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4 SaSkaTChEWaN CONSTrUCTION aSSOCIaTION

IN ThIS ISSUE of

© 2015 DEL Communications Inc.All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in and the reliability of the source, the publisher in no way guarantees nor warrants the information and is not responsible for errors, omissions or statements made by advertisers. Opinions and recommendations made by contributors or advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher, its directors, officers or employees.

Publications mail agreement #40934510Return undeliverableCanadian addresses to:DEL Communications Inc.Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2L 0G5Email: [email protected]

PRINTED IN CANADA 06/2015

320 Gardiner Park CourtRegina, SK S4V 1R9P: 306-525-0171 • F: 306-347-8595E: [email protected]: www.scaonline.ca

2015 SCA Board of DirectorsCOrEy hUNChak, ChaIrJaSON dUkE, vICE ChaIrSam ShaW, PaST ChaIrrOB ISTaCEdavE kaNCIrUklaIrd rITChIECOry rIChTErJaN mClEllaN fOlkSEaN hamElINJaNIS dUBrEUIlTylEr POChyNUkallaN WEBBJUSTIN hOyESrON SmITh

President & CEO – mark COOPEr

Manager of Member Services – krISTIN WagmaN

Finance Manager – amaNda ThICk

Career Coach – dOUg fOlk

Career Coach – ErWIN klEmPNEr

Career Coach - hOWard JESSE

Communications & Marketing Coordinator – UJU NWEzE

Coordinator – mEgaN JaNE

Administrative Assistant – karEN marChUk

6 President’s Message

8 SCA Board of Directors

INdUSTry NEWS

10 Advocacy Update

14 Industry Workforce Development Update

19 SCA’s Annual Summer Meeting

26 CCA President Michael Atkinson Interviews Prime Minister Stephen Harper

30 CCA’s Annual Conference: a Meeting of Minds

SPOTlIghT

34 World-class Mosaic Stadium Set to Open in 2017

fEaTUrES

42 Saskatchewan Builds Capital Plan: Investing for the Future

48 Lean Methodologies Produce Results

56 Non-Residential Construction Remains Strong

64 Saskatchewan Shows Leadership with New Action Plan

70 Productivity Enhancement and Construction Supply Chain

ThE ExPErTS

76 Harmonization

78 Federal Procurement Integrity Measures to Be Reformed

80 Three Ways to Have Human Resources Work With Procurement

82 Construction Inflation Rates

85 Procurement: The Exercise of Assessing Value

86 Write Winning Proposals

88 The Five Ws of Return to Work

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Mark Cooper, President & CEO,Saskatchewan Construction Association

PrESIdENT’S mESSagE

Procurement is not a fun topic. It is the acquisition of

goods, services or works…ZZZZ…sorry, I fell asleep there

for a minute. Procurement may not be exciting, but it sure

is important. It is a process fundamental to the success of

our industry. It involves the process by which others buy

our goods and services, and the process by which we buy

the goods and services of others. Without procurement,

you have no business. So maybe it’s a good thing that this

previously ZZZZ word has now become a BUZZ word.

Procurement, supply chain management, productivity

enhancement – these are all themes you will see

throughout this issue of We Build. We’re working to

capture some interesting stories from you, our members,

in order to help bring this sleepy topic to life in new ways.

Read about what companies can do to manage their supply

chain more effectively in our feature article on page 70.

You can also read about SCA members incorporating Lean

methodology into their construction activity in the feature

on page 48.

Read through the feature on Priority Saskatchewan’s

Procurement Action Plan on page 64 to find out how

the SCA is working with the provincial government to

ensure provincial procurement is fairer and easier for our

members. You can also read about the government’s capital

plan – the Saskatchewan Builds Capital Plan – for the next

few years on page 42. There’s also a feature in the issue

providing an economic outlook for Saskatchewan in the

coming year. SPOILER ALERT – Saskatchewan is growing

and will keep growing…to get the details, start reading on

page 56.

Procurement might never be fun topic to discuss, but it

will always be important. As an industry that facilitates

and supports economic activity, construction must always

be vigilant at managing supply chains and enhancing

productivity and efficiency. The more efficient that the

construction industry is, the easier it is for investors to

convert their capital expenditures into financial returns.

The more readily they can convert investments into profits,

the more likely they are to keep investing capital…and that

keeps our industry growing. We want to create and sustain

this virtuous cycle of productive growth. Getting our

procurement right, and helping others to do the same, is an

important step in this direction.

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DAVE KANCIRUK LAIRD RITCHIE

COREY HUNCHAKChair

COREY RICHTER

TYLER POCHYNUK

JASON DUKEVice-Chair

JAN MCLELLAN FOLK

ALLAN WEBB

SAM SHAWPast Chair

SEAN HAMELIN

JUSTIN HOYES

ROB ISTACE

JANIS DUBREUIL

RON SMITH



Industrynews

advOCaCy UPdaTE dISrUPTIvE ChaNgE NEEdEd aT WCB

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Disruption is not always a fun word

in business, and definitely not in an

industry like construction. However,

there are times when it becomes

necessary. The Saskatchewan

Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB)

has reached such a time. I believe

that only disruptive change can lead

to a WCB that is truly fulfilling its

mandate by effectively serving the

employers that fund it.

What do I mean by disruptive

change? If you think of the concept of

disruptive innovation, this is the type

of innovation that creates previously

impossible outcomes. The concept

was coined by Clayton Christensen, a

Harvard Business School professor. In

his 1997 book The Innovator’s Dilemma,

Christensen focused on two categories

of technology – sustaining and

disruptive. Sustaining technology is

incremental and leads to incremental

improvements. Disruptive technology

changes the game.

For a long time now, employers have

been dissatisfied with the level of

engagement and respect provided to

them by WCB. Employers, by their

very nature far too busy to get too

engaged in any one file, fluctuate

from being mildly irritated to being

downright irate depending on their

proximity to the file at the time. Most

employers have given up hope that it

is possible to change the system.

In fact, when I first started addressing

the issue of change at WCB a little

over a year ago, I discovered that

most employers were quite shocked to

discover that WCB is entirely paid for

by employers – with no government

contributions (other than those they

pay as an employer as well). Everyone

believed that WCB was just part of

the government bureaucracy, because

that’s what it felt like to interact with

them. Employer anecdotes of feeling

targeted as the “bad guy” in every case

were, and continue to be, a common

occurrence.

Employer stakeholders have virtually

no means for meaningful engagement

with WCB, and WCB still hasn’t

come up with a consistent formula

for effective engagement. This causes

many employers to question whether

there really is a will at WCB to get real

feedback from those who pay the bills.

I would say that there definitely is a

spoken commitment to that objective,

but that the actions to date fall short.

In other words, too much talk, not

enough walk.

To their credit, after initially not

requesting any feedback from

stakeholders on how to spend $141

million of surplus funding, WCB

did reach out to a wide range of

stakeholder groups after being

requested to do so through their

annual general meetings. This was a

good step, and if WCB listens to the

feedback it receives, it will even be in

the right direction which is better still.

In my experience with the staff at

WCB, I have found them to be capable,

competent, and caring individuals.

The issue is not that staff aren’t

necessarily willing to make changes to

better engage and support employers;

it is that they operate within a

system that has historically taken the

perspective that employers are the

problem, not part of the solution. Until

that changes, real progress at WCB

simply won’t be possible.

That brings us back to disruption.

The SCA, like most industry lobby

groups, has historically focused

on recommending incremental or

sustaining changes to WCB whenever

we’ve been consulted on such matters.

There is no doubt that there are many

sustaining changes that could be made

to WCB in order to bring about real

improvement. However, I’ve recently

reached the conclusion that only

disruptive change – i.e. changes that

create new paradigms – will actually

be successful at creating the future we

want.

To that end, I’d like to talk about

three disruptive changes at WCB that

perhaps should be considered. Let

me be clear that these are not SCA

positions, these are just my thoughts

on what can be done.

Mark Cooper, President & CEO, Saskatchewan Construction Association

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Industrynews

1. get the government out of the WCB oversight business

WCB is not a government entity.

It is funded entirely by employers

and has the dual mandate of serving

workers and employers. Government

has the role of appointing WCB board

members, appointing members of the

WCB Committees of Review when

needed, and to establish and adjust

the Workers’ Compensation Act – the

legislation governing WCB.

Most people on the street, if asked,

would tell you that WCB is a

government agency. We know of

course that it isn’t, but that perception

exists. Government is just one more

employer. However with their

oversight role on WCB, it leads toward

a sense, both externally and internally

I think, that somehow WCB reports to

the government. It does not.

Governance of WCB might be a bit

trickier if government was removed

from the equation as the “appointer”

of board members, but it would be

more transparent and likely more

effective. Perhaps the time has come

for government to take a step away

from its role in WCB oversight.

2. Introduce private insurance options

Everyone knows that organizational

performance is more likely to improve

in an environment where competition

exists. WCB in Saskatchewan is a

monopoly, and monopolies don’t

tend towards being leaders in either

effectiveness or efficiency. If, instead

of the monopoly, the workers’

insurance market was open for

competition, WCB would be forced to

either perform more effectively and

efficiently or lose market share.

Some have said that the

Saskatchewan labour pool isn’t of

sufficient size to attract enough

private competitors to justify the

change. They might be right. It’s

why we should also explore joining

together across the Western

Canadian provinces to achieve the

economies of scale necessary for

private competitors.

3. move to an industry-led part-time board structure

This is the least controversial of the

three disruptive changes. In fact,

if we were in any other province

this wouldn’t even be disruptive.

Saskatchewan is the only province

in Canada that still has a small

(three person) full-time board. In

Saskatchewan, the board serves

at least three core functions: (1) it

governs WCB including oversight

of the CEO; (2) it ensures effective

stakeholder engagement (or it should

be); and (3) it serves as the final level

of appeal for claims that are appealed.

With such significant responsibilities,

the three-person board struggles to

meet any of them effectively. This

has to change. Perhaps the most

effective way to change this would be

to professionalize the adjudication of

appeals by having an appellant board,

while leaving the governance and

stakeholder engagement functions

to a more representative WCB

governance board.

This approach, which would require

legislative change, would ensure

a more streamlined approach to

hearing appeals, and would begin to

alleviate the concern that employers

have of not being sufficiently

engaged by WCB.

disruption = Progress

While disruption might normally

be considered a bad thing, in

organizations that require a

considerable change in direction,

disruptive change is precisely what’s

called for. I think it has become

increasingly clear that WCB is not an

organization where the challenges

can be appropriately addressed

through sustaining changes.

Therefore, the time has come for

disruptive change.

In the next year or so, there will

be opportunities to see disruptive

change implemented at WCB.

Firstly, in the next two months,

the Minister of Labour Relations

will be appointing two new WCB

board members. We’ll be asking the

Minister to make sure he appoints

strong, independent leaders who

are willing to push for smart, but

disruptive change at the board

level. Next, the WCB Committee of

Review will be conducting public

consultations and compiling a

report on the state of WCB. Our

industry will be taking advantage of

this opportunity to make sure that

employer concerns are heard and

documented.

Following the work of the Committee

of Review, the province will be

having a provincial election and the

government will turn its attention to

implementing Committee of Review

recommendations. We’ll be ready at

that time to continue advocating for

disruptive change and encouraging

the provincial government to take the

steps necessary to reform the WCB

system.

If you’re interested in learning more

about the work that the SCA is doing

on the WCB file, or if you have WCB

experience from your company that

you’d be willing to share, please

contact me – SCA President, Mark

Cooper – at 306-525-0171 or by email

at [email protected]

The Canada-Saskatchewan Job Grant helps you train people to meet your requirements and provides the skills they need to achieve their career goals.

The Governments of Saskatchewan and Canada are offering this program to provide funding – up to $10,000 per trainee – to train new or existing employees for available jobs.

Program Features:

• You select the people you want to train and the training program.

• You pay at least one-third of the cost and the program funds the rest.

• You provide a job at the end of training.

Visit economy.gov.sk.ca/job-grant to learn more about program criteria and how to apply.

This program is part of the Government of Saskatchewan’s commitment to keep our economy growing.

Funding provided by the Government of Canada through the Canada Job Grant.

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advocacy Update

The Canada-Saskatchewan Job Grant helps you train people to meet your requirements and provides the skills they need to achieve their career goals.

The Governments of Saskatchewan and Canada are offering this program to provide funding – up to $10,000 per trainee – to train new or existing employees for available jobs.

Program Features:

• You select the people you want to train and the training program.

• You pay at least one-third of the cost and the program funds the rest.

• You provide a job at the end of training.

Visit economy.gov.sk.ca/job-grant to learn more about program criteria and how to apply.

This program is part of the Government of Saskatchewan’s commitment to keep our economy growing.

Funding provided by the Government of Canada through the Canada Job Grant.

Receive up to

per trainee

$10,000

Train the employees you need


Industrynews

INdUSTry WOrkfOrCE dEvElOPmENT UPdaTE

New initiatives by SCA’s Industry

Workforce Development (IWD)

team are giving middle grade and

high school students a hands-on

opportunity to consider a career in

the trades. In the past year, IWD has

partnered with The Prairie South

School Division to develop programs

for youth in Moose Jaw and

surrounding area, which included a

one-day workshop for high school

students and a building project that

can be incorporated into the school

curriculum for grades seven to

nine. The grassroots initiatives help

students to plan for trades-related

careers early in their schooling and

raise awareness about the endless

opportunities that are available to

them.

On April 28, a Think Construction

Career Snapshot event was hosted

by the Moose Jaw Construction

Association at Cypress Paving Ltd.

New Industry Workforce Development Initiatives Introduce Students to a Career in Skilled Trades

By Lisa Fattori, DEL Staff Writer

ISSUE 2 • SUmmEr 2015 • PrOCUrEmENT 15

Industrynews

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INdUSTry WOrkfOrCE dEvElOPmENT UPdaTE in Moose Jaw. The workshop was

organized by the Prairie South School

Division, in partnership with SCA’s

IWD team, Trade Up Saskatchewan,

C&S Builders, the Saskatchewan

Construction Safety Association

and the Moose Jaw Construction

Association. Staff from local

companies, including C&S Builders,

Walchuk Masonry, L&I Electric Ltd.

and Discount Plumbing & Heating,

lent their expertise in instructing

students at four different stations

that focused on carpentry, masonry,

electrical work and plumbing. A

highlight for the students was the

opportunity to construct a garden

shed from materials that were

donated by Castle Lumber.

“We have a wonderful group of

people who are trying to deliver

career information in innovative

ways,” says Tana Rowe, Practical

and Applied Arts Enhancement

Coordinator for Prairie South

Schools. “We’re targeting grade ten

and eleven students to give them an

opportunity to explore a career in

the trades, but the workshop is open

to grade twelve students too. What

we’re trying to do is show them a day

in the life of a tradesperson, so that

they leave energized and excited.”


INdUSTrynews Industry Workforce development Update

Students from 23 Prairie South high

schools were eligible to register for

the Construction Snapshot workshop,

and 28 students successfully landed

a spot in the program. Students

were divided into four groups of

seven to eight students each, with

groups rotating throughout the four

trade stations. Participants spent an

hour at each station performing a

variety of tasks, including building

a brick veneer wall and using an

underground cable locator to find

buried cables outside of the facility.

Carpentry apprentices from C & S

Builders supplied students with a blue

print for a garden shed and provided

guidance in the construction of the

shed.

“The workshop gave the students a

chance to use tools and see if they

had an aptitude and interest in

pursuing a career in the trades,” says

Doug Folk, Career Coach for IWD.

“We also spoke to the students about

career opportunities in the skilled

trades and about what’s involved

in running a contracting company.

We plan to participate in another

Construction Snapshot workshop in

Moose Jaw next year and are just

in the process of developing two

additional workshops in other school

divisions.”

Students also received instruction

about the importance of safety, which

included a demonstration of the

proper usage of safety equipment.

Each student was given a hard hat,

safety goggles and a florescent orange

T-shirt, which not only outfitted

them with the necessary safety gear

for the day, but provided a more

authentic experience about what it’s

like to work on a construction site.

Questionnaires given to students

both before and after the workshops

confirmed their enthusiastic

Students read from blueprints, provided by Westridge Construction, which included windows and doors, and they used tape measures and tape to construct their walls.


Industrynews

feedback, showing that interest in

pursuing a career in the trades grew

from 55 per cent at the beginning of

the day to 100 per cent at the end of

the workshop.

