2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
INTRODUCTION: ADVOCACY WITH PURPOSE Advocacy at Calgary Construction Association (CCA) is not about box-checking. It is the daily work of listening to members, building trust with decision makers, shaping public understanding and helping governments turn policy into projects. CCA’s advocacy is built around relationships, rigor and repetition: listen to members, convene the right people, raise issues clearly, offer practical solutions, and keep pushing until progress is visible and consistent. We then review, learn and continue to evolve our approach to serve our members better. The Association continues to pursue meaningful, collaborative advocacy for its members and for Calgary’s design and construction industry. In 2026, that work has been defined by a practical mandate: bring industry insight to the right tables early, strengthen relationships with decision makers, and help create the conditions needed to build better. Over the past five years, CCA has deliberately shifted from reactive advocacy to a more disciplined public affairs model. By investing in dedicated advocacy, media relations and communications capacity, the Association has strengthened its ability to lead difficult conversations on procurement, infrastructure, workforce and delivery while remaining constructive and solutions focused. That shift is especially important as Calgary and Alberta move into a period of sustained building demand. The opportunity is significant, but so is the responsibility. Growth, aging infrastructure, workforce constraints, capital planning, public confidence and project execution are now deeply connected. CCA’s role is to support industry and government work through those connections in real time.
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2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
MEMBER INTELLIGENCE AND INDUSTRY CONVENING 2026 CCA Economic Summit
On February 6, CCA hosted its second Economic Summit, bringing together more than 250 industry leaders, economists, policy experts and public officials for a focused half-day discussion on the economic trends shaping Calgary’s built environment. This year’s Summit kept the lens close to home. With water infrastructure pressures, rapid population growth and major city-building projects such as the Green Line in motion, the discussion focused on Calgary and Alberta conditions rather than distant global trends. The program featured provincial and municipal perspectives, including remarks from Minister Joseph Schow, labour market analysis from Laura Adkins-Hackett, infrastructure and capital planning insights from Michael Thompson and Sarah Huber, and a broader economic outlook from ATB Financial Deputy Chief Economist Robert Roach. The Summit is now a cornerstone of CCA’s advocacy, engagement and member education strategy. It gives members timely intelligence, creates direct connection with decision makers and provides a neutral platform where government and industry can discuss the realities shaping project delivery.
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2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
PROVINCIAL ADVOCACY: REBUILDING TRUST AND SOLVING DELIVERY CHALLENGES Fourth Annual Premier’s Luncheon For the fourth consecutive year, CCA hosted its Annual Premier’s Luncheon the day after the Alberta budget was tabled. The timing gives members early access to the province’s fiscal direction, capital plan and workforce priorities. The event featured a fireside chat between Premier Smith and CCA President & CEO Bill Black on issues that matter directly to Calgary’s construction industry, including procurement timelines, public-private partnerships, skilled labour pathways, modular classrooms, school and health infrastructure, apprenticeship expansion, transportation, housing delivery, inflation, red tape and private-sector investment. The Luncheon has quickly become one of CCA’s signature advocacy forums. It reinforces the Association’s role as a trusted partner for the provincial government and gives members a direct line of sight into the decisions that shape infrastructure investment and industry conditions.
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2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
Ongoing engagement with Minister Long and Alberta Infrastructure CCA continued regular engagement with Minister Martin Long and senior Alberta Infrastructure officials. Members have consistently raised the need for predictable procurement pipelines, scalable project packaging, fair and balanced contract terms, realistic schedules, and procurement approaches that reflect market capacity and on-the-ground conditions.
Following the Premier’s Luncheon, CCA hosted a roundtable with Minister Long and senior officials to continue the conversation. The message was clear: as Alberta invests in infrastructure to support population growth, collaboration with industry must be built into planning and delivery from the beginning. This work builds on procurement advocacy that CCA, the Alberta Construction Association and industry partners elevated in 2024. Today, the issue remains urgent. Procurement practices must reflect delivery realities, and workforce planning must keep pace with project announcements to avoid a building capacity wall.
Collaboration with Alberta Construction Association (ACA) The Calgary Construction Association remains well aligned with the Alberta Construction Association (ACA) to support improving and maintaining a healthy working relationship with the Government of Alberta for all areas of importance for the construction industry, including but not limited to procurement and future project planning. The CCA has supported in facilitating discussions and attended meetings with the ACA to provide our members’ and region’s perspective as challenges are discussed. Continuous engagement with decision makers at the provincial legislature, in collaboration with our partner construction associations, is key in anticipating and proactively addressing industry level challenges. It also allows us to highlight industry perspectives early in decision-making processes, increasing touch points that help eliminate unintentional consequences of government direction. 5
2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
MUNICIPAL ADVOCACY: SHAPING CALGARY’S NEXT CHAPTER Following the October 2025 municipal election, CCA began engaging the new City Council and Mayor Farkas on three priorities from its municipal election platform: expanding the workforce, addressing the municipal infrastructure deficit, and advancing placemaking and city-building. CCA’s municipal message is straightforward: Calgary is at a crossroads. The next five years of major projects, maintenance investments and civic upgrades can reshape the city’s skyline, strengthen quality of life and support growth, but only if government and industry work together as partners rather than at arm’s length.
Water Infrastructure and the Municipal Infrastructure Deficit The Bearspaw Water Main Break on New Year’s Eve created immediate disruption, but it also created a clear opportunity to improve how the City engages industry in urgent delivery situations. CCA worked with the City of Calgary to advise on fast-tracking repairs, convene industry representatives and identify pathways for more effective project delivery while minimizing disruption. The repairs also reinforced a larger issue: aging and end-of-life infrastructure must be maintained and renewed for a fast-growing city. The City has identified $49 billion as the total investment needed to maintain the level of service Calgary’s population requires. CCA continues to advocate for a long-term infrastructure plan covering transit, recreation centres, roads, water, civic facilities and other essential assets, paired with modernized procurement practices.
Infrastructure Advisory Committee In late 2025, CCA began working with industry partners and City administration to establish the Infrastructure Advisory Committee. The IAC brings industry and the City’s Infrastructure Services leadership together to support collaboration and shared problem-solving on project pipeline visibility, safety, policy alignment, procurement and contract models, risk management, issue resolution, workforce development and capacity-building.
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2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
Photo credit to The City of Calgary
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2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
Green Line Advocacy As a generational project, the Green Line has the potential to change how our city looks and moves. CCA continues advocacy for a well-planned Green Line that includes: •
Completion of the Southeast leg and preserve future extension to Seton.
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Advancing the Northeast leg to Carrington to relieve Red Line pressure.
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Proceeding with downtown construction only with a robust delivery plan.
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Committing clearly to local construction participation throughout the project.
The Association has continued coordinated advocacy with the Building Owners and Managers’ Association (BOMA Calgary), the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, the Calgary Downtown Association and the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (CREDA Calgary) on a downtown alignment that is properly thought through, costed and positioned to secure funding. On September 22, 2026, the Calgary City Council voted 12-2 in favour to approve and build a surface alignment ending at 10 Avenue and 2 Street SW. The Association continues to work with the Green Line team and our industry partners to monitor progress and engage with administration, as well as decision makers, as needed. After years of delays, the time to forge ahead on this generational project is now. The CCA will work to highlight opportunities and learnings stemming from this project as the City looks to ramp up infrastructure building on its way to preparing for its two millionth resident.
