Construction Conversations: Falcon stresses thinking ‘totally differently’ when tackling labour crisis

BURNABY, B.C. – Another B.C. political leader is connecting with construction as the province inches towards an election.

The Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VRCA) hosted its second Construction Conversations session recently with BC United Leader Kevin Falcon speaking with association president Jeannine Martin about the issues facing the industry.

The first session in April featured BC premier David Eby.

Martin raised the possibility of a “minister of construction” role, citing that 10 per cent of the province’s GDP comes from construction.

“The construction industry is such an important part of the economy. I don’t know that we need a minister of construction, we just need a minister responsible that understands the importance of the sector,” Falcon said.

Prompt payment was also top of mind and Falcon voiced his support for provincial legislation to address the issue.

“I 100 per cent agree we need some form of prompt payment legislation, because I know what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. I know what it’s like when you’ve got outstanding receivables, and you’re still having to feed the monster while waiting for some big payments that are due,” Falcon said.

VRCA — Construction and political leaders met for the VRCA’s second Construction Conversations session held June 13 in Burnaby. Left to right: BCCA president Chris Atchison, North America Construction senior project development manager Ronan Deane, VRCA president Jeannine Martin, BC United leader Kevin Falcon, Wilson M. Beck Insurance Services Inc. principal Nikki Keith, Southwest Contracting Ltd. president Will Pauga.

He added he would seek guidance from construction associations and other industry stakeholders to help structure legislation by reviewing what had been implemented by other provinces and identify best practices.

British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) president Chris Atchison was also at the event and said a cross-Jurisdictional analysis already exists and is currently with the government.

“Before we can even consider supporting innovative ideas and initiatives like Mr. Falcon’s plans to end the housing crisis, B.C. needs prompt payment legislation and more skilled workers. We need to alleviate the financial and operational stresses that are undermining our industry. If we continue as we are, contractors will be forced to make hard choices to preserve their business, their health, and quite frankly, their sanity,” Atchison said.

Falcon also pointed to the current skilled labour shortage as an opportunity to take a different approach to an ongoing crisis.

“We have to think totally differently about how we deal with this crisis. We have to act like it’s a crisis, otherwise we will just keep doing more of the same, kind of getting these lacklustre results, and 10 years from now, we’ll still be complaining about the shortage of workers,” Falcon said.

Falcon also emphasized the need to more effectively celebrate the trades, including by parents introducing their children to trade careers as a viable alternative to university. He said there was a need to provide resources to address language barriers such as English training to encourage newcomers to B.C. to enter the trades.

“This discussion highlighted the importance of collaboration between government, political leaders and industry stakeholders to address the challenges and opportunities facing the construction sector,” Martin added.

The next Construction Conversation on Aug. 28 will feature BC Conservative Leader John Rustad.

B.C. election will take place Oct. 19.