Another program that has sparked

enthusiasm among students is an

exterior wall construction project

that was recently piloted at Mossbank

School, 70 kilometres southwest of

Moose Jaw. IWD staff teamed with

Prairie South School Division and the

Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and

Trade Certification Commission to

develop a construction-based project

that students could complete at their

desks. The assignment asked students

in Brett Tiffen’s grade eight to nine

class to break into four groups,

with each group responsible for

constructing an exterior wall. Once

complete, the framed walls would be

assembled and secured as the four

exterior walls of a house.

Students read from blueprints,

provided by Westridge Construction,

which included windows and

doors, and they used tape measures

and tape to construct their walls.

The exterior wall construction kit

included pre-cut 5/8” x 5/8” pieces

of wood, approximately two feet

long, as well as pieces for framing

windows and doors. The kit was

designed so that all teachers would

be able to deliver the assignment, and

not require shop experience. Once

complete, the tape is removed from

the walls and the kit is ready to be

used in another classroom.

“With this project, students are

working with their hands, which

introduces them to building and

construction,” Folk says. “They are

learning how to read a blueprint, use

a tape measure and become familiar

with some construction terminology.

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They also learn about working

together to complete a job that is

technically sound and on time. The

goal is to get students thinking about

a career in the trades. It gives them

a chance to build something, and if

they like what they’re doing, then

they may want to register for shop

classes and career exploration when

they get to high school.”

The exterior wall construction project

fulfills the requirements of the school

division’s practical and applied arts

curriculum, including 25 hours of

total project time, and is flexible

so that teachers can incorporate

additional lessons to reach a project

of 50 hours. The project could be

expanded to include the construction

of rafters and installation of

insulation, enabling students to apply

what they are concurrently learning

in math and geometry. At Mossbank

School, for example, the teacher built

upon the wall construction project

by having students then design their

own house plans.

“It was so much fun to see how much

the students enjoyed this project and

how creative they were in designing

their own homes,” Rowe says. “The

project provides for cross-curricular

connections with math and

introduces middle school students

to the possibility of a career in the

trades. Once the teacher provides his

feedback about the project, we’ll see

what needs to be tweaked, and then

can have the kits available to the

whole school division. In developing

this program with SCA, I’m working

with people who want to tie-in the

construction industry with what kids

are doing in the classroom, which is

very exciting.”

INdUSTrynews Industry Workforce development Update


Industrynews

mEmBEr SErvICES UPdaTE

This year’s SCA Annual

Summer Meeting was a great

success, with 200 people in

attendance and a full line-up

of information sessions and

fun recreational activities.

Held at the Elk Ridge Resort

June 4, 5 and 6, the three-

day event provided SCA

members with the opportunity

to network with their peers

in beautiful Waskesiu, at

a four-star resort setting.

Attendees were treated

to informative industry

SCA Members Enjoy another Great Summer Meeting at Elk Ridge Resort By Lisa Fattori, DEL Staff Writer

SCA Members at welcome reception.

At Life is Better at the Beach reception

Winners of best beach costume - Saskatoon Construction Association


Industrynews

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presentations, evening receptions,

golf and more, as they reacquainted

with old friends and forged new

relationships over the course of the

weekend.

“The Summer Meeting is about

building relationships with others

in the industry,” says Carole

Morsky, VP of The Morsky Group,

who has attended SCA’s Annual

Summer Meeting for over 10

years. “The educational sessions

are extremely relevant and it’s an

opportunity to get an update from

the President and Chair of the

Canadian Construction Association

on the national perspective of the

construction industry. You can read

reports, but you learn so much more

through discussions with people. We

all have the industry in common, so

it’s very easy to approach people and

strike up a conversation.”

SCA General Meeting

Joe Mignon at catch-and-release fishing day.Attendees at wine pairing event

member Services Update


Industrynews

The Summer Meeting agenda

kicked off Thursday morning

with registration and a breakfast,

which was followed by association

meetings by the General Contractors

Association of Saskatchewan, the

Electrical Contractors Association of

Saskatchewan and Merit Contractors

Association of Saskatchewan. In

the afternoon, golf enthusiasts had

the opportunity to show off their

skills at the Jim Chase Classic Golf

Tournament, one of the highlights of

the weekend, which took place at the

resort’s 27-hole championship golf

course. People also had the option

of taking a shuttle into Waskesiu to

enjoy an afternoon of shopping and

sightseeing in the charming town.

The day’s activities concluded with a

welcome dinner and reception, which

Interpretive boat tour of Hanging Hearts Lakes. Saturday’s Closing Reception $1,000 Prize Winner Edie Friesen.

“The Summer meeting is about building relationships with others in the industry.”

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Industrynews member Services Update

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included the opening of the SYA Industry Scholarship

Silent Auction. Proceeds help to support an industry-led

scholarship program that provides a hundred $1,000

scholarships annually, awarded to high school students

entering a career in skilled trades. Donated items for

auction included golf passes, cordless drills, a two-hour

Party Bus package, Shania Twain concert tickets and

sports items, including jerseys and footballs. Bidders

also had the opportunity to play a round of golf with

Golf Tournament attendees

Industrynews


famed NFL and CFL player Henry “Gizmo” Williams, who

was live auctioned on Friday night. This year’s Silent

Auction raised over $12,000 for the SYA Industry Fund.

Concurrent Education Sessions in the mornings of Friday

and Saturday gave SCA members the opportunity to

learn about a number of relevant topics, including the

economic outlook for the construction industry and

helpful information for employers about WCB premiums

and claim costs. Following the SCA General Meeting,

Saturday morning, a Construction Productivity 101

workshop provided best practices and strategies for

improving workplace productivity. Other sessions included

“15 Reasons Your Business May Not Sell for What You

Think It’s Worth” and “How To Stop Losing Wisdom When

People Leave Your Organization.”

“This year, we had seven different education sessions

with flexible time slots so that everyone could attend,”

says Kristin Wagman, Manager of Member Services for

SCA. “We had one session about how businesses can

leverage technology and social media, which created

quite a buzz and discussion among attendees. “All the

education sessions had great attendance and participation.”

After the event, members can now find the power point

presentations from those sessions on our website at

www.scaonline.ca.

Afternoon activities included more golf for both Friday

and Saturday. Attendees could also take a boat tour of the

Hanging Heart Lakes. A catch-and-release Fishing event

was too popular last year that Summer Meeting organizers

included it in this year’s schedule of activities and, again,

it was well attended. Wine pairings with Elk Ridge chefs

a nice mix of informative education sessions, association meetings, recreation and entertainment gave SCa members a great weekend to relax, have fun and gain insights and information about Saskatchewan’s construction industry.

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Industrynews member Services Update

gave attendees the opportunity to enjoy wine and appetizer

pairings with the experts from Elk Ridge Resort.

“This year, we introduced an on-demand shuttle service to

transport members to and from Waskesiu and Elk Ridge

Resort,” Wagman says. “Everyone found this so convenient.

They didn’t have to wait for service at dedicated times, but

could simply text the driver when they were ready to be

picked up.”

A highlight of the Annual Summer Meeting was Friday

night’s dinner and reception, when attendees could dress

up in costumes and enjoy great prizes for their efforts. This

year’s theme, “Life is Better at the Beach” inspired creative

beachwear and a festive island spirit among participants. In

addition, people were treated to live musical performances

by the Oddfellas of Moose Jaw, as well as the multi-talented

Donny Parenteau from Prince Albert, who has garnered

over 100 nominations at seven major award shows,

including three JUNO nominations. Saturday evening’s

closing dinner and reception featured a motivational

speech by Gizmo Williams, who recounted his days as a

professional football player and offered high praise for the

Saskatchewan Roughriders fans.

A nice mix of informative education sessions, association

meetings, recreation and entertainment gave SCA members

a great weekend to relax, have fun and gain insights and

information about Saskatchewan’s construction industry.

“I’ve been to several different industry meetings and

events, and the level of senior people who attended the

SCA Summer Meeting was very impressive,” says first-time

attendee Brent Cherwinski, Technical Sales Representative

at Wallace Construction Specialties Ltd. “It was a great

opportunity to network with people, including sponsors

who were set up at different stations to meet and greet

people as they were playing golf. And it wasn’t all about

golf; there was so much to do, which was great for family

members who came along for the weekend.”

A special thank you to our sponsors of the 2015 SCA ANNUAL SUMMER MEETING

Merit Contractors Association of SaskatchewanTraveler’s Canada PCL Construction Management Inc.United RentalsRNF Ventures Ltd.C&S Builders Ltd.Bell CanadaThe Guarantee Company of North AmericaLedcor GroupA&B Concrete Pumping (2007) Ltd. Government of Saskatchewan - Ministry of the EconomyTrisura Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association Saskatchewan Association of ArchitectsConsolidated GypsumWorksafe Saskatchewan

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INdUSTrynews


Industrynews

An integral part of any business is networking. The

Canadian Construction Association (CCA) Annual

Conference offers the ideal forum for construction industry

professionals to network and make connections. The event

is a yearly retreat, where industry professionals from

across the country can discuss ideas, issues, trends, case

studies and regulations. And it’s that very aspect that keeps

hundreds of experts returning year after year.

“When you ask delegates who come to our conference what

is the thing that brings them back, they all talk about the

high quality of the social program, the high quality of the

business program, but it is the networking that’s number

one,” says Michael Atkinson, CCA president.

Paul McLellan, CEO for Alliance Energy echoes that

sentiment. McLellan, former chairman of the CCA

Conference committee, has been attending the conference

since the mid-1990s. “I get to see every major customer,

their CEOs, vice presidents, or principals in all those

companies.”

The 2015 conference in San Antonio, Texas this past

March marked the 97th annual event. With more than

600 construction professionals in attendance, it’s easy

to understand why networking is partially behind the

conference’s success.

“All the conferences that we have attended are very

professional and top quality,” says Carole Morsky, Vice

President of Morsky Group, based out of Regina. She and

her husband Wayne (2010 CCA past chair) have been

attending the conference for more than 10 years. “There’s

a consistently high-level speakers, relevant sessions, great

social networking opportunities and activities, but the

networking is what we really thrive on.”

There is also a great mixture of professionals who attend

the conference. Representatives from large and small

companies across the country attend, from various sectors

within the construction field.

“It’s one of the few events that will get the top people from

most of the larger construction companies operating in the

country for a four- or five-day conference. So that tends to

attract a lot of interest from the supply side or the service

side of the industry as well,” says Atkinson.

However, networking is not the sole benefit. The

conference has both business and social aspects, explains

Atkinson. Business highlights this year included keynote

speaker Jeremy Gutsche, CEO and founder of TrendHunter.

com. He spoke about innovation and trends. More

importantly, he warned against falling into traps, staying

AGM 2015.

a mEETINg Of mINdSCCA’s Annual Conference is more than just Networking

By Amanda Lefley, DEL Staff Writer

CCA’s Michael Atkinson Paul McLellan

The 2015 conference in San antonio, Texas this past march marked the 97th annual event.

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Industrynews a meeting of minds

away from complacency with your business, avoiding

repetition and being afraid to try something new, as well

as being open-minded to ideas emerging from the next

generation. Dr. George F. Jergeas, P.Eng, Professor of Project

Management at the Schulich School of Engineering at the

University of Calgary, also gave a presentation regarding

improving construction productivity on Alberta oil and gas

capital projects. In this session, he explained how costs had

to be cut or the industry will face a “death spiral”.

“The conference has a really strong program,” says

McLellan, referring to various agendas over the years. “A

lot of the subject matter is very current, relevant no matter

whether you’re a large or small contractor, a general or a

sub, or a supplier. They do a really good job of having lots

of sessions that are of interest. They appeal to the common

man. They also attract some extremely good feature

speakers.” He adds that Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield

spoke in 2014.

“From a business development point of view, you have to

go,” McLellan continues. “I say that because it expands your

business thinking beyond your own local business. For me,

I would have to say attending these kinds of networking

opportunities has been one of the secrets to my success. I

think that’s good at any level, whether it’s local, provincial

or national.”

One aspect of the conference Morsky encourages all to take

part in are the panel discussions and participating in the

various council meetings.

“In these meetings you listen to colleagues and you

understand what is going on across the country. You often

return with innovative ideas and a better understanding of

current industry practices,” explains Morsky. “The sessions

also provide valuable information on trends in the industry.

CCA listens and reacts to what they are hearing at these

conferences.”

While there is a lot of learning, there’s also a lot of fun,

with social activities like a running club, yoga and Zumba.

Other activities at the 2015 conference included a golf

tournament, as well as a games night where attendees

could partake in sumo wrestling and watch an Armadillo

race. But the major social highlight is always centered on

a theme related to where the conference is being held. In

San Antonio, that was a rodeo performance and cowboy

cookout. The night’s events featured bull riding, calf roping,

barrel racing, bareback bronco riding and team roping.

“Part of the draw is the opportunity to explore the

uniqueness of the conference locations,” says Morsky.

“While at the conference, you work hard and you play hard.

You’re learning and interacting while having fun.”

“I think it has been seen as an event every year that

takes the pulse of the construction industry nationally,”

said Atkinson. “Over the years, we’ve also made it quite a

stellar event. You ask anyone who has ever been to a CCA

conference, and they always use words like ‘first class’, ‘one-

of-a-kind’, or ‘high quality’.”

The CCA Conference Committee is already hard at work

organizing the 2016 conference, set for March 6th to 10th

in New Orleans, Louisiana, with the theme “unmasking our

contributors”. While no specific details have been released,

registration will open September 4th. For more information

visit cca-acc.com/en/events/annual-conference.

Carole Morsky at First Timers’ breakfast. First Timers’ breakfast.Wayne Morsky at opening breakfast.

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SPOTlIghT ON

ON SChEdUlE TO OPEN IN 2017

Executive SummaryRegina’s new Mosaic Stadium is on schedule for completion

in August 2016, with the first Roughriders game scheduled

for the following June. The $287 million building is a

design/build/finance project, with design and construction

occurring concurrently in just 26 months. Located at

Evraz Place, the stadium complements existing sports and

entertainment facilities at the complex and is still close to

downtown, with easy accessibility and ample parking.

Design highlights of the stadium include the below grade

bowl, where 68 per cent of the seats are located. The design

offers improved efficiency in moving people to and from

their seats, and protects spectators from the wind. Another

outstanding feature is the stadium’s translucent roof, which

also offers shelter from the elements. Emergency standby

power ensures the continuation of a sporting event or

concert, in the event of a power failure, and state-of-the-

art LED lighting and sound systems provide an enhanced

spectator experience.

Home to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the new Mosaic

Stadium will accommodate other tenants, including local

minor football and soccer leagues, FIFA games and concerts.

A general admission lounge will also be used year round

for weddings, private parties and corporate events. Outdoor

plazas and interior common areas provide public gathering

spaces for people, before and after games and concerts.

The 521,866-square-foot facility has a capacity of 33,000

seats, which can be expanded to accommodate 40,000

people. Almost double the size of the Taylor Field Stadium,

the new Mosaic Stadium also offers suite seating and loge

seating. There are more elevators, restrooms, concessions

and entrance points than at Taylor Field, and seats are

bigger, for enhanced comfort. Massive in scale, the scope of

construction includes the excavation of enough dirt to fill

112 Olympic-size swimming pools. The amount of concrete

for the project would construct the equivalent of six office

towers. Installation of the roof will require four cranes,

which is the most of any City of Regina construction project

to date.

The Mosaic Stadium is the first phase of the Regina

Revitalization Initiative, which will be followed by the

redevelopment of CP Rail lands and Taylor Field into mixed-

use neighbourhoods of housing, greenspaces and retail and

commercial amenities. An urban greenway will provide

pedestrians with a scenic connection between the Mosaic

Stadium and downtown Regina.

World-class Mosaic stadiuM

By Lisa Fattori, DEL Staff Writer


With construction well underway

for a full year, Regina’s new Mosaic

Stadium is taking shape, displaying

the splendor and unique architecture

of an iconic building that will be a

source of pride for generations to

come. Home of the Saskatchewan

Roughriders, the facility has been

designed to offer the ultimate fan

experience, with extensive amenities

and services, unobstructed sightlines,

easy access and public gathering

spaces both inside and outside of

the building. Integral to Regina’s

Revitalization Initiative and host

to thousands of Rider Nation fans

across the province and beyond,

Mosaic Stadium will make its debut

in June 2017, when the Roughriders

will play in the new stadium for the

first time.

Located a few blocks west of the

current Mosaic Stadium at Taylor

Field, the new facility occupies

approximately 17 acres at Evraz

Place, fronting Elphinstone Street in

the southeast corner of the complex.

The stadium complements existing

sport and entertainment venues,

including the Brandt Centre, the

Queensbury Convention Centre,

the Credit Union Eventplex,

the Cooperation Centre and the

Sportsplex. Stadium spectators can

extend their outing, enjoying pre/post

game celebrations at Confederation

Park, and ample parking and public

transit service ensure easy access to

the facility.

“The plan for a new stadium moved

forward because of the state of the

Taylor Field facility, which dates back

to 1910,” says Brent Sjoberg, Deputy

City Manager and Chief Operating

Officer for the City of Regina. “The

existing stadium wasn’t meeting

current needs and an investment

in new infrastructure wasn’t cost-


CURRENT NEW

1910 Year Open 2017

------ Cost to Build $278M

250,108 Square Footage 521,866

33,427 Total Capacity 33,000

65 + 65 Accessible & Companion Seats 157 + 114

453 Club Seating 1,400

0 Loge Seating 260

500 Suite Seating 610

90 Accredited Media Seating 150

25ft Avg. Concourse Width 30ft

18” (Main Grandstand) Avg. Seat Width GA=20”, Club 22”, Suite 24”

28” West, 30” East Avg. Distance Between Row (GA) 33”

43 Longest Row (# of Seats) 28

2 Scoreboards/Video Boards 2

1 Elevators 9

123 Concession Point of Sale 200

22 Restrooms 38-861 Total fixtures

4 Entrance Points 5

7 Sets of Ramps 2

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effective. We knew that it would be

more efficient in the long run to build

a new stadium, plus it would free

up land that is part of the renewal

of downtown Regina. The chosen

site works well with other Evraz

Place facilities, and it’s still close to

downtown.”

Designed by Mark Williams, a

Principal at HKS Architects, the

new Mosaic Stadium is a modern,

visually captivating building that

incorporates a myriad of details to

deliver the greatest fan experience.

The 521,866-square-foot facility is

more than double the size of the

Taylor Field stadium, with three

times the amount of club seating.

Total capacity is 33,000 seats, which

can be expanded to accommodate

40,000 people. There are 38 suites

for corporate partners and, new for

Roughrider fans, 260 loge seats. Seats

are bigger, with a greater distance

between rows and the concourse is

wider. There are 38 restrooms, nine

elevators and 200 concessions spread

throughout the building.

“We wanted a more modern building

and a design that reflects Regina and

all of Saskatchewan,” Sjoberg says.

“It was important to have gathering

spaces for people, with outdoor

plazas and the design includes a

general admission lounge that can

accommodate 500 people. A key

feature is the stadium’s sunken bowl,

where 68 per cent of the seats are

located. We decided early on that

we wanted to be able to move people

more efficiently in and out of an

event. At the Taylor Field site, people

had to go around and around ramps,

which created challenges for some

fans and made it more difficult to

deliver supplies to higher levels. In

the new facility, people will enter the

stadium at grade and walk down to

their seats. Moving spectators into

the sunken bowl also shields them

from the wind.”

The Mosaic Stadium includes

space for Roughrider operations,

including offices, locker rooms and

training facilities. The stadium will

accommodate other tenants as well,

such as Regina’s Minor Football and

Soccer Leagues, and University of

Regina’s Rams games. For extended

use, the field was designed to

comply with FIFA regulations. The

facility will also host concerts and

the general admission lounge will

double as a year-round banquet room

for weddings, private parties and

corporate events.

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Owned by the City of Regina, the

stadium is a design/build/finance

project with a fixed cost of $278

million. Funding includes an $80

million grant from the province, $73

million from the City of Regina, and

$25 million from the Saskatchewan

Roughriders Football Club, through

sponsorships from corporate

partners. The remaining $100 million

comes from stadium users, facilitated

by a provincial loan, which will be

paid down over 30 years through

a per-ticket facility fee, for football

games and other stadium events.

The City’s decision to go with a

design/build/finance project delivery

method, over design-bid-build,

achieved key objectives, including a

fast-tracked construction schedule.

Risk is minimized through a fixed

cost contract and the stadium could

be designed, built and commissioned

in less than three years. By contrast,

the more traditional design-bid-

build method could consume three

years, alone, for the design stage

and another three to four years for

construction. The Mosaic Stadium

will be managed by Regina Exhibition

Association Limited (REAL), a

municipal corporation of the city that

also runs the other assets of Evraz

Place. With management of the

stadium already in place, the long-

term operations and maintenance

component of a design/build/finance/

operate/maintain P3 arrangement

was unnecessary, thereby ruling this

out as a project delivery model.

“We’re building a stadium every 50

to 100 years and the design/build/

finance approach enabled us to

manage the risk more effectively,”

Sjoberg says. “We couldn’t take on a

project that went over budget, so we

went with a fixed price contract. The

construction management team has

the expertise to build the stadium

to this budget, and the project is

progressing on schedule.”

Following a request for qualification,

three teams were short-listed. The

proponents went through the request

for proposal process and the contract

to build the new Mosaic Stadium

was awarded to PCL Construction

Management Inc. Construction began

in June 2014, with completion of the

stadium expected in August 2016.

The design of the structure was

complete by December 2014, with

the design of the rest of the facility,

including all finishes and systems,

finalized in the spring of 2015.

“Design/build is more challenging

because you have to manage the

design concurrently with the

construction of a project,” says Sean

Hamelin, District Manager for PCL

Construction Management Inc. “It’s

important to have the design stay

well ahead of construction so that

the project can progress in a very

fluid and efficient manner. You have

to apply an extra level of expertise

and optimize the time that you have,

which requires a lot of coordinating

with construction schedules. We

brought in dedicated trades early,

who had the ability to influence

decisions about the best value for

the project. They had the expertise

to provide real-time feedback to

help the team make more informed

decisions.”

The Mosaic Stadium is divided into

four quadrants, with construction

commencing on the east and west

sides and progressing in a counter-

clockwise direction. Excavation

of the site began in July 2014 and

included the removal of 300,000

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cubic metres of soil, which took four

months to complete. Both the bowl

of the stadium and the west side,

which will house a two-level space

for locker rooms, football operations

and food and beverage services, were

excavated 33.4 feet below grade.

Approximately 10 feet of material

has been left on the surface of the

bowl, which will remain throughout

construction to protect the field

area of the stadium. In 2016, this

dirt will be removed and the surface

will be graded and prepped for the

installation of the field surface.

“During excavation, we used four GPS

guided excavators and 35 trucks,” says

Nicolas Roy, Owner of Saskatoon-

based, Traditional Contracting Inc.

“We’re cutting all slopes and detailing

the grades for the bleachers. For the

parking lot, on the west side of the

stadium, we’re removing the existing

native soil and will be replacing that

with compacted granular material.”

Concrete work is equally substantial,

requiring 40,000 cubic metres of

concrete to build the stadium. With

the exception of the west side, the

stadium is a slab on grade structure.

Work is the most progressed on

the southeast corner, with slab on

grade and columns, and suspended

slab and columns up to the club

level. Work will continue up to the

suite level and the upper concourse.

Moving north, from the southeast

corner, construction is continuing in

the same pattern. In the first phase

of construction, from June 2014 to

January 2015, cranes erected more

than 1,200 tonnes of reinforcing

steel at the site. Approximately, 80

per cent of the workforce is from

Regina, Saskatoon and surrounding

communities and will number

350 workers on site during peak

construction later this summer.

“Right now the project is about 30

per cent complete, with the cast-in-

place concrete elements on the east

side close to completion and the west

side back at grade,” Hamelin says. “In

the next eight weeks, the structural

steel will be going in on the east side.

The east side of the stadium is really

going to take shape this summer.

People will be able to see the shape

of the roof and have a sense of what

the stadium will look like once it’s

completed.”

For greater efficiency, the stadium’s

mechanical system is comprised of a

water source heat pump system, with

two main boiler plants on the east

and west sides, and roof-top cooling

towers. The system offers the ability

to provide heating or cooling, with

individual zone controls for interior

spaces. In comparison to four-pipe

fan coils, the heat pumps are more

cost efficient because they eliminate a

complete piping system.

“Early on, we provided input in the

mechanical design of the stadium,

and recommended a water source

heat pump system as being the most

cost-effective,” says a spokesperson

with Modern Niagara Inc. in Regina.

”The system offers the ability to

provide heating and cooling in

different suites, while only having

one system (condenser water).”

Modern Niagara Inc.’s scope of work

includes all underground plumbing

services, installation of the plumbing

infrastructure, all the heating/

cooling systems, all the ductwork/

airside systems and the complete fire

protection system. Plumbing fixtures

include 400 toilets, 290 urinals, 300

sinks, as well as wet bar installations

for suites. By summer of this year,

the company is targeting to have 50


per cent of the ductwork complete,

with air handling units staged

throughout the stadium, ready to be

installed as rooms become available.

The oval shape of the stadium

posed unique challenges, requiring

additional calculations to locate

services. “Because the building is

an oval shape, the grid lines are

on angles, nothing is parallel or

perpendicular to one another,”

Modern Niagara’s spokesperson

says. “The building has thousands

of plastic and steel pipe sleeves, and

we had to use a GPS system to locate

our services running through the

concrete floors and shear walls.”

The PCL team includes Alliance

Energy Ltd., who is installing all

of the power distribution for the

stadium, including lighting and

sound systems, security and fire

alarm systems, and other electrical

systems. With spectator safety a

key priority, the electrical design

had to include emergency standby

power. In fact, the stadium has full

emergency backup, so that in the

event of a power failure, the sporting

event or concert will be up and

running within minutes. Ten 500-Kw

energy generators were built into the

design to ensure redundancy for a

continuation of power.

The stadium will be outfitted with

LED lighting for greater energy

efficiency. Power consumption

is fractional and the lighting

fixtures last 10 times longer than

conventional fixtures. In addition,

every fixture on the field of play is

programmable, which offers another

level of efficiency. The Mosaic

Stadium will be illuminated using

fixtures manufactured by Ephesus

Lighting, the same type of fixtures

installed at the University of Phoenix

Stadium, in time for the NFL Super

Bowl in February 2015. The LED-

based stadium lights first came on

the market in 2012, and offer a

crisper, virtual daylight experience.

Regina’s Mosaic Stadium will have

more Ephesus fixtures than the

University of Phoenix Stadium, and a

concert quality, high-end TBL sound

system will be installed. Together, the

lighting and sound systems display

leading-edge technology, to deliver

an enhanced spectator experience.

“Our team emphasized the use of the

most modern equipment, including

the field lighting and scoreboard,

which are on a world-class scale,”

says Paul McLellan, CEO of Alliance

Energy Ltd., who have offices in

Regina and Saskatoon. “Fans will

notice the sharpness of the light with

the LED field of play lighting. These

fixtures are very energy-efficient

and provide a better quality of light,

where colours appear sharper and

more natural.”

The stadium’s 38 suites will offer

exceptional views, and the general

admission lounge and club lounge

will overlook Confederation

Park. The priority to keep visual

restrictions down to a minimum

ensures that as many seats as

possible are premium, for the best

visitor experience. Exterior finishing

of the building includes curtainwall

located on portions of the east and

west elevations. In May, work began

on the installation of the east side

curtainwall. Suite glazing, storefront

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windows and the outfitting of offices

will follow, as the exterior is complete

and interior spaces become available.

A design highlight of the new Mosaic

Stadium is the curved, translucent

roof that is visually stunning, but

that also protects spectators from

the elements. The south end of

the stadium and canopy is open to

connect with, and welcome, the

community. A notched portion

of the north side of the roof

adds architectural interest and

accommodates a future structural

expansion of a retractable or fixed

roof if the City should decide on an

enclosed roof at a later date. It will

require four cranes to erect the roof,

which is the most in the history of a

construction project for the City of

Regina.

“The roof fits in with the whole

open skies, infinite horizons theme

of Regina,” Sjoberg says. “It’s also

functional, eliminating wind and

protecting spectators from snow.

Because the roof is made with a

translucent material, the sun can still

shine through, adding warmth to

the stadium. The roof also minimizes

shadowing, which is better for

players and TV broadcasts.”

Visitors to the new Mosaic Stadium

will notice many upgrades,

including additional washrooms

and a greater number of food

and beverage locations that are

spread out throughout the stadium

for convenient and easy access.

The people flow and logistics of

navigating the facility are much more

efficient, and fans are still connected

to the field of play, even when they

go to the concessions. There are more

entrance points when compared

to Taylor Field, as well as spacious

gathering spaces, where visitors can

meet with friends, before and after

events. The stadium also offers more

parking spots, and plans are in the

works for additional transportation

options, including building on the

current Park and Ride services.

The new Mosaic Stadium is part of a

three-pronged Regina Revitalization

Initiative, which includes the

redevelopment of Taylor Field into

a mixed-use neighbourhood of

housing, greenspaces and retail and

commercial amenities. In addition,

the Railyard Renewal Project will

transform CP Rail lands into a vibrant

new neighbourhood of housing,

offices, shops and restaurants, with

walkway connections to downtown

Regina. Currently, there is no direct

pedestrian route from downtown to

the Mosaic Stadium at Evraz Place.

To improve access, a pathway parallel

to the railway will be constructed,

linking the stadium to downtown,

and providing pedestrians with a fast,

convenient and scenic route.

“An urban greenway will take

people from downtown right to the

stadium,” Sjoberg says. “It’s all about

improving the experience. With the

new stadium, we expect people to

come earlier and stay later, taking

in the extra amenities of the facility,

and events going on at Confederation

Park. The Mosaic Stadium will be

a gathering space, where 10 times

a year, the whole province gets

together. It will be the preeminent

open air facility in Canada.”

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Feature

SaSkaTChEWaN BUIldS CaPITal PlaN: INvESTINg fOr ThE fUTUrEBy Brian Miller, Communications, Saskatchewan Ministry of Finance

Executive SummaryThe Saskatchewan Builds Capital Plan is forecast to provide

$5.8 billion for capital investment over the next four years.

This represents the largest investment in infrastructure

in Saskatchewan’s history and includes substantial

commitments in the areas of education and advanced

education, health care, transportation, and municipal

infrastructure.


Feature

Saskatchewan is growing. With the province’s population

surpassing 1.1 million, people need highways, schools,

health care facilities, and municipal infrastructure more

than ever.

One of the pillars of the 2015-16 Saskatchewan Budget,

announced in March by Finance Minister Ken Krawetz,

is the Saskatchewan Builds Capital Plan, which forecasts

nearly $5.8 billion for capital investment over the next four

years. More than $1.3 billion of that investment will be

made in 2015-16, an increase of almost 50 per cent from last

year.

Krawetz says the Capital Plan (which does not include

the significant capital investments to be made by

Saskatchewan’s Crown corporations over the same period)

is the largest capital budget for government ministries and

agencies in Saskatchewan’s history.

“The Capital Plan is designed to address the unique

infrastructure challenges facing Saskatchewan, which

include keeping pace with recent economic and population

growth, preparing for future growth, and addressing the

significant infrastructure deficit of the past,” Krawetz says.

“The Capital Plan will also strengthen the reporting on

government’s infrastructure investments.”

Crown capital investment also on the rise

In total, the 2015-16 Budget projects capital investment

of more than $3.3 billion, consisting of the $1.3 billion

provided for Government of Saskatchewan infrastructure

by the Saskatchewan Builds Capital Plan, plus $2 billion

in infrastructure investment by the province’s Crown

corporations.

“Crown capital investment was $1.3 billion annually

between 2008 and 2014,” Krawetz says. “Our government

anticipates that between 2016 and 2020, Saskatchewan’s

Crown corporations will invest an average of $1.7 billion

each year.

maintaining existing infrastructure

Krawetz says investing in new infrastructure to support

current and future growth is essential. “But we also

must ensure that the province’s existing infrastructure is

properly maintained.”

To that end, the 2015-16 Budget provides more than $216

million toward maintenance investment on existing capital

in the areas of education and advanced education, health,

and transportation—an increase of 7.6 per cent compared to

the previous year. In addition, the four-year plan includes

consistent increases for important capital maintenance

activities to reinvest in and protect Saskatchewan’s existing

infrastructure.

Investing in schools and education

Saskatchewan’s ever-increasing population means that

school enrolment is also on the rise for the first time in

more than 40 years. More and more families are making

our province home. The 2015-16 Budget provides $248.5

million for capital for K-12 schools and education, up more

than $150 million from last year, and the largest budget

ever for this sector. Over the next four years, almost $900

million is targeted for investment in this area.

The Capital Plan also supports the joint-use bundle of nine

schools in Regina, Saskatoon, Warman, and Martensville

(potentially through a P3 procurement model). Major capital

funding of $28.6 million will also be provided in 2015-16 for

the renovation or repair of schools in Langenburg, Hudson

Bay, Martensville, Gravelbourg, Weyburn, and Saskatoon.

Construction will also begin this year on three new projects

approved for planning last year—St. Brieux School, and

Connaught and Sacred Heart schools in Regina. A new

major project is approved to start this year at Hague High

School.

Investing in advanced education and training

Investments are also being made in university facilities

and regional colleges and training institutions. In 2015-16,

nearly $47 million is budgeted for capital in the area of

advanced education and training, with the four-year plan

estimated to provide almost $185 million to the sector.

The 2015-16 Budget provides $10.6 million for the Southeast

Regional College in Weyburn. This $17.5 million project

is expected to be complete by 2016-17 and will provide

for the renovation of a multipurpose shop, as well as an

addition for classrooms, labs and support space. Final year

funding of $4.5 million is being provided to complete the

new Trades and Technology Centre at Parkland Regional

College in Yorkton, and $7.9 million is being provided to

the University of Saskatchewan to support the ongoing

Academic Health Sciences Facility.

Investing in health care

Quality health care infrastructure is a top priority for the

people of Saskatchewan. The 2015-16 Budget provides

$256.4 million for health capital, up more than $161 million


from last year. The Capital Plan target

is to invest more than $700 million

in health facilities over the next four

years.

Several major projects are currently

underway, including the new

Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon,

the new hospital in Moose Jaw,

replacement of the Saskatchewan

Hospital at North Battleford,

planning for rejuvenation of the

Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert,

and replacement of long-term care

facilities in Regina and La Ronge.

The 2015-16 Budget provides funding

to start construction on the new

integrated health/long-term care

facility in Leader. The $12 million

Leader project will receive $9.6 million

from the province and is expected to

be ready for patients in March 2017.

Investing in transportation

The Capital Plan is delivering on

the need for continued investment

in transportation infrastructure

with a target to invest $3.2 billion

in transportation capital over

the next four years. The 2015-16

Budget provides $581 million in

capital funding for transportation

infrastructure, up nearly $176 million

or more than 43 per cent from last

year. This is projected to increase by

an additional $264 million in 2016-17.

“Construction of the Regina Bypass,

the largest infrastructure project in

Saskatchewan history, is expected

to begin this year,” Krawetz says. “In

addition, our government is investing

in other important transportation

projects such as interchanges for

Warman and Martensville, twinning

and passing projects on Highways 5,

6, 7, 16 and 39; as well as numerous

other enhancement activities

throughout the province.”

The 2015-16 Budget includes $16

million for continued support

of the Municipal Roads for the

Economy Program, which provides

funding through the Saskatchewan

Association of Rural Municipalities

toward projects aimed at developing

a network of primary weight truck

haul routes on municipal roads. This

program aims to improve municipal

roads that experience high levels

of heavy truck traffic, and improve

bridges and culverts on municipal

roads.

The 2015-16 Budget also provides

$15.0 million of capital funding

toward the rehabilitation of highways

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impacted by 2014 flooding, as well as $9

million for the repair and rehabilitation of

the Stony Rapids Airport—the fifth busiest

airport in the province.

Investing in municipal infrastructure

Funding of $74.5 million is budgeted in

2015-16 for municipal infrastructure, with

plans to invest more than $400 million

over the next four years. Funding is being

provided for the New Building Canada

Fund and other existing federal-provincial-

municipal infrastructure programs.

The new federal infrastructure

program—the Building Canada Plan—

should result in more than $1 billion in

additional infrastructure investment

in Saskatchewan by 2022-23 (including

all federal, provincial and municipal

contributions).

The Saskatchewan Government has

also committed to provide $50 million

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Investing in parks, firefighting, and other infrastructure

The 2015-16 Budget also provides $102

million in capital funding for upgrades

of government buildings, correctional

centres, courts, parks, recreation

facilities, and other infrastructure to

help support high-quality program

and service delivery. Major projects

include the Parks Capital program, as

well as new correctional facilities. And

$27.5 million is planned to be invested

over the next three years to renew the

province’s forest firefighting fleet.

Innovation in Capital Planning

“The Saskatchewan Builds Capital

Plan demonstrates our government’s

commitment to capital planning and

to innovation in capital planning. This

includes—when value-for-money can

be demonstrated—the use of public-

private partnerships or P3s,” Krawetz

says.

Construction of the province’s first P3

project, the new Swift Current Long-

Term Care Centre, is already underway.

“The Capital Plan will also help ensure

we meet the commitments of capital

investment made in the Saskatchewan

Plan for Growth,” Krawetz says. He

also added that “another benefit

of the Capital Plan is as a planning

and communication tool for the

construction sector.”


Feature

According to the Massachusetts-

based Lean Enterprise Institute Inc.

(LEI), the main concept behind lean

is to “maximize customer value while

minimizing waste”. Its roots lie with

an individual named Jim Womack,

who headed up a research team at

MIT’s Motor Vehicle Program and

first used the term to describe Toyota’s

business during the late 1980s. Since

then, “lean” has become a staple

of our lexicon. And it is one that

holds increasing significance for the

Canadian construction industry.

The Essence

The LEI describes a lean organization

as one that understands customer

value and focuses its key processes to

continuously increase it. The ultimate

goal, it adds, is to provide perfect value

to the customer through a perfect

value creation process that has zero

waste.

“To accomplish this, lean thinking

changes the focus of management

from optimizing separate technologies,

assets and vertical departments

to optimizing the flow of products

and services at far less costs and

with much fewer defects, compared

with traditional business systems.

Companies are able to respond to

changing customer desires with high

variety, high quality, low cost and

with very fast throughput times.

lEarNINg lEaN: NEW mEThOdOlOgIES PrOdUCE rESUlTSBy Melanie Franner, DEL Staff Writer

Executive SummaryLean manufacturing is a common enough term in the

Saskatchewan construction industry. What isn’t as common

is its use in today’s actual construction practices. But

change may be in the air, thanks to innovative industry

leaders who have researched and implemented ways within

their own organizations to eliminate “waste” and change

the culture of their entire organization. It’s not an easy nor

a quick response to ever-increasing costs and additional

competition, but it’s a methodology that has already proven

to produce results – and one that may hold the potential to a

more sustainable future for the Saskatchewan construction

industry.

Architectural renderings of the new health facility in Moose Jaw.


Feature

Also, information management

becomes much simpler and more

accurate,” states the LEI, which adds

that lean should not be considered a

cost-reduction program but “a way

of thinking and acting for an entire

organization”.

The construction industry is clearly

one sector that can benefit from the

use of lean methodologies. Not only

is there a lot of “waste” generated in

construction projects – change orders

alone can account for up to 10 per

cent of the cost of the project – but

waste is being generated through

almost the entire construction

process.

In fact, a report from the United

Kingdom’s Construction Task Force,

entitled Rethinking Construction,

cites a variety of recent studies that

collectively suggest:

• Up to 30 per cent of construction is

rework;

• Labour is used at only 40 to 60 per

cent of potential efficiency;

• Accidents can account for an

additional three to six per cent of a

project’s total cost; and

• At least 10 per cent of materials are

wasted.

It would seem that the construction

industry is ripe for the opportunity to

embrace change.

Collaboration Sets the Stage

The design and construction of the

new Five Hills Health Region (FHHR)

hospital in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan,

is a prime example of how lean

methodologies can be used to attain

better results. The new healthcare

facility is actually 10 per cent smaller

in square footage than its predecessor

but it has the capacity to serve more

patients. And at a cost of $103.8

million, the facility is reported to

have saved the province close to $35

million.

Among the various lean

methodologies and tools used in the

new facility are:

• “Cellular Care” Delivery Model

– built to promote and support

multidisciplinary integrated team

care;

• 3P Process (Production Preparation

Process) – design input from close to

200 people across the organization

and communities served;

Architectural rendering of the new health facility in Moose Jaw

Construction underway at Moose Jaw’s new hospital.


• Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)

– engaging a team of architects,

engineers, general contractors/

construction manager, key trade

contractors and owners from the

early design stage;

• Target Value Design – project

components are decomposed into a

detailed pricing assembly (estimate),

which is value analyzed as design

progresses;

• IFOA and Risk Pool – the Integrated

Form of Agreement uses a single

multi-party agreement between the

owners, architects and engineers,

builder or general contractor and

the major mechanical and electrical

contractor; and

• Building Information Modeling

(BIM) – Using the Revit production

platform, BIM protocols were

established by the IDP team.

“I think that this project went that

much smoother because it was such

a collaborative one,” says Colin Olfert,

Operations Manager with Graham

Construction Ltd., who acted as the

Project Executive on the construction

of the FHHR. “I think that without the

3P process, the healthcare workers

would not have got the facility that

they did. From the IPD perspective, I

think it’s safe to say that this building

would have cost a lot more had it

not gone this route. The level of

detail and knowledge that the whole

team – users, builders and owners –

brought to the table was definitely an

advantage. And the IFOA and Risk

Pool ensured that all the parties were

working together to optimize the

whole, not just their own individual

piece of the pie.”

Not only did the use of lean make for a

better and more cost-effective facility

but it also resulted in significant time

savings in construction. The FHHR

took less than two years to build

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Rendering of the new hospital in Moose Jaw.

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“If we were to build this facility in the

traditional design/bid/build manner,

we would have to add another two

or three years onto the schedule,”

says Olfert, who adds that the use of

pre-manufactured components made

a significant contribution in this area.

These included the pre-assembly of

steel-stud headwalls complete with

mechanical and electrical integration

and pre-built standard wall assembly

panels for the exterior of the building.

Electrical Company Shows the Way

Eecol Electric Corp. is an example of

a wholesale supplier that has adopted

lean methodologies. The electrical

material-supply company began its

journey with lean a little over a year

ago, soon after its 2012 acquisition by

Wesco International, Inc.

“Lean was brought onboard by

Wesco,” says Randy Hass, Eecol

Electric’s Regional General Manager

for Southern Saskatchewan, who

adds that the process involves

lean training. “Lean is designed to

eliminate waste. It’s a methodology

used to make your company more

efficient and productive.”

Lean uses a series of different training

levels for employees. These levels

vary depending on the job function.

For example, Eecol Electric has

opted to have all of its employees be

certified, White Belt at a minimum.

All executives and regional managers

are Blue Belt certified. And all regional

lean and safety coordinators are

currently Yellow Belt certified. Two

other levels remain: Green Belt and

Black Belt.

“We currently have 70 Yellow Belts in

the company,” says Donna Solvason,

Eecol Electric’s Regional Lean and

Safety Coordinator. “The coordinators

will be trained for Green Belt

certification later this year.”

The key behind the lean methodology

is to implement improvements via

committee so that there are people

present from different areas of the

company and with different levels

of training. This brings together

different perspectives.

“The big thing with this methodology

is to recognize waste,” says Solvason.

“And it isn’t just waste material. It

may be waste in a process. A lot of

times, people do things a certain

way because it’s always been done

that way. By going through this

process, a company will realize how

things can be reworked to create

improvement. It’s all about continuous

improvement.”

Although Hass and his team have

already “tackled” four “lean events”,

they realize that there is still a long

way to go.

“When people come out of training,

they have so many ideas and are eager

to jump in,” says Hass. “The challenge

is knowing where to start; to keep it

small and walk before you run so that

you can continue to engage people in

the process.”

The end game is that goal of

continuous improvement.

“As we get better and improve

efficiencies, I think we’re going to

see an improvement in customer

satisfaction,” says Solvason. “And I

also think that we’re going to see an

improvement in employee satisfaction

because it’s a process where everyone

is asked for their input. It engages

everyone.”

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Institutional Insight

With lean methodologies starting

to make an impact in sectors like

healthcare and construction, it’s no

surprise that the academic world is

also looking at it as a way to improve

service to its client base.

Today, Saskatchewan Polytechnic

has had more than 100 employees

participate in some 22 lean events.

“It’s all about eliminating waste and

creating value,” adds Rosia. “We’re

focused on becoming an organization

of continuous improvement.”

Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s vision

is to be recognized as the first-

choice polytechnic in Canada by

2020. Rosia is confident that one

of the ways the organization will

achieve its vision is through lean

methodologies.

“There are two basic principles to

each lean event,” explains Rosia. “The

first is respect for people. Lean relies

on the knowledge of people. The

front-line workers have owned the

problem for a number of years and

now, they have the opportunity to

own the solution as well. The second

principle is continuous improvement.

Lean makes you seek ways to

continuously improve processes to

better meet your clients’ needs.”

According to Rosia, the institute

sought to start with “bite-sized”

projects that made each lean event a

learning opportunity.

“The transfer of knowledge is a

means of changing an organization’s

culture,” he says. “And that’s really

what the fundamental principle of

lean is all about.”

Each lean event at Saskatchewan

Polytechnic takes two to three days.

Examples to date include:

• Reducing the time required to

process grievances: this first

event brought together labour

relations people and key union

representatives to send a clear

signal that the institute was

determined to change;

• Reducing the time to report

apprenticeship marks;

• Shortening the turnaround

times for international student

admissions; and

• Identifying and sharing best

practices for student orientation

across all four of Saskatchewan

Polytechnic’s campuses.

“There are a number of other

projects that we’ve taken on as well,”

says Rosia. “We’re quite pleased

with the results. And we’re always

appreciative with the consistent

buy-in from our staff.”

Saskatchewan Polytechnic set out

on its lean journey with a five-year

implementation plan, with clearly

defined objectives for each year.

Year One:

• Gain an understanding of the

requirements and set out clear

objectives;

• Create roles, which resulted in the

development of a Lean Promotion

and Project Management office

(LP/PMO);

• Offer training; and

• Run several small pilots.

Year Two:

• Advance training;

• Run additional pilots; and

• Build best practices.

Year Three:

• Enhance integration of LP/PMO

and other stakeholders (e.g. the IT

department); and

• Develop capacity to continue with

integration (i.e. build expertise in-

house).

Year Four:

• Evaluate the progress to date and

monitor the metrics; and

• Continue to enhance lean across

all business planning processes.

Year Five:

• Continue to study metrics and

evaluate progress;

• Implement full integration with

business management processes;

and

• Attain lean training for a

minimum of 20 per cent of

workforce.

“Our whole adoption of lean started in 2012 when the Ministry of Advanced Education offered specialized training in it,” says Dr. Larry Rosia, President and CEO of Saskatchewan Polytechnic. “We had 250 employees attend the training.”

NEW mEThOdOlOgIES PrOdUCE rESUlTS


Rosia credits his organization’s success

with integrating lean methodologies

to starting off small and slow.

“We let the success of each small

initiative spill over so that people

wanted to become a part of it,” he

explains.

And today, Rosia is confident that

his organization can help other

organizations travel their own

journey to continuous improvement.

“We’re certainly open for business,” he

says. “We’re at a place where we have

built capacity in-house and are eager

to help industry however we can.”

Worth Considering

The founders of the LEI and U.K.-

based Lean Enterprise Academy

suggest that there are three

fundamental business issues that

can be used to help guide the

implementation of lean practices

across an organization. These are as

follows:

• Purpose: What customer problems

will the enterprise solve to achieve

its own purpose of prospering?

• Process: How will the organization

assess each major value stream to

make sure each step is valuable,

capable, available, adequate, flexible

and that all the steps are linked by

flow, pull and leveling?

• People: How can the organization

ensure that every important

process has someone responsible

for continually evaluating the

value system in terms of business

purpose and lean process? How can

everyone touching the value stream

be actively engaged in operating it

correctly and continually improving

it?

These three issues can be put into

play across any business – regardless

of sector. The implementation of

lean methodologies is not limited to

manufacturing alone.

The good news for the Saskatchewan

construction industry is that the

knowledge of lean practices and

methodologies in the province is

growing. And the ability to use

that knowledge to help disseminate

information is also on the rise, as

is demonstrated with the in-house

capacity built up at Saskatchewan

Polytechnic. With the need, growth

and opportunity all present and

accounted for, it would seem

that a future of lean culture in

Saskatchewan’s construction industry

may not be too far away.


