquarters on June 8, using 2,252 Site C pink slips to illustrate how many people work on the Peace River dam site and who are risk of being fired. It followed up with a plane towing a banner stating “BC Needs Site C Jobs” around the B.C. Legislature during the Throne Speech on June 22.
ICBA is encouraging people who support clean energy jobs to visit Get2Yes.icba.ca and send an email to B.C.’s three party leaders. In the two weeks of the campaign, more than 2,000 people have sent an email supporting Site C.
“The people who live closest to Site C voted overwhelmingly for the BC Liberals and their agenda of supporting a strong construction sector in B.C.,” said Davis. “Now we have two politicians – John Horgan and Andrew Weaver – who live 1,282 km away ready to fire thousands of Site C workers. It’s not right, and the public knows it.”
Site C was more than a decade in the planning, has undergone extensive environmental assessments and regulatory reviews, and was signed off by both the federal and provincial governments. Both the process and project have been upheld in nine different judicial reviews in the B.C. Supreme Court, the B.C. Court of Appeal and the Federal Court of Canada.
Just this morning, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed two appeals to stop the dam project. “After nine judicial reviews upholding Site C, it should come as no surprise that the Supreme Court approves of the consultation, planning and regulatory work done by BC Hydro,” said Gardner. “The forces of ‘no’ have tried everything to stop this project, but it must go forward for B.C.’s future economic and energy needs.”
In the coming weeks, ICBA will hold more #Get2Yes on Site C campaign events in Victoria and Dawson Creek.
“We are going to keep pleading the case across B.C. for Site C’s workers and the clean energy the dam will produce for generations,” said Gardner. “The 41 NDP and 3 Green MLAs need to be held accountable for the way they demean the men and women in construction when they call Site C jobs ‘temporary’ or ‘part of yesterday’s economy.’ This is a real project and these are real jobs and real families who are helping build our province every day they get up and go to work.”
Download a PDF of the poster HERE.
It was a historic week in B.C. politics, as the Liberal government fell and John Horgan was asked to form an NDP-Green government. Chris and Jordan break it all down on this edition of the ICBA Cast:
Chris Gardner is on vacation this week, so we brought in the old pro: Philip Hochstein, retired president of ICBA. Phil’s battles with the NDP in the 1990s are legendary, and seeing old NDP hands Horgan, Dix, Krog, Farnworth and Meggs getting the Bad Government Band back together has him worried.
Find us on iTunes (Search for ICBA Cast), or listen below:
How’s your stress level? We’re going to assume that if you’re anything like us, it can get pretty high! Our brand-new Managing Stress in the Workplace course can help.
Our Project Coordinator tested this course earlier this year as part of a pre-employment training project she developed, and she can’t say enough good things about it. You’ll learn how to recognize stress, how it affects your work and personal life, and effective strategies to handle stress in the workplace, including practical exercises you can do again and again when stress strikes. You’ll also learn how to reduce your stress and set goals for effectively managing internal and external stressors.
The workshop will be on September 19 in Burnaby; for more information and to register for any of our upcoming workshops visit www.icba.ca/training. Remember, you don’t have to be a member of ICBA to take our courses – but you’ll get a nice discount if you are!
Does your entire office need this course, or any other one we offer? We would be happy to set up a private course for you. Feel free to contact us at any time to talk about training! If you’re interested in getting regular updates on our courses in your area, we urge you to sign up for our training newsletter at www.icba.ca/trainingnewsletter.
For the 1980 ICBA convention, a quilt was made to remember some of our founding companies. We still have it, and it’s a prized piece of ICBA history. Over the next few weeks, we will post some of the panels on our social media. Take a look:
