ACA 2017 Year in Review

2017 was a very busy year for ACA. Changes to major pieces of legislation including OHS, WCB, and Employment Standards were constant discussion points in meetings with cabinet, government administration, industry, and with various review committees. The government went ahead with changes which were far reaching and will have consequences going forward for our industry and we will continue to monitor them.

In January the government announced silica guidelines in concert with ACA.

ACA’s Board and the Chief Operating Officers of Alberta’s Local Construction Associations came together April 7th to fine- tune ACA’s strategic plan for the next 2 years.

ACA’s Management Committee, Chair Paul Heyens, Senior Vice Chair Chris Ambrozic, Vice Chair Ian Reid, and Past Chair Paul Verhesen led the group to refocus ACA on 2 key mandates – helping members seize market opportunities, and acting to reduce risks for members.

The group outlined strategies to:

• Promote infrastructure investment
• Advance the use of standardized contracts
• Promote preferred clients
• Minimize the risk of onerous regulations

Jonathan Williams, ACA’s Policy Analyst, successfully piloted Construction & Community Together. ACA has become increasingly concerned that public has a limited understanding of the potentially detrimental actions of government changes to the WCB, employment standards and other legislation. The Board approved Construction & Community Together to cultivate empathy for employers by connecting with people on an emotional and personal level in communities throughout Alberta.

Jon developed video interviews and met with local newspapers in the Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, and Red Deer to bridge the gap between perception and reality of construction employers. The Board agreed this work should continue in 2018.

During the year ACA led group discussions around prompt payment and how best to govern the industry on this issue. Meetings were held in Edmonton and Calgary which were seen as very successful by all who attended.

ACA introduced a well-received quarterly Leaders Brief to provide a one page summary of ACA key activities distributed to over 150 leaders across Alberta’s construction industry.

ACA was very pleased to welcome the Provincial Glaziers Association of Alberta as a new Associate member in 2017.  ACA thanks Paul Heyens for his leadership to bring this about.