Feature

NON-rESIdENTIal CONSTrUCTION rEmaINS STrONg IN SlOWEr grOWTh ECONOmyBy Lisa Fattori, DEL Staff Writer

Executive SummaryDespite a projected economic growth rate of only 0.8 per

cent for 2015, non-residential construction activity is

expected to increase over the next four years. As some

major engineering projects wind down in 2015, there will

be a brief pause with growth resuming in 2016 and peaking

in 2019. Private and public investment in non-residential

construction is forecasted to increase steadily from $6.4

billion in 2015 to $7.8 billion by 2019.

Spurring the province’s heightened construction activity is

Saskatchewan’s rapid spike in population and the need for

new infrastructure to support growing communities. The

provincial 2015-16 Budget outlines a four-year, $5.8 billion

commitment to build and maintain core infrastructure,

with $1.3 billion of the investment allotted to projects

in 2015-16. Regina’s Revitalization Initiative; the Regina

Bypass; schools, a healthcare facility, and road and bridge

construction projects in Saskatoon; and ongoing investment

in metal mining, potash and pipeline projects are a sampling

of the key projects that are driving heightened construction

activity.

Meeting demand will require an influx of skilled workers,

particularly as people retire. BuildForce Canada forecasts

that the industry will need to attract approximately

9,000 new construction workers in the next 10 years.

Saskatchewan has the lowest unemployment rate in the

country and one of the youngest workforces. Enhanced

productivity is essential for companies to maintain the

construction momentum and remain competitive. Ongoing

industry initiatives are addressing the need for skilled

workers and the goal to increase productivity within the

construction sector.

Regina West Bypass Bridge.


Feature

Saskatchewan’s construction activity

continues to be robust with some

analysts forecasting year-after-

year growth for the next four years.

An infrastructure-friendly 2015

provincial budget, coupled with

ongoing construction in mining and

pipeline projects, is sustaining non-

residential construction investment

by both the public and private sectors.

While new housing stats flatten in

the next four years, infrastructure

will continue to roll-out to support the

province’s growing population, with

strong commercial and institutional

construction activity.

A key driver of Saskatchewan’s

economic growth and ensuing

heightened construction activity is the

enormous increase in the province’s

population. According to Statistics

Canada, Saskatchewan’s population

has grown by 8.7 per cent from 2009

to 2014, which is the second highest

growth in the country, and well above

the 5.7 per cent national average.

The province is progressing toward

a population of 1.2 million people by

2020, with Regina and Saskatoon

leading the growth and positioned as

two of the top four fastest-growing

census metropolitan areas in Canada.

“The population is expected to

continue to grow, which is quite

new for Saskatchewan,” says Doug

Elliott, Publisher of SaskTrends

Monitor. “That means there will be

more houses, more haircuts, more

restaurant meals and more taxes for

the government. This creates a need

for infrastructure and increased

investment to support that population

growth.”

Since the last quarter of 2014, analysts

have downgraded Saskatchewan’s

expected growth for 2015 and, in

February, The Conference Board of

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Canada forecasted that the province’s

economy is expected to grow by just

0.8 per cent in 2015. Despite this, the

provincial 2015-16 Budget addresses

the need for continued investment in

infrastructure. The budget calls for

a four year, $5.8 billion commitment,

named Saskatchewan Builds Capital

Plan, to build and maintain needed

core infrastructure, including schools,

healthcare facilities, municipal

infrastructure, roads, bridges and

highways.

Of that investment, $1.3 billion

has been earmarked for core

infrastructure in 2015-16, which

is an increase of almost 50 per

cent from last year and the largest

infrastructure allocation in the

province’s history. The breakdown

in capital investment includes

$581 million to build highways and

transportation infrastructure; $248.5

million in K-12 school construction,

$46.6 million for the maintenance and

expansion of colleges and universities;

and $256.4 million for expansion

projects and upgrades in healthcare

infrastructure. In addition, spending

by the Crowns is expected to be $2.0

billion, to fund capital projects at

SaskPower, SasktTel and SaskEnergy.

“A lot of us thought that there would

have been a decrease in government

spending, so this is a good news

budget for the construction industry,”

Elliott says. “Projected growth this

year is 0.8 per cent, which is flat

and not the one to two-per cent that

we’re used to. But it’s hardly a crisis.

It’s fairly easy to put off investing

in infrastructure for one more year,

but with the declining condition of

infrastructure and an increase in

population, it needs to be addressed.

It’s propitious that the government is

spending money on infrastructure.

When the economy is booming, it

would be much more expensive in

construction materials and labour, to

invest in major capital projects. Now is

a good time to invest in infrastructure,

because you’re getting better value.”

The tailspin in oil prices in the

last year has made economists

jittery about the economic health

of oil producing provinces, with

speculation about a recession in

the wake of layoffs and suspended

capital projects in the oil sector.

Saskatchewan’s advantage is its

diversified economy, with strong

performances in other sectors,

including agriculture, which saw

exports increase by 19 per cent from

2013 to 2014. Agriculture production

is expected to rebound after last year’s

poor growing conditions, to deliver

even more favourable performance.

Manufacturing sales also increased by

5.3 per cent in 2014, rising by 46.7 per

cent from 2009 to 2014, which is the

strongest growth among provinces,

and well above the national average

of 27.4 per cent. Potash production

late in 2014 was up by 30 per cent,

compared to the previous year’s

levels, helping to offset declines in oil

production.

“People are saying that the sky is

falling, that we’re entering a recession,

but the numbers don’t support that,”

Elliott says. “This is triggered by the

decrease in oil prices, but for every

one of these negative stories, we’ve

got a positive offset. There is a lot of

doom and gloom by commentators,

but the statistics are saying something

else. Retail sales and employment are

steady and the non-residential side

of construction is in a good position,

already busy finishing off big projects

from 2014. Even if oil prices stay low,

non-residential construction will

outperform the rest of the economy.”

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In Regina, key public and private

investment projects include the

Regina Revitalization Initiative,

which includes the phase one, $278

million Mosaic Stadium project,

with an expected completion of

August 2016. The second phase,

CP Railyard development will cost

more than $500 million, with 92 per

cent of that coming from private

investment. Redevelopment of the

Taylor Field Neighbourhood into a

mixed-use development completes the

Revitalization Initiative. This project is

still in the design phase with expected

cost yet to be determined.

Another high profile project is

the Regina Bypass, with total cost

projected at over $1 billion. Set

to commence construction this

summer, the P3 project is the largest

transportation infrastructure project

in Saskatchewan’s history. This year

will also see the start of construction

of 18 new schools, three of which are

in Regina. In addition, there is first-

year construction funding for two

new schools – Connaught and Sacred

Heart – in Regina.

As the third-fastest growing city

in the country, ahead of Regina,

Saskatoon has experienced a huge

spike in population, with a 3.2 per cent

increase between 2013 and 2014, and

a population of over 300,000. The city

has eight schools that are in various

stages of planning and construction,

as well as a twinning of highways

project. Two new proposed bridges

will provide a 60 per cent increase

in transportation capacity across the

South Saskatchewan River, which will

offer citizens greater convenience

and open up new commercial

opportunities.

Construction has already started

on the $235.5 million Children’s

Hospital of Saskatchewan, propelling

Saskatoon as a world leader in health

research and services. The city’s

$150 million Civic Operations Centre

project is freeing up land which is

slated for redevelopment, for a more

competitive downtown and enhanced

tourist offerings.

“The public investment in Saskatoon

represents close to $1 billion in

construction,” says Kent Smith-

Windsor, Executive Director of

the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of

Commerce. “Saskatoon has strong

fundamentals, including a broader

base of products and services. In the

last few years, manufacturing and

processing businesses have seen

increased sales to the U.S. market. We

have the potash industry, agriculture

and livestock, IT and medical research.

There is a dense education base here,

with a high number of graduates each


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year. Saskatoon has an aggressive

target of achieving a five per cent

employment growth rate each year,

and in the last five of seven years,

we’ve met that target.”

The Conference Board of Canada

forecasts non-metal mining to grow by

9.3 per cent in 2015 and 7.2 per cent

in 2016. The $4 billion investment by

K+S Potash Canada at Bethune, the

$3.8 billion PHP potash mine at Jansen

lake and the proposed $3.4 billion Vale

Kronau potash mine near the hamlet

of Kronau, 30 kilometres southeast

of Regina, are employing thousands

and adding to the province’s roster of

non-residential projects in the next

four years.

Enbridge Pipelines Inc.’s Line 3

Replacement Program, now awaiting

environmental approvals, has a

construction start date planned for

the second quarter of 2016, with an

anticipated in-service date in late

2017. The largest decommissioning

of a pipeline ever undertaken by

Enbridge, the project includes the

construction of approximately 1,077

kilometres of new crude oil pipeline

from Hardisty, Alberta to Gretna,

Manitoba, with the addition of 18

new pump stations and associated

infrastructure and equipment.

According to BuildForce Canada, there

are slight declines in non-residential

investment in 2015, as some major

engineering projects peak and begin

to wind down. Growth resumes

in 2016 and peaks in 2019, as new

mining and pipeline projects come on

stream. Released in March, BuildForce

Canada’s 2015 outlook scenario

reports a 9.8 per cent increase in

non-residential investment from

2014 to 2015, for a total of $6.4 billion.

Investment is projected to increase

to $7.0 billion in 2016; $7.4 billion in

2017; $7.5 billion in 2018 and $7.8

billion in 2019.

“Construction activity will slow

after 2019, but it will still be above

historical levels, with more moderate

growth over the long term,” says

Bob Collins, Senior Economist with

BuildForce Canada. “Saskatchewan

has had staggering growth over

the last 10 years and, following a

brief pause, the next round of major

projects is scheduled to start, and

expected to peak in 2019. As these

major engineering projects finish, total

non-residential construction activity

will decline. But, given the population

growth, there is still strength and

steady construction activity in the

commercial and institutional side of

the sector.”

Statistics Canada reports that

Saskatchewan’s unemployment rate

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was 4.4 per cent in March 2015, the

lowest rate among the provinces for

the last 18 months and well below

the 6.8 per cent national average.

Saskatchewan also has the youngest

workforce in the country, with

first-time workers entering the

construction industry, aged 30 and

younger.

Given the volume of capital projects

in the pipeline for the next four years,

maintaining the momentum of activity,

all the while remaining competitive,

is paramount for Saskatchewan’s

construction industry. BuildForce

Canada forecasts that as construction

workers retire over the next 10 years,

the province will need to attract

approximately 9,000 new construction

workers to meet the shortfall. To meet

demand in each year, from 2016 to

2019, employers will need to recruit

out-of-province workers.

In 2014, KPMG released a report that

details non-residential construction

cost drivers for Saskatchewan’s

construction industry. The report’s

findings show that construction cost

increases are driven by competition

for specialized labour and the

increasing practice of recruiting more

expensive out-of-province labour.

Another key driver is higher material

costs, due to a limited supply of

concrete and aggregate. The report

also found anecdotal evidence that

productivity may be slipping.

To address this concern about

productivity, SCA, together with the

Regina Construction Association,

the Saskatoon Construction

Association and the Saskatchewan

Heavy Construction Association,

is hosting a series of Construction

Productivity 101 workshops, the first

one took place at the SCA’s Annual

Summer Meeting at Elk Ridge

Resort on June 6. The event focused

on best practices for productivity

improvement in innovation,

operations and leadership.

Additional workshops will be offered

this fall in Regina and Saskatoon.

Sponsored by the Saskatchewan

Ministry of Economy, the sessions

are intended to inspire participants

to take a more strategic approach in

achieving project goals, to achieve a

higher level of productivity.

“We’re hearing a lot of talk about

productivity slipping, and while

the evidence is anecdotal, it’s still

something we should be discussing,”

says Mark Cooper, President and CEO

of the SCA. “With so many retiring,

we have the challenge of replacing

experienced skilled workers with new

entrants to the industry, who may

not be as productive. We’re offering

these Productivity 101 sessions so that

members can begin to tackle this.”


build SUCCESStogether we

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We are construction partners who are passionate about what we do and about our partners’ success.

We are a prairie builder, established in Stoughton in 1906. We know this province.

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695 High St. W P.O. Box 1328 Moose Jaw, SK S6H 4R3

Sam Shaw, President & General ManagerPh: 306-692-7838 | Fax: 306-692-2232 | Cell: 306-631-1734

Everyday, the MCAS is working to improve the mechanical construction industry in Saskatchewan. As our industry grows, more and more members are seeing real benefits from being a part of a province wide network committed to a strong and healthy construction environment for all.

For more information, please visit www.mca-sask.com or call 306-664-2154

Mechanical Contractors Association of Saskatchewan Inc. Building Tomorrow’s Construction Leaders Today

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Feature

SaSkaTChEWaN ShOWS lEadErShIP: NEW aCTION PlaN SETS ThE STagEBy Melanie Franner, DEL Staff Writer

Executive SummaryOn March 27th of this year, Priority Saskatchewan

released its new Procurement Transformation Action Plan.

The Action Plan identifies 13 key initiatives designed to

create an equal and level playing field for Saskatchewan

companies bidding on government and Crown contracts.

The Action Plan is still very much in the early stages, with

many details yet to be determined. But the plan, as it is,

already provides a clear indication of the government’s

willingness to confer and collaborate with industry. No

surprise that it has garnered significant support. The days

and months ahead will undoubtedly iron out many of the

“unknowns” inherent in the Action Plan but for now, it

shows the strength and character of a government willing

to take the lead – both within Canada and beyond.

Government procurement has long

been an issue for the Saskatchewan

construction industry. It’s been years

since the Agreement on Internal

Trade (AIT) was deemed inadequate.

The New West Partnership Trade

Agreement tried to re-balance

the scale, at least in the west. But

inequities remain.

Today, industry is still asking for a

level playing field – one that would

put local Saskatchewan firms on par

with those outside the province. But

the difference, as of late, lies in the

fact that the provincial government

is now on the road to rectifying the

situation with the introduction of its

new Procurement Transformation

Action Plan.

“The government recognized that

there was an opportunity to improve

procurement in the public sector to

ensure Saskatchewan businesses

were competing on a level playing

field,” says Gordon Wyant, Minister

Responsible for SaskBuilds. “We

wanted to unify the efforts to take a

more holistic look at how we could

extend the improvements across

ministries and the Crown sector.”

a decisive move

Priority Saskatchewan was

announced in June 2014 and

the process to develop the new

procurement plan began in earnest

in September of that year. It

involved meeting with more than

140 Saskatchewan businesses,

associations and government

partners. The result? The March 27th

announcement of 13 action items

designed to improve government and

Crown-sector procurement.

“The first step in procurement

improvement is an action plan with

13 separate but complementary

initiatives,” Minster Wyant says.

“The actions range from making

‘best value’ the basis of awarding

contracts across government and the

Crowns to developing a consistent

model to provide feedback to bidders

through a formal debriefing process

to clearly defining the government’s

professional procurement practices

through a new Procurement Code

of Conduct. At the core of our

objective is to ensure Saskatchewan

is utilizing ‘best practices’ in all of our

procurement initiatives.”

Gordon Wyant, Minister Responsible for SaskBuilds.

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Please contact Darlene 306 .791.7422 or email [email protected].

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[email protected] rcaonline.ca

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Although a lot of the details

behind the 13 action items remain

to be seen, the announcement is

nonetheless a step in the right

direction – and one being watched

by governments all across the

country.

“When the Action Plan is fully

implemented, I think Saskatchewan

will be a leader in the country and

possibly beyond,” says Mark Cooper,

President of the Saskatchewan

Construction Association (SCA).

The 13 action items identified in the

new procurement plan include:

• New employee Procurement Code

of Conduct;

• Consistent application of best

value as the basis of government

procurement;

• Vendor-performance evaluation;

• Multi-staged and outcomes-based

procurement;

• Crown corporations to maximize

all opportunities available within

the AIT;

• Address the knowledge gap;

• Collaborative capital forecasting;

• Enhance the SaskTenders portal;

• Common procurement templates;

• A formal debrief process;

• Corporate citizenship in

procurement;

• Conflict of interest for former

government employees; and

• Define “Saskatchewan Business”.

general reaction

To date, industry has been very

receptive to the Action Plan – both

to the fact that the government has

developed one and to the content

contained within.

