The federal government recently made changes to Canadian immigration standards that required the government of Alberta to review the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) to ensure the program was up to date and following these new standards.

After consultations with various stakeholders the government heard that the old AINP was too complicated and slow to meet the needs of fair access to opportunities for workers in Alberta to become permanent residents.

Changes were implemented on June 14^th simplifying the application process, opening up the program to virtually all skills and professions in Alberta with more flexibility for trade skills, and ensuring that workers with professional, personal, and community ties to Alberta are first in line to become permanent residents with a pathway to citizenship.

As part of these changes, AINP now has a new stream, the Alberta Opportunity Stream that replaces the Employer-Driven and Strategic Recruitment Streams for people looking to become permanent residents of Alberta.  AINP now also has an Alberta Express Entry Stream to enable the selection and nomination of individuals from the federal Express Entry pool.  No changes have been made to the Self-Employed Farmer Stream.

Information on the program changes are available at www.AlbertaCanada.com/AINP.

Frequently Asked Questions about changes to AINP are available at http://www.albertacanada.com/files/albertacanada/AINP-faqs.pdf

Public information sessions are being planned across Alberta in person and remotely for the coming months to help people learn more about AINP changes. Visit www.AlbertaCanada.com/AINP for more information.

Alberta Construction Association, in concert with the Canadian Construction Association,  sent a letter to Infrastructure Minister Sohi expressing our concern with Private Members Bill C‐ 344 (An Act to Amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act – Community Benefit).

Bill C‐344 defines community benefits to mean:

“[A] social, economic, or environmental benefit that a community derives from a construction, maintenance or repair project, and includes job creation and training opportunities, improvement of public space and any other specific benefit identified by the community”

The Bill provides the Minister the power to require bidders to provide information on the community benefits derived from the project, prior to awarding the contract. ACA is opposed to using the procurement of construction services to advance unrelated community benefits and other public policy objectives where they jeopardize the integrity of the competitive bid system (ACA Public Policy 4.2, developed and endorsed by our members).

ACA opposes procurement practices in which bids are subjectively evaluated on the basis of provision of goods and services not specified in the original tender. This lack of transparency violates the principle of fairness of selecting the lowest priced evaluated compliant bid. As goods and services cannot be provided for free, such procurement practices in fact use up scarce capital resources for other purposes. Further, such practices invite perceptions of unfair insider information of bidders and of potential corruption of procurers.

ACA urges that all Members of Parliament reconsider the need for this Bill.

You can read the full letter here.

As we begin the new summer construction season, one aspect is the return of summer heat and sun related illness. The sun affects our mood, increases our vitamin D. intake but it also add to safety concerns for workers and owners alike. Heat related illness can be deadly so it is important to remember how to protect against these conditions.

Go easier for the first week in the heat, while we have already had summer like temperatures in Alberta this year we are going to once again be headed up the thermostat soon. Wear light clothing, and include a shirt that serves as a shield from the sun’s rays, lighter clothing reflects heat while still protecting against burns and other issues.

Drink water every 15 minutes. Keeping hydrated is an important part of how to beat the heat and allows our bodies to cool. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty.

Plan the day to tackle tougher jobs during the cooler morning hours. Rest in shaded areas or air conditioning, if possible which gives your body the opportunity to cool and have a respite from the heat.

It is critical to watch for signs of heat illness — especially heat stroke. Symptoms of heat stroke include dry, hot skin with no sweating, mental confusion, loss of consciousness, seizures and convulsions. Heat stroke is a medical emergency requiring a 911 call and immediate cooling.

Click here for more summer safety ideas