FEDERAL ADVOCACY: TURNING NATIONAL POLICY INTO CALGARY’S SUCCESS Ahead of Canada’s federal election early last year, CCA released its inaugural Federal Policy Platform, Building a Strong Calgary in a Strong Canada. Developed through consultation with CCA’s Board and broader membership, the platform focused on four Calgary-specific priorities: workforce expansion, training and development, infrastructure investment, and strengthening Canada’s energy sector. CCA also supported the Canadian Construction Association’s national platform, Construction for Canadians, reinforcing a unified construction voice across the country. Since our last advocacy update, the federal landscape has produced several initiatives connected to CCA priorities, including Build Canada Homes, construction-focused immigration measures, expanded apprenticeship and sustainable-jobs training, the Build Communities Strong Fund, approval of the revised Green Line business case, Prairie Economic Gateway exploration and development MOU with the Canada Infrastructure Bank and Rocky View County, a Calgary-based Major Projects Office and a new West Coast Oil Pipeline agreement. The opportunity is significant, but execution will determine impact. CCA continues to advocate for federal programs that align with municipal permitting, provincial priorities, procurement capacity, labour availability and private-sector delivery realities. The message remains constant: construction turns public policy into physical assets, including homes, schools, hospitals, transit, energy infrastructure, logistics hubs, jobs and long-term prosperity.
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2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
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2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
WORKFORCE, YOUTH EDUCATION AND EMERGING SECTORS Focus Area
2026 Activity and Impact
Honour the Work
The construction trades supplement program has now reached more than 45,000 students and has been introduced in more than 1,500 classrooms. CCA has begun engaging the provincial government on how to support implementation across Calgary and Alberta.
Alberta Trades Discovery Centre
The Government of Alberta announced the Centre will open in Calgary in fall 2026.
Industry Showcases for the Next Generation
CCA hosted media moments around a Calgary Catholic School District career fair for 150 students, the SAIT Tailgate Toolkit partnership announcement, and one year of Honour the Work with Rocky View Schools, where the curriculum supplement launched in 26 schools.
Industry Showcases for Educators
CCA has exhibited at the Calgary City Teachers’ Convention and hosted Teacher & Trades Tours to showcase what modern careers in construction look like and to increase educator awareness of the breadth of career pathways available to students in the construction realm. With more than 12,000 educators registered to the Convention alone, CCA has proactively supported career exploration discussions and addressed longstanding stigma of our industry.
Infrastructure delivery
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CCA continues to advocate for early industry involvement, practical delivery models, realistic schedules and a view of builders as partners in planning, designing and delivering Alberta’s infrastructure strategy.
2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
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2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
CULTURE AND SAFETY: TAILGATE TOOLKIT
In January 2025, CCA partnered with the City of Calgary to introduce the Tailgate Toolkit, a recovery resource program designed specifically for construction sites. The program brings practical support to crews where conversations already happen: the daily tailgate briefing. In the first half of 2026, the program delivered more than 73 Tailgate Talks and reached more than 2,000 workers, students, educators and industry stakeholders. It continued to appear at conferences, industry events, education institutions and workforce development discussions, expanding awareness and adoption across the sector. CCA is also developing a leadership training stream focused on frontline leadership and workplace culture, continuing engagement with Headversity and partnering with Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)’s School of Construction to bring Tailgate Toolkit presentations and open dialogue into apprenticeship programs. That partnership creates the potential to reach up to 5,000 apprentices annually. For us, the Tailgate Toolkit is more than a program. It is a tangible example of cultural leadership. By embedding recovery support into site routines, the industry is expanding its definition of safety to include mental wellness, workplace culture and compassionate leadership.
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2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
MEDIA ADVOCACY: SHAPING PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING In the first half of 2026, CCA maintained a strong presence in public conversation. As of July 2026, the Association had appeared in over 30 unique news stories across print, digital, radio and television outlets. CCA used earned media strategically to position construction as a credible, solutions-focused civic partner. Through op-eds, interviews, joint statements and media briefings, the Association helped shape public discussion on the Green Line, downtown revitalization, water infrastructure, procurement reform, workforce shortages and the broader role of builders in Calgary’s future.
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2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
Showcasing an Evolving Industry
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Media Story
2026 Impact