“I think our industry would say the

Action Plan is well overdue,” says

Bev MacLeod, Executive Director,

Association of Consulting Engineering

Companies – Saskatchewan (ACEC-

SK). “It’s a very good first step.”

The SCA has been a strong advocate

for change on this front for a number

of years.

“We’ve been actively involved in

pushing and leading the discussion

over the last two years,” Cooper says.

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“And we’re pleased that we’ve seen

some significant movement from the

government over the last year. We

feel very positively about the Action

Plan. It’s a clear indication that the

government has been listening and

has heard what industry has to say.”

Shantel Lipp, President of the

Saskatchewan Heavy Construction

Association (SHCA), describes her

members’ response as “cautiously

optimistic”.

“I think the Action Plan will

streamline and simplify the

procurement process,” she says.

“I’m optimistic that it will allow

Saskatchewan companies to bid on

more projects here at home. I don’t

see it as a deterrent to competitors

coming from outside the province but

given that the government has built

in some criteria surrounding ‘local

knowledge’ and ‘best practices’, I think

our people will be okay. Part of best

practices is building on existing valued

relationships.”

Jury Still Out

The 13 Action Items outlined in the

procurement plan may have been met

with positive enthusiasm, but there is

no denying the fact that a lot of work

remains to be done.

“The high-level tenets of the Action

Plan align nicely with our issues,” says

ACEC-SK’s MacLeod. “But we will

need to see the details before we sign

off on it. For example, our industry

has been a huge advocate of ‘best

value’ for years now. We just want

to make sure that the government’s

definition is the same as ours.”

MacLeod cites the example of how her

industry advocates that full lifecycle

costs for all infrastructure investment

be taken into consideration when

determining ‘best value’.

“For us, the front end of a project is

key,” she says. “It has the capacity to

save significantly in the long term.

That’s what we mean by ‘best value’,”

she says. “Historically, projects have

been budget and time driven. The

scope, which is defined as the front

end of the project, has not always been

what our industry would like to see.”

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SaSkaTChEWaN ShOWS lEadErShIPSCA’s Cooper also acknowledges that there is a great number

of details to address before the work is finalized.

“Government has said that ‘best value’ will be used as a

primary factor in determining winning bids but how does

it define the term?” he asks. “There is still a lot of work that

needs to be done. Industry and government will need to

continue to collaborate to work out all of the details.”

Another of these “details” with the potential to raise concern

is the length of the evaluation process on bids submitted.

“Our horizontal construction members are excited about

RFPs transitioning from low bid to best value,” says SHCA’s

Lipp. “But, they hope that the government doesn’t make

the evaluation too rigorous of a process. If the government

provides three weeks to bid on a project and then takes

another three weeks to evaluate the bid, that’s half of our

construction season in highways and roads.”

Another example cited by Lipp concerns the government’s

multi-tiered recommendations.

“We were hoping that there might be more consideration

given to the government’s multi-tiered recommendations,”

she says. “They’re looking at projects valued at $24 million

and higher as going to a short-list model. We would like to

see that number be a little higher. I would hate to see local

companies missing out.”

Fortunately, government is well aware that there is a lot

more work that needs to be done before the Action Plan can

be rolled out across its different agencies and Crowns.

“We intend to continue liaising with industry and our

government partners in the broader public sector to make

sure we get this right,” acknowledges Minister Wyant.

Pleased To See

Although industry may be anxious about the many details

still outstanding in the Action Plan, it is also satisfied with

some of what has already been included.

“I think the government’s acknowledgement of corporate

responsibility is an important piece,” says SHCA’s Lipp. “It

provides an opportunity for businesses to talk about their

contribution to the local community and economy. That’s

always a plus.”

Derek Lothian, Vice President of Canadian Manufacturers &

Exporters (CME) and Executive Director of the Saskatchewan

Manufacturing Council, also sees the inclusion of corporate

responsibility as a positive.

“We’re exceptionally

pleased with the

government’s intent

to strengthen the

recognition of vendor

performance and

corporate citizenship,”

he says. “I would say

that these are two

industry benchmarks

and are actually part of

global best practices in

procurement.”

Of course, it’s hard to satisfy everyone – even with only 13

action items.

“The outcome of one these action items will impact

the others,” says Lothian. “I think it’s good to have 13

committees – one for each action item – but in reality, the

13 committees are all going to have to work with industry,

as well as together. The outcomes will all need to be

aligned.”

It’s all in the Timing

When and how these action items will be rolled out

remains to be seen. What is apparent, though, is that it

will require both time and collaboration.

“These challenges did not happen overnight,” says ACEC-

SK’s MacLeod. “They evolved over a long period of time.

To believe that we can resolve them immediately, given

the amount of detailed work required, may be a bit short-

sighted.”

CME’s Lothian also foresees a slow and gradual

implementation.

“Procurement is a large and delicate file to navigate,” he

says. “I think it will be very important for the government

to get it right rather than fast. There is still an educational

process that needs to take place before you see full-scale

implementation. It’s going to take several months if not

several years because it has to be a collective effort. The

Action Plan has to be consolidated and consistent across

the Crown and all government, each of which currently

acts as an autonomous and independent entity.”

Lothian suggests that the implementation will take place

in stages. “It will be easier for some entities than others,”

he says. “Certain Crown corporations have more mature

supplier programs than their counterparts.”

Derek Lothian.


The strength of these relationships continues to prove their

value – for instance, within the scope of SaskPower’s 2013

announcement to invest $1 billion per year to renew and

expand the entity’s aging generation, transmission and

distribution infrastructure.

Another sector that will probably see some changes sooner

rather than later is heavy construction.

“I think our sector will probably see some of the

implementation of the Action Plan faster than others,” says

SHCA’s Lipp. “The Ministry of Highways has elected to be

the pilot of the performance-based procurement process,

which means we will probably see some implications this

season. How big they will be, I don’t know. But our sector

will definitely see some changes this season. The rest of the

industry will probably start to see some implications this

fall.”

Although the government’s goal is to implement the

13 measures as quickly as possible, Minister Wyant

acknowledges that it will be a gradual process for some and

a faster one for others.

“Some of these action items will be implemented very soon,

like the Conflict of Interest provision for former provincial

employees,” he says, adding that defining what constitutes

a Saskatchewan business and the Procurement Code of

Conduct are two other items that will see a relatively quick

implementation. “Some of these measures are more complex

in nature and need some additional time to work through

the details and consult with our partners and industry. The

improved portal and considering corporate citizenship fall

into this category. And, we are also going to look at using

pilots, where they make sense – with vendor performance

evaluation protocol. This way, we will be able to look at how

an initiative is being implemented in a few ministries and

Crowns before we go broadly with it.”

a Plan Worth Pursuing

Overall, it would seem that the Priority Saskatchewan’s

launch of its Procurement Action Plan has been an

overwhelming success. Sure, the plan is still in its basic

stage, but it is one that holds the promise of much potential.

On top of that, it clearly demonstrates the government’s

willingness to step up to the plate and listen to what

industry has to say – both of which bode well for the many

industry discussions still to come.

“What the government has done in the last year to get to

where they are today is a pretty good sign that they want

to create a level playing field,” says SCA’s Cooper. “I think all

indications point to continued collaborative efforts ahead.”

SHCA’s Lipp also sees the progress to date as a positive

indication of what the future will bring.

“I think we’re a lot further ahead than the majority of other

provinces,” she says. “I think that speaks volumes to the

direction of where this government wants to go and the

vision that they have.”

And, of course, the government itself has expressed its

willingness to carry on – to continue to lead the way

forward for other governments to follow. But more

important perhaps, it has demonstrated its commitment to

creating a fair and level playing field for all Saskatchewan

businesses.

“It’s exciting for Saskatchewan to be leading procurement in

Canada,” concludes Minister Wyant. “We are confident that

this is an important step in the right direction. However,

this is not the end of improvements. We will continue to

discuss other opportunities with industry and with our

partners so that we ensure that Saskatchewan has an open,

fair, accessible and transparent procurement environment

for businesses wanting to partner with the government.”

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Feature

Getting your product or service from

the supplier to the customer sounds

rather simple. But these supply

chains involve numerous links and

components before reaching the

end goal of delivering the finished

product. They encompass materials,

machinery, employees, timelines,

budgeting, production, schematics,

engineering, communication, levels

of management and permits, just to

scratch the surface. The underlying

key to managing these supply chains

is finding efficiencies – such as

productivity enhancement through

innovation, technology, new

management principles and processes,

as well as employee training and

retention. All of these can potentially

reduce operating costs and increase

overall construction productivity.

Productivity is key to any

construction supply chain. Mark

Cooper, President and CEO of

the Saskatchewan Construction

Association (SCA), wrote on the

association’s blog last December

that the rate of productivity within

the province may be decreasing, as

indicated by a report done by KPMG

that was reviewed by the SCA and the

Ministry of Economy.

“This was a surprise,” comments

Cooper. “It wasn’t something we

anticipated.”

Monique Lischynski, Manager of

Productivity and Supply Chain

Development with the Ministry of

Economy, was on the advisory board

for the report. She explains that,

while the focus was on the costs of

construction in Saskatchewan in

relation to other jurisdictions, it was

a comment within the information

gathered that indicated the possible

decrease in productivity.

“One of the things they mentioned

was, as the more experienced people

in the workforce retire, they are

replaced with those who haven’t

much experience. That know-how

then impacts the productivity of the

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Executive SummaryThe series of practices in the manufacturing and

distribution of goods or services is a supply chain. In

the construction industry these practices adhere to

budgets and timelines for project completion. In order to

affectively compete and be awarded bids in today’s market,

construction supply chains have to be both cost-effective

and productive. This is why the Saskatchewan Construction

Association (SCA) is hosting seminars focusing on the

importance of productivity. These sessions are intended to

raise awareness among their members as well as to help

gauge the extent of interest within the industry.

Why productivity has come to the forefront for the SCA

stems from a report issued by KPMG. While the report’s

focus was on the cost of construction in Saskatchewan

compared to other jurisdictions, a surprising revelation

showed a reason for the possible decrease in productivity

in the province. A number of factors affect productivity

within the construction industry, but a large portion of

productivity enhancement lies with employees.

The number of skilled workers retiring from the industry

is the suspected reason behind the decrease in productivity

in the province. When these professionals leave the

workforce, they take capability, knowledge and experience

with them that is not easily replaced. This is why it’s

important for companies to maintain an effective supply

chain. To achieve this, construction companies within the

province can develop a culture that encourages continuous

improvement, where it’s okay to ask questions and develop

new ways of looking at things.

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project, and you lose a fair amount

of ability, capability and knowledge,”

says Lischynski.

This is a concern because the more

efficient a company is, the lower

pricing can be; and the lower a

company’s pricing is, the more likely

they are to be awarded jobs. With an

emerging challenge being the number

of knowledgeable professionals

retiring, Cooper explains that the

workforce needs to be mindful of how

to capture that knowledge, as well as

how to properly transfer it to new or

advancing employees.

“When you lose knowledge and

expertise, you lose productivity,”

says Cooper, adding that the assets

an employee has cannot be replaced

overnight.

Lischynski notes there are a number

of approaches companies can take

to improve productivity, including

getting more accomplished with the

resources a company has, which

includes their existing employees.

She says there are opportunities

to develop mentorship programs

in order to transfer knowledge

before workers retire. There are

also consultants who work across

a number of industries that can

assist companies in learning how to

adopt productivity principles and

practices, such as Lean, a method of

maximizing customer value while

minimizing waste.

“There are a number of consultants

and training courses and

information that can be found either

online or in-person. Information is

only a click or call away,” explains

Lischynski. “For example, the

Canadian Manufacturers and

Exporters in Saskatchewan offer

a number of workshops in Lean

and process improvement. Also,

the Saskatchewan Chamber of

Commerce has information on

their website about productivity

resources, consultants and services.

Lean and productivity improvement

are not new concepts and have

been implemented into everything

from healthcare, to retail, to

manufacturing, to construction.”

From a broader standpoint, Cooper

says productivity enhancement

often begins with employees.

Companies benefit from workers

who are properly trained and

understand the job they are

doing. Lischynski agrees, saying

employees who are well trained

and experienced do their jobs

with more confidence and with

greater productivity because they

understand the scope. Cooper

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believes there’s an emerging

opportunity within the province

for construction companies to

train employees how to be more

productive.

That is why the SCA is hosting

seminars to raise awareness among

their members about the importance

of productivity. The association

is hosting three to four seminars,

the first of which took place at Elk

Ridge at the beginning of June.

The remainder will take place in

the early fall, and those interested

should contact the SCA office for

more information. Cooper says SCA

is currently trying to gauge the

industry’s interest in this particular

aspect of supply chain management.

“We’re trying to promote the fact

that they should be interested in

it because if they become more

productive it leads eventually to

greater levels of investment in

construction,” explains Cooper.

But there are more aspects to

productivity enhancement within

a supply chain beyond employee

training and retention.

“I also think construction

productivity, in general, can be

improved by having the owners

and designers of construction

projects spend more time up front

planning and designing those

projects. This ensures they have a

clear understanding of what they

are asking for,” says Cooper. “A lot

of the lack of productivity, such as

it is with construction, is a result of

having to do things twice or starting

out with plans to do one thing and

then having to do something else.”

Another aspect is communication

and engagement between companies

working on the same job site.

Cooper says whether it’s a general

contractor or a sub-contractor,

companies should try to work with

organizations that have a similar

commitment to productivity and

efficiency.

“You can be as productive and

efficient as you want, but if the

SCa is hosting seminars to raise awareness among their members about the importance of productivity.

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PrOdUCTIvITy ENhaNCEmENT aNd CONSTrUCTION SUPPly ChaIN partner working with you isn’t,

your project is still going to run

into trouble. There is an interest for

companies to support each other in

being more efficient and building

those partnerships,” says Cooper.

Innovation is another significant

aspect to productivity enhancement.

Over the last decade, technology

has enhanced productivity within

construction, and while operations

are more advanced today, there’s

always room for growth – especially

through automation, notes Cooper.

“There is lots of innovation,” says

Lischynski. “There’s innovation in

the way people work, in the way

information is shared or planning

is done, there can be innovation in

the way materials are brought to

site… And often these things aren’t

necessarily rocket science, they’re

just companies looking at what

they’re doing in a slightly different

way. To use their people resources

and their equipment resources to do

things in a more efficient or effective

way.”

Cooper notes there’s a challenge

when owners and designers of

projects are not open to this type of

efficiency within the process.

“Sometimes they predetermine how

everything should be done,” says

Cooper. “What we would recommend

is that the best projects, the ones

with the best results, are achieved

when the owner sits down with

the designer and the builders, and

together they come up with the plan.

When we’re talking about innovation

in building, the best people to ask

are the people who actually do the

building. With innovation in design,

the best people to ask are the people

who actually do the design.”

Lischynski says efficiencies regarding

communication could be found through

technology such as ITC and other

software. She also knows companies

that are examining how they can better

partner with their suppliers to drive

improvements in project execution.

“Process improvement and project

improvement are really about

communicating and having everyone

on the same page in terms of what’s

required and how to do it,” says

Lischynski.

Reducing waste within those

procedures and processes is also

important, according to Lischynski. She

explains that a company always wants

its employees doing what they’re best

at, but if they’re spending time with

other tasks – looking for materials or

information, or waiting for approval

– that causes waste within the supply

chain.

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“I think companies are looking

at how they share information,

how they get materials in place on

time, how they coordinate all of

the skill sets they need on-site, so

when people are together, they can

actually focus on getting the work

accomplished,” Lischynski says.

All of these key productivity

enhancement aspects aid in lowering

the risk investors face. The lower

the risk that investors face, the

more likely those investors are to

keep spending dollars to build in

Saskatchewan.

“One of the things construction

companies can manage is the

efficiency and productivity of the

construction phase of a project,”

explains Cooper. “If an investor

decides they are going to build

something and they are going to

build it here in Saskatchewan, they

should have the confidence to know

that they’re going to get the best

deal possible, and they are going

to get the product done in the best

way, in the quickest amount of time.

Because if they feel that way, they’re

more likely to spend the money,

and if they spend that money to

build something, then our member

companies are working.”

“It used to be that Saskatchewan was

significantly cheaper to build in than

anywhere else, and that was our

advantage. Today we don’t always

have that same price advantage

over our neighbouring jurisdictions.

