A new year and a new premier mean new priorities along with recurring concerns for Saskatchewan’s construction industry.
Scott Moe was declared the new premier of Saskatchewan at a leadership convention held Jan 27. He replaces outgoing premier Brad Wall.
“We’re very excited to have premier designate Scott Moe in position. It will be good for the Saskatchewan economy, which means it will be good for construction,” said Saskatchewan Construction Association (SCA) president Mark Cooper.
“A lot of work that could have been done with any of the candidates, but he comes in with strong MLA support and a strong degree of confidence in his plan to open up international trade with Saskatchewan.”
Moe has also indicated he is committed to prompt payment, Cooper said, an issue of prime importance to construction associations across the country.
“It’s been a challenge for the industry for decades across the country. The rest of the world has legislation and the tide is turning in Canada,” Cooper said.
Ontario recently adopted prompt payment legislation, he added, and similar legislation will be adopted in Saskatchewan.
All Saskatchewan Party leadership candidates previous to Moe’s win had committed to bringing forward prompt payment legislation in the coming year and the New Democratic opposition has also voiced its support.
Cooper flagged a rise in Saskatchewan’s provincial sales tax (PST) as a likely route for the government to generate revenue.
“Politically, they’ll want to avoid putting the PST up by another per cent, as they did last year and became to the first jurisdiction to tax construction directly. We don’t agree with that and we think it slowed the economy,” Cooper said.
But the new premier has pledged to balance the budget and spend money on education, he added, and revenue has to be increased to accomplish those goals.
“We’re not advocating for it, but we understand,” Cooper said.
The impending legalization of marijuana this July also has implications for the industry, he said, but more safety measures are needed to ensure both employees and employers can ensure safety on the worksite and deal with the possibility of workplace impairment.
“It’s very concerning to see the federal government passing legislation without much consideration to the implications of safety practices, in particular to safety-sensitive worksites such as construction. We’ll be working with the provincial government to make sure there’s protection for both employers and employees,” Cooper said.
Education is key, and “we’ll be ready as best we can,” he added.
Another issue Cooper raised as a significant focus in the new year for the association is the improvement of procurement practices.
“A big part of our focus is to work with the government and private sector on improving the procurement process, focused on best value rather than the lowest price, but the best value done consistently. Consistency and harmonization in procurement is what we’re pushing hard for this year,” he said.
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