After a year of horrific natural disasters and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, B.C.’s budget is out. The province anticipates several years of deficits to fund recovery efforts.
Response from various parts of the construction sector was mixed and covered issues that industry leaders have been discussing for years.
“It’s a very good budget in our view,” said Kelly Scott, president of the BC Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association, whose members were critical for reopening routes following atmospheric river events. “It addresses the concerns we have over the need to continue to invest in B.C. infrastructure over and above the flood damage.”
Scott added the province has tens of thousands of kilometres of highways and side roads that could be impacted by storms in the future. He expressed support for the province’s focus on side road improvements which are lifelines for remote and Indigenous communities that aren’t near main routes.
The BC Building Trades also praised the province’s budget, highlighting a $21 million increase for the Industry Training Authority’s (ITA) budget.
“It is a relief to finally see the Industry Training Authority receive increased funds to support trades training,” said Brynn Bourke, executive director of the BC Building Trades, in a press release. “This funding is an important step in providing trainers the tools they need to assist the province’s thousands of apprentices.”
Bourke added the increased funding will support the implementation of skilled trades certification by providing the ITA with additional resources to increase apprenticeship advisers, build a compliance system and provide learning supports for upskilling.
Bourke noted “an increase to the funding formula for skills training across the trades is still critically needed if the system is going to respond and expand to meet industry requirements.”
The BC Building Trades also praised the BC NDP for investing in infrastructure. Budget 2022 commits a record $27.4 billion to capital spending on hospitals, schools, post-secondary facilities, transit and roads. “These investments in training and infrastructure will have a direct impact on the thousands of construction workers who have dedicated their careers to building our province,” said Bourke. “The benefits only multiply when we deliver projects through Community Benefits Agreements. We’re excited to see the government’s enduring commitment to CBAs in this budget and the expansion of the list of CBA projects with the new BCIT trades building.”
Other groups had more issues with the province’s approach. The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) explained they believe the budget does little to address the major issues facing B.C. residents.
“We need a commitment from politicians to rein in spending, taxes, and red tape, and find ways to reduce the burden on job creators to make B.C. more competitive,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA president.
He added the budget won’t accelerate desperately needed infrastructure projects, alleviate long trades training waitlists or assist businesses with labour shortages.
The ICBA criticized the CBA policy, stating it is inflating capital spending and cutting out massive parts of the workforce.
“This means on megaprojects like the Pattullo, Broadway subway, Cowichan hospital, and BCIT trades training centre, workers are denied opportunities and taxpayers are paying more,” said Gardner. “The government needs to adopt a fair and open procurement system – every construction worker in B.C. deserves a fair shot at taxpayer-funded infrastructure.”
The BC Construction Association (BCCA) also zeroed in on CBAs as a sore spot for many in the industry. Chris Atchison, BCCA president, lauded the province for its goals of diversifying the workforce and increasing the amount of skilled tradespeople, but doesn’t believe CBAs are the way to achieve them.
“Adding more barriers for contractors and their people is not the way forward, especially with the tradesperson shortage,” said Atchison. “While they announced a record-breaking capital investment as part of their commitment to economic recovery, attaching strings to that through preferred agreements is not a win.”
The BC Urban Mayors’ Caucus (BCUMC), a coalition of 13 non-partisan mayors representing more than half the population, expressed support for the budget.
“We are pleased to see the province invest $164 million in complex care housing and supports, with the promise of 20 new sites across British Columbia,” said Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran, co-chair of the BCUMC, in a statement to media. “This funding signals the province’s commitment to supporting our most vulnerable. We look forward to hearing more details emerge about where those sites will be, how much will go towards each site and most importantly how quickly those sites will be operational. We know the need is great across our communities and the dollars committed today is another step forward.”
For the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Homebuilders Association (CHBA BC), the response to housing investment was more lukewarm.
“While CHBA BC is pleased to see a continued investment in CleanBC, we are disappointed to see the overall 2022-23 budget lower than what was proposed under Budget 2021,” said the group. “This budget includes $11 million in funding which will be used, in part, to fund incentives such as the Better Homes New Construction Program, but it is significantly less than what was allocated in the previous year.”
The group explained the program was temporarily closed due to an overabundance of registrations, which they say is a critical sign that industry and consumers are responding beyond original estimates. CHBA BC requested it should continue to be funded and significantly expanded.
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