We’re not more expensive, but we’re

no longer significantly cheaper, and

because of that, we have to find

other ways to attract and support

capital investment.”

Cooper speaks to the importance

of this relationship – because

construction companies don’t build

things for themselves, they build

things for other people. He says the

relationship has to be symbiotic, one

where every party benefits.

“We can create this virtuous cycle,

where everyone benefits, through

enhancement of construction

productivity. As construction

companies become more productive

and efficient at their work, investors

can turn their investments into

profitability more quickly. This

encourages them to invest further.

As they keep investing, we keep

improving. As we keep improving,

they keep investing, and around it

goes.”

Lischynski explains that this cycle

is possible through a company’s

mindset – understanding what’s

valuable to your customer and

adding more value to your service.

She says developing a culture

of continuous improvement is

important.

“One of the hardest parts of

improving productivity is developing

a culture where it’s okay to ask

questions about why we do things

the way we have, and it’s okay to

develop new ways of doing things

and new ways of looking at things,”

says Lischynski.

“One of the hardest parts of improving productivity is developing a culture where it’s okay to ask questions about why we do things the way we have, and it’s okay to develop new ways of doing things and new ways of looking at things.”

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ThE ExPErTSapprenticeship

By Jeff Ritter, CEO, Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission

harmONIzaTION

Saskatchewan Apprenticeship is

industry-led and industry-focused.

Part of this focus is working together

with our national counterparts

to ensure that apprenticeship is a

leader in assisting industry in the

procurement of labour.

The Red Seal program has been

the standard of certification in a

wide variety of trades, including

39 of the 49 designated trades

in Saskatchewan. It is becoming

further strengthened by ongoing

harmonization initiatives, which,

through a focus on apprentice

mobility, will make it easier for

employers to hire apprentices from

across Canada.

As these initiatives progress toward

implementation, it will become easier

than ever for apprentices to work

in every Canadian province and

territory; and employers will have a

better understanding of the training

received by apprentices coming from

other provinces.

For some time, industry has been

calling for harmonization of

apprenticeship standards across

Canada. In response to this request,

the Canadian Council of Directors

of Apprenticeship (CCDA) in 2013

began developing a pan-Canadian

harmonization initiative. Ten

initial trades were selected for the

harmonization initiative: welder, steel

fabricator, carpenter, heavy-duty

equipment technician, ironworker

structural, ironwork reinforcing

rebar, ironworker generalist, crane

and hoist operator, hydraulic crane

operator, and tower crane operator.

Recommendations have been

developed by industry, working

with the CCDA. Now, all provinces

across Canada are in the process of

consulting on these recommendations

with their apprenticeship

stakeholders. Feedback from industry

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consultations is instrumental in

moving harmonization forward and

we are working with all our partners

to ensure harmonization matches the

reality of the job site and the needs of

employers and employees.

Some of the recommendations of

the CCDA harmonization initiatives

are common sense, such as using

the Red Seal trade names in all

jurisdictions across Canada. The other

recommendations seek to harmonize

the amount of in-school and on-the-

job training, as well as harmonize the

order in which training is delivered

over the course of apprenticeship

education and training.

There is, however, recognition that

some jurisdictions have particular

construction concerns that must be

recognized in local training. “One size

fits all” does not work in a country

as geographically varied as Canada.

Harmonization is focused on bringing

uniformity where possible while still

recognizing province-specific needs.

The goal of harmonization is not

to make all apprenticeship systems

identical. The goal is to substantively

align Canada’s apprenticeship

systems, with the ultimate goal of

making it easier for all apprentices

to move within Canada as industry

demand changes.

In addition to the pan-Canadian

harmonization initiative, two regional

initiatives are also underway. The

Atlantic Provinces are working

toward improving inter-provincial

mobility (within the Atlantic region)

by harmonizing standards and

practices. In the west, the New West

Partnership has its own Labour

Mobility Initiative, which is intended

to remove administrative barriers

to labour mobility. These efforts are

all going on concurrently, and all

partners are working closely to see

that there is no duplication of work

between the initiatives and that the

initiatives are complimentary.

Industry has told us that

harmonization is an important

initiative, and we believe it will have

real, positive benefits for apprentices

and employers. But it won’t be a

quick fix, as we want to make sure

that harmonization is a benefit for

apprentices and employers and

that we continue to maintain high

standards for our apprenticeship

systems. I am, however, convinced we

are on the right track. We are closer

than we have ever been to achieving

this goal and we have a significant

momentum to continue making our

way forward, improving Canada’s

apprenticeship systems to best meet

the needs of industry.

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ThE ExPErTSapprenticeship


Next PageThE ExPErTSCCA

fEdEral PrOCUrEmENT INTEgrITy mEaSUrES TO BE rEfOrmEdBy Michael Atkinson, President, Canadian Construction Association

The federal budget introduced on April 21st stated that

the government proposes to implement a new integrity

framework for its procurement and real property

transactions to ensure that it does business with ethical

suppliers in Canada and abroad. At the April 20th annual

meeting between the Canadian Construction Association

(CCA) and the major federal construction contracting

agencies and client departments, CCA was advised that

the government is in “listening mode” with respect to its

current procurement Integrity Framework. There is a good

deal of speculation that the federal government may well

revise its automatic, mandatory 10-year debarment of

firms convicted of one of the specified criminal offences,

and will introduce some form of “path to grace” for firms

that have been convicted of a specified criminal offence

but have taken steps to “clean-up their act”.

The current federal integrity measures were first applied

to federal construction procurement in 2012. They

essentially provide that corporations or their directors,

affiliates or subsidiaries that have been convicted of any of

the following criminal offences will be ineligible to bid on

Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)

contract opportunities:

(i) fraud against the government under the Criminal

Code of Canada;

(ii) frauds under the Financial Administration Act;

(iii) corruption, collusion, bid-rigging or any other anti-

competitive activity under the Competition Act in the

procurement process;

(iv) payment of a contingency fee to a person to whom

the Lobbying Act applies;

(v) money laundering;

(vi) participation in activities of criminal organizations;

(vii) income and excise tax evasion;

(viii) bribing a foreign public official; and

(ix) drug trafficking.

In March of 2014, the federal government made changes

to the Integrity Framework for procurement. It added nine

new offences as follows:

• extortion;

• bribery of judicial officers;

• bribery of officers;

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• secret commissions;

• criminal breach of contract;

• fraudulent manipulation of stock exchange transactions;

• prohibited insider trading;

• forgery and other offences resembling forgery; and

• falsification of books and documents.

It also introduced the following new measures:

• firms that have received foreign convictions similar

to the Canadian convictions listed in the Integrity

Framework will be precluded from bidding PWGSC

contracts;

• firms that have pleaded guilty to criminal offences

listed in the Integrity Framework, and have received an

absolute or conditional discharge, will also be ineligible

to bid PWGSC contracts;

• firms that are convicted or pleaded guilty to one of

the offences listed in the Integrity Framework will

be ineligible to bid for 10 years from the date of

conviction. Once the time period elapses, they must

certify that measures have been put in place to avoid the

reoccurrence of such convictions; and

• firms will be required to bind their subcontractors to

the same terms and conditions specified by the Integrity

Framework.

The PWGSC bidder must now certify that neither it nor

any of its affiliates has been found guilty in the last 10

years of a prescribed Canadian or similar foreign offence.

Affiliate is broadly defined to include parent companies,

sister companies and subsidiaries, as well as all of their

directors.

If a conviction arises during the term of the contract,

there is some discretion for PWGSC to not terminate the

contract on “public interest” grounds.

The automatic, mandatory debarment of 10 years has

received a good deal of criticism. There is no appeal

process nor is there a process for reinstatement (i.e. a

path to grace). Many groups are calling for a much more

transparent and procedurally fair system.

It would appear that PWGSC and the federal government

are indeed listening and that a new regime may be on its

way. Consultations are already under way and the CCA is

very much involved.

ThE ExPErTSCCA


The government is notorious for having all things

human resource-related go through their procurement

department. And it’s not just the government; often

big businesses are in this same situation. Sometimes

departments don’t get what they need, then, because

procurement looks after the $$$$ while Human Resources

is more concerned about the people. It’s all procurement’s

fault, right?

Not exactly! Traditional procurement, maybe, has evolved

to a strategic sourcing organization. Procurement looked

at human resources and believed they only take from the

bottom line because they are not strategic. And in the past,

this may have been true.

Today, on the other hand, procurement’s purpose is

primarily on the operations side of things – they source

and they review the invoice to pay it; they also recognize

they are part of a strategic sourcing organization.

Human Resources professionals see their job as sourcing

professionals who handle high-value, high-risk,

high-reward and highly complex types of purchases.

Procurement and human resources are collaborating and

strategizing to bring greater value to the organization.

Together, they must generate efficiencies to build this kind

of value-driven working relationship.

Procurement departments and Human Resources

departments must each have a strong foundation and

a mutual understanding and respect for one another’s

competencies. How do you get this? By collaborating on

projects to be sure!

Here’s what to do:

lEarN- Give HR knowledge about how procurement/supply

chain management is handled – if procurement shows

insights to logistics, purchasing or manufacturing, HR can

do a better job of providing a process that works for both

departments.

- Show Procurement the key elements of hiring – if HR

does this then procurement can better understand the

nuances and ensure the right organization is hired to

assist HR.

BUIld rElaTIONShIPS- Trust each other’s department – each department must

know the objective of the other in order to meet the

business goal.

Next PageThE ExPErTShuman resources

By Sherry Knight, President and CEO, Dimension 11 Ltd.

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- Speak the same language – speaking in your department

slang and abbreviations will drive the other department

crazy – keep it simple and learn how to communicate.

rECOgNIzE valUE- Realize value is the goal – if you are in procurement and

you think its cost savings, you’ll fail to realize HR is the

purchase of a service and isn’t returnable, and you will

not be able to build a relationship.

- Realize HR is strategic – if you can’t recognize HR as

providing a very strong supporting role then you will

fail to identify the skills needed to bring you great

procurement people.

In 2010, MIT’s Centre for Transportation and Logistics

published a white paper on the crisis in the supply chain’s

skill shortage. In 2012, they updated this: HR needs to

be part of the process to ensure the right fit within the

organization, as well as long-term performance.

Philip Wood, Executive Director of Sales at insurer, Health

Shield, told HR Magazine as much as 85 per cent of his

business comes, not directly through meeting clients HR

directors or managers, but through their procurement

department. Thus, it is essential to have your HR

department aligned with the Procurement department.

This will, in the end, lead to cost efficiencies due to a

consistent approach.

Supply Chain Management have often viewed themselves

as “second cousins”; think how much stronger they might

be with a Human Resources connection. By understanding

the values of cost savings and putting the right person in

the right job at the right time, you can be a winner!

Start today. Build a relationship with HR and guide them

in being open to ideas and recommendations for great

human resources within your company. Your CEO will

love you for it!

Copyright Sherry Knight 2014. All rights reserved.

Sherry Knight, is President and CEO of Dimension 11 Ltd., a

leader in people and performance development. Dimension

11 helps companies realize stronger profits so they can create

more jobs and better communities.

Sherry Knight, 306-586-2315

[email protected] • www.dimension11.com

ThE ExPErTShuman resources


An accurate measure of price inflation for the non-

residential construction sector would be useful for

contractors, investors, and suppliers. Unfortunately, no

such measure exists. Instead, we have to fall back on other

inflation measures as indirect evidence about what might

be happening in non-residential construction.

This article looks at the rate of price inflation for a variety

of goods and services over the five years from 2009 to 2014.

Estimates for 2015 are possible in some cases.

Consumer Price Inflation

Price change for consumer goods and services is the

inflation statistic with which most people are familiar.

Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures

this kind of inflation. Changes in the CPI are important

to construction industry employers because employees

typically expect their wage rates to increase at least as

quickly as the rate of inflation, that is, to maintain the

purchasing power of their paycheque.

In Saskatchewan, the CPI has increased by an average of 1.9

per cent per year from 2010 to 2014 with variations as high

as 2.8 per cent in 2011 and as low as 1.3 per cent in 2010 (see

Figure 1). One way to look at this is that basket of typical

consumer goods and services that cost $100 in 2009 would

have cost $110 in 2014.

Two opposing forces affecting prices are at work in early

2015. The falling value of the Canadian dollar vis-à-vis the

US dollar means that imports are more costly. All else being

equal, this drives up the cost of imported product such as

groceries, furniture, and new vehicles. The purchasing

power of the loonie has fallen by 10 per cent from the peak

in 2011 and is expected to fall a further 9 per cent this year

(see Figure 2).

The decline in oil prices is pushing prices in the opposite

direction: fuel prices are lower and services with a high

energy component (e.g. air travel, utility rates) should

decline. The forecasted inflation rate for 2015 is 1.5 per cent

because neither side in this price “tug-of-war” is expected to

prevail.

ThE ExPErTSconstruction data

By Doug Elliott, Publisher, Sask Trends Monitor

CONSTrUCTION INflaTION raTES

There are no definitive sources of data about inflation in

non-residential construction costs in Saskatchewan. The

statistics that we do have show that labour and material

costs have risen dramatically in the past five years. We

can expect smaller increases this year and next.

In a nutshell...

Measures of inflation share a common characteristic.

A “basket” of good and services is chosen to be

representative of what a target group is buying. The

cost of the goods and services in that basket is then

determined and set to an artificial level of 100 (for

example, 2007=100). The prices for the items in the

basket are measured every month or every year and

changes in the overall cost of the basket are measured

in percentage terms. This yields a measure of changes in

the cost of goods and services over time rather than the

actual price of the basket.

Measuring Inflation


legalThE ExPErTSconstruction data

Non-residential Construction

Statistics Canada compiles an inflation rate for non-

residential building construction but this index is not

particularly useful for Saskatchewan because the province

is not included in the data. The index measures the cost of

constructing an office, warehouse, shopping centre, a light

factory building, or a school. The data are published for

Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and four cities in central

Canada but none in Saskatchewan or Manitoba.

The rate of inflation for non-residential construction was

at double-digit levels in Alberta during the late 2000s but

the rate of increase has slowed since then. The increase

in Calgary/Edmonton has averaged two per cent per year

over the past five years compared with 1.7 per cent for the

seven-city average. The price increases are slightly higher

for industrial buildings (2.3 per cent per year on average

from 2010 to 2014) and slightly lower for commercial and

institutional buildings (1.9 per cent). The average increases

were higher in Edmonton (2.6 per cent) than in Calgary (1.3

per cent).

Specific goods and Services

Statistics Canada also publishes prices for a wide variety of

raw materials and manufactured goods, some of which are

used in non-residential construction. The majority of these

are measured at the Canada-wide level but prices for most

materials are the same across the country so this is not a

major limitation. Figure 4 shows some examples of price

change since 2009.

Inflation rates for material and operating costs vary widely.

Figure 4 shows that, after falling for years, softwood

lumber prices have increased by more than 50 per cent

since 2009. At the other extreme, fabricated metal prices

are virtually unchanged over the past five years.

With the fall in crude oil prices, we can expect declines in

related costs such as asphalt and diesel fuel. The cost to buy

construction machinery, on the other hand, will increase

because of the declining value of the loonie.

labour Costs

Labour costs for construction projects are significant

and are often more than 50 per cent of the total project


costs. Labour costs are, in turn, comprised of wages and

salaries, pensions and other benefit costs, and wage-related

costs such as Workers’ Compensation and Employment

Insurance premiums. There are no published data on total

labour costs but we do have up-to-date information on wage

rates in the construction industry.

Figure 5 shows that wage rates in the construction

industry (the figures include the residential sector)

have grown significantly in the last five years. The

average annual increase in wage rates from 2009 to 2014

has been 4.1 per cent per year in Saskatchewan. This

compares with:

• 2.4 per cent in Alberta;

• 2.7 per cent in Manitoba; and

• 2.4 per cent in Canada as a whole

The differential between Alberta wage rates and

Saskatchewan wage rates is one of the factors affecting

the migration of construction workers between the two

provinces. This difference has typically been near 15

per cent, that is, wage rates in Saskatchewan are 85 per

cent of those in Alberta. With the higher increases in

Saskatchewan, the gap has narrowed to 12 per cent in

2014.

There will undoubtedly be some downward pressure on

wage rates in both Alberta and Saskatchewan because of

the slowdown in the oil patch.

Summary and Outlook

We have no comprehensive measure of inflation in

construction costs in the province. In the absence of such

a measure, we have some indications of how prices have

changed.

• The general rate of consumer price inflation has

averaged 1.9 per cent from 2009 to 2014 and is

expected to be near that rate in 2015.

• The cost to construct a “typical” non-residential

building in Alberta has increased by approximately two

per cent per year in the past five years.

• There is a good deal of variation in material costs but

most have increased substantially in the past five

years.

• Construction wage rates in Saskatchewan have

increased by an average of 4.1 per cent from 2009 to

2014.

On balance, these figures suggest that the “inflation rate”

for non-residential construction in Saskatchewan has

been in the two to three per cent range over the past five

years.

Prices for construction material and operations should fall

in 2015 as the price of crude oil drops. Prices for machinery

and equipment, on the other hand, will increase because of

the weak Canadian dollar. Future increases in wage rates

are harder to forecast but the 2015 increase should be lower

than in the past five years.

Source: Sask Trends Monitor from the Statistics Canada data

ThE ExPErTSconstruction data

Please recycle.


THE EXPERTSSCSA

Procurement trends have changed dramatically over the

past number of years. At one point in time, a contractor

relied heavily on their relationship with the owner or direct

consumer of the service they provided. In the construction

world, that would mean the procurer would have a relatively

good understanding of the work and feel confident in the

reputation of the company they were considering working

with. As organizations became more complex and consumer

options increased, the trends have been toward more

centralized purchasing services. The advantages and implied

value, in this practice, include greater financial coordination

and controls through standardization. This has been very

effective where a “one size fits all” approach was suitable.

Items such as bulk stationery, fuel purchases, basic tools and

equipment typically fit well with this approach, as these are

generally well understood, low-risk purchases. In terms of

assessing value, the most common assessment has been the

price. The assumption was that quality, craftsmanship and

safety were a given.

Over time, businesses and consumers alike have learned

that price is often not the best indicator of value. Sometimes,

“cheap” can actually result in inferior, sloppy or even

dangerous work product. The impacts can be far-reaching in

terms of unexpected delays, financial, human and political

costs. This is particularly true when procuring for large

commercial and industrial projects, whether publicly or

privately financed. The exercise of assessing total value by

procurement specialists now takes on a more sophisticated

path. It goes beyond the price and looks to ensure companies

have the skills and practices to identify, mitigate and reduce

the risks associated with a project. Having the ability to control

avoidable losses and deficiencies in a project makes sense to be

considered in the total value assessment.

This is where the highest-performing companies set

themselves apart. Companies that have properly trained,

competent workers who view safety as a strategic asset, act

differently than those that don’t. They know there is value

in protecting their high-value skilled workers who have

to deliver in a competitive environment. They invest in

methodical safety management practices that reduce potential

injuries to skilled workers affecting quality, costs, deadlines

or reputation. I was recently in a meeting with a number

of senior industry leaders, when one of them said “planned

work with people who have the ability to execute, results in

predictable productivity, quality and safety”. This is how their

company actually approaches procurement –this is how they

view total value!

At the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association, we

are fortunate to have the opportunity to work with and assist

many companies with training and supporting their efforts

to become higher-performing companies. We’ve recognized

that strong and methodical safety management is one of

the several business disciplines they employ to be successful

in a competitive business and labour force environment.

Many companies start out working with our Certificate of

Recognition (COR®) program as a foundation to building

strong safety practices, and a supporting culture, that can have

a positive impact on their ability to deliver. As procurement

practices evolve in the public, private or P3 domain, safety

is an aspect that needs to carry increased weight in the total

value assessment – it’s about you going home safely and being

confident that your project will be on time, on budget, with

zero deficiencies. That’s total value!

Collin Pullar is the President of the Saskatchewan Construction

Safety Association, an industry-driven enterprise with nearly

9,000 residential and commercial construction member companies

in Saskatchewan. Its mission is to provide high-quality safety

training and advice to construction employers and employees that

will lead to reduced human and financial losses associated with

injuries. www.scsaonline.ca

By Collin Pullar, President, Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association

PrOCUrEmENT: ThE ExErCISE Of aSSESSINg valUE


By Lindsay Bryson, Marketing Executive, Look Agency

WrITE WINNINg PrOPOSalS

ThE ExPErTScommunications

Requests for Proposals (RFPs) are often a necessary evil. The

goal of an RFP is to facilitate a fair competition for work,

and your goal as the proposal writer is to differentiate the

value of your company based on factors other than price.

Easier said than done…

RFP responses can often be a time-consuming process,

and therefore it is important to plan ahead. The first thing

you need to decide is if you are going to dedicate the time

to respond. Oftentimes RFPs are issued with a favourable

contender in mind – learn to read between the lines, and

don’t respond if you don’t think it’s worth your time.

However, if you do choose to decline, it is important to state

your continued interest in working together in the future.

On the other hand, if you decide to submit a proposal, you

will want to make it count. Below are some tips for writing

winning proposals:

Do Your Research - Your proposal will stand out if you

research the company you are submitting to. Understand

their challenges, the industry they operate in and the

proposed project.

Be Concise but Specific - There is no need to be extremely

long-winded and cover every point in excruciating detail.

That will only bore your audience. Be as clear and brief as

you can, while still answering the posed question.

Explain What Makes you Different - Good customer

service does not make you different. It makes you the same

as everyone else. Your competitors are likely saying the

same things as you in their proposals. Take the time to

understand your unique advantage(s) in the competition

and repeat it throughout the proposal.

Customize Your Response - Each question presents an

opportunity to demonstrate your understanding of the

business or project. Answer the question in a way that

demonstrates solutions and benefits, not just a statement of

your approach or process. The RFP is about the client – not

you.

Ask for the Business - Show that you are passionate about

the project or business. Explicitly say you would like to be

the chosen proponent, and talk about what you would do if

you were successful. You won’t get the business if you don’t

ask for it.

Focus on Results - While it is important to showcase your

previous experience, it is also important to showcase what

results were achieved from that experience. Did you deliver

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THE EXPERTScommunications

on time and on budget? Did you help the company generate

20 per cent profit? Be specific.

Submit the Proposal Early - Technology fails, couriers

are late, and flat tires happen. Submit your proposal early.

That way there are no excuses, and you eliminate getting

disqualified based on time when all the work has been done.

Don’t Miss Anything - It’s like being in the Food Network’s

Chopped kitchen. If you miss a mystery box ingredient in

your dish, you get chopped. RFPs will outline the items that

are to be explained. Align your proposal outline to match

that of the RFP, make your headings clear, and ensure that

you have covered all your bases. Don’t assume that you

have “basically covered it”; be very explicit.

Make it Look Presentable - Whether you like it or not, you

will be judged on your proposal’s “appearance”. Put it into a

template, use pictures, break up text, and incorporate proper

branding. If you have to, get a graphic designer to help out.

If your submission is messy, crumpled, or uninteresting, it is

sure to make it to the bottom of the pile.

Proofread, Proofread and Proofread - Nothing says

unprofessional more than a proposal riddled with spelling

and grammar errors. That is what spell check is for. If

grammar is your problem, use a site like Grammarly for

help (https://www.grammarly.com.)

Now that your submission is ready to go, here is what

buyers are looking for in proposals [you’d be surprised; it’s

not all about price]:

• A top-quality proposal

• Tailored response

• Professional look (branded, well-structured documents,

no typos, etc.)

• Delivered on time

• Providing added value over and above key requirements

• Experience

• Commitment

With RFPs, sometimes you will win and sometimes you will

lose. In order to continue to get better and improve your

proposals, it’s a good idea to ask for feedback, evaluate and

debrief on your submissions with your team, and make

adjustments to improve it for next time. With all those

things, you’ll be winning more proposals in no time!

From a man and his gravel

cart to the country’s leading

independent supplier of ready-

mix concrete.

Phone 306.477.0009www.BURNCO.com

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Next PageTHE EXPERTS

WHO: Saskatchewan legislation dictates that all businesses

must have a documented Return to Work program and can

be financially fined for not having one.

The program must be sufficiently documented and

explained to all staff so that they are aware of what is

expected of them if and when an injury occurs. Programs

should be adjusted to fit the individual business type and

site. This can be obtained from companies like Injury

Solutions Canada Inc. at a reduced cost for all SCA

members.

WHAT: A RTW (return to work) program is a document

that each and every employer in the province must have.

A RTW program helps fulfill the legal obligation of duty

to accommodate. You, the employer, must make every

reasonable attempt to help an injured worker return

to the workplace. This may require changes to the job,

workstation or, in some cases, finding other temporary

duties. You cannot dismiss or treat an employee differently

because of an injury or illness. Accommodating injured

workers helps them remain a part of the team. It can allow

value-added work to get done and it lowers your overall

ThE fIvE Ws Of rETUrN TO WOrk

KnowBeforeYouDig.com

Give us two full working days notice and we’ll mark underground lines for FREE.

or call 1-866-828-4888

By Clifford Gerow, Injury Solutions Canada

injury solutions


THE EXPERTScosts. If your injured worker is still at home or in a hospital,

you have a duty to keep in contact with him or her.

WHERE: The entire province of Saskatchewan is covered by

this legislation. All work sites belonging to a company must

be covered.

WHEN: January 1, 2013

WHY: As previously stated, an injured worker who

is encouraged to return to their workplace in an

accommodated position is far more likely to return to

full-time regular duties far faster than those who are not.

When an injured worker is off work, the employer – yes,

YOU – is losing money in several ways. First, it affects

your WCB premiums negatively. All lost time injuries will

lead to an increase of premiums that will affect all your

staff wages. Second, you will have to replace the injured

worker with another temporary hire or overtime costs to

keep up productions. Third, you are still being billed in the

background for the wages the WCB provides to the injured

party. Finally, there is a slowdown of production and the

loss of morale that negatively affects the worksite overall.

RTW is an important aspect of recovery and claims

management. Studies have shown that the longer injured

workers are away from work, the less likely it is that they

will ever return to productive employment. Workers who

return to work as soon as possible usually recover faster

and are more productive.

Having a documented Return to Work program can save

your business money in lost time, productivity and morale,

but also any injury can be deemed too many and your

company may be viewed as an unsafe workplace, and

that could cost you contracts and/or the ability to bid on

contracts.

A little preventative management upfront in the

preparation and delivery of a quality RTW program

can save your company’s premiums, reputation, and

productivity.

At Injury Solutions Canada Inc., we can provide your

company with a structured and proven RTW program.

Injury Solutions Canada offers discounts to SCA members.

Injury Solutions Canada Inc.

www.injurysolutionscanada.ca

[email protected]

injury solutions


Industrynews

Produced and published for the SCA by:DEL Communications Inc.Suite 300, 6 Roslyn RoadWinnipeg, Manitoba R3L 0G5www.delcommunications.com

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Publisher

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© 2015 DEL Communications Inc.All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in and the reliability of the source, the publisher in no way guarantees nor warrants the information and is not responsible for errors, omissions or statements made by advertisers. Opinions and recommendations made by contributors or advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher, its directors, officers or employees.

Publications mail agreement #40934510Return undeliverableCanadian addresses to:DEL Communications Inc.Suite 300, 6 Roslyn RoadWinnipeg, Manitoba R2L 0G5Email: [email protected]

PRINTED IN CANADA | 06/2015

INdEx TO advErTISErS

In Construction you wantConcrete AssurancesSurround yourself with the surety and flexibility of concrete on every construction project. Call the committed members of the Saskatchewan Ready Mixed Concrete Association Inc. and we will show you how.

Saskatchewan Ready MixedConcrete Association Inc.#203 - 1801 Mackay StreetRegina, SK S4N 6E7 Canada

Phone: (306) 757-2788Fax: (306) 569-9144

www.concreteworksharder.com

Aberdeen Specialty Concrete Services .................................... 66

Acadia Group of Companies .................................................... 67

Agra Foundations Limited ....................................................... 59

All-Pro Excavating 2005 Ltd. ................................................... 78

Aquifer Distribution Ltd. .......................................................... 45

Assemblee Communautaire Fransaskoise ............................... 63

Associated Asbestos Abatement ............................................... 6

Athabasca Catering .................................................................. 76

Big Rock Trucking Ltd. .............................................................. 72

BN Steel & Metals Inc. ............................................................. 53

Brandt Tractor ........................................................................... 11

Britespan Building Systems Inc. .............................................. 71

Brock White Canada ................................................................. 53

Builder’s Capital ....................................................................... 51

Burnco Rock Products Ltd. ....................................................... 87

Business Furnishings................................................................ 76

Cal-Tech Electric ....................................................................... 22

CandorBuild Construction Corp................................................ 53

Cara Dawn Transport Ltd. ......................................................... 45

Catterall & Wright .................................................................... 45

Caveman Stone Products ......................................................... 23

Central Mechanical Systems Ltd. ............................................. 72

Christie Mechanical Ltd. .......................................................... 53

Concept Electric ........................................................................ 61

Consolidated Gypsum .............................................................. 23

Danatec Educational Services Ltd. ........................................... 80

Ecco Heating Products Ltd. ...................................................... 66

Fabco Plastics Saskatoon Limited ............................................ 78

Farrell Agencies Ltd. ................................................................. 51

Fortune Oilfield Construction Ltd. ........................................... 59

Fries Tallman Lumber Ltd. ........................................................ 55

Frontier Plumbing & Heating Supply ...................................... 63

Gabriel Dumont Institute ......................................................... 69

Grandeur Housing Ltd. ............................................................. 32

HAL...Your Insurance Destination ............................................ 47

Handy Hitch Manufacturing Inc. ............................................. 60

Heritage Electrical Services Inc. ............................................... 61

Hometown Electric Ltd. ........................................................... 63

Humboldt Electric Ltd. ............................................................. 45

Inland Aggregates Ltd.............................................................. 73

Inland Screw Piling .................................................................. 45

Innovative Piling Solutions ...................................................... 39

International Road Dynamics Inc. ........................................... 72

International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local Union 739 ............................................... 7

Iron Workers of Saskatchewan, Local Union No. 771 .............. 47

Jubilee Ford ................................................................................ 5

KGS Group ................................................................................ 38

Kramer Ltd..............................................................................OBC

Lindsay Construction Ltd. ........................................................ 59

McDougall Gauley LLP ............................................................. 36

MDS Excavation Ltd. / Municipal Development Services ....... 50

Merit Saskatchewan ................................................................ 79

Mid-West Sportswear Ltd. ...................................................... 66

Ministry of Central Services ..................................................... 51

Ministry of The Economy ......................................................... 13

Moody’s Equipment ................................................................. 15

Morsky Group of Companies ................................................... 86

Mountainview Systems ........................................................... 33

National Leasing ...................................................................... 40

Nu-Trend Industries Inc. ............................................................. 3

Operation Dirt 2006 Inc. .......................................................... 59

Optimum Wall & Ceiling Systems Ltd. .................................... 57

Pine Star Enterprises Ltd. ......................................................... 41

Pre-Con Limited ....................................................................... 75

Pro-Western Mechanical ......................................................... 66

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers ......................................................... 81

Ryderz Contracting Inc. ............................................................ 63

Sask Building Trades .................................................................. 6

Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and

Trade Certification Commission .......................................... 20

Saskatchewan Blue Cross ........................................................ 31

Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association...................... 21

Saskatchewan Ready Mixed Concrete Association Inc. ......... IBC

Saskatchewan Scrap Tire .......................................................... 18

Saskenergy ............................................................................... 88

Signal Industries (1998) Saskatchewan Ltd............................ 37

SMS Equipment .......................................................................IFC

Solid Start Foundations ........................................................... 45

Spence Heavy Equipment Sales & Rentals .............................. 38

Structure Scan Inc. ................................................................... 47

TenCo Management Ltd. .......................................................... 59

Tri Clad Designs Inc. ................................................................. 47

Unified Systems Group Inc. ..................................................... 53

We Lift Cranes Services ............................................................ 77

Westcon Equipment and Rental Ltd. ....................................... 87

Wheat City Metals ................................................................... 63

In Construction you wantConcrete AssurancesSurround yourself with the surety and flexibility of concrete on every construction project. Call the committed members of the Saskatchewan Ready Mixed Concrete Association Inc. and we will show you how.

Saskatchewan Ready MixedConcrete Association Inc.#203 - 1801 Mackay StreetRegina, SK S4N 6E7 Canada

Phone: (306) 757-2788Fax: (306) 569-9144

www.concreteworksharder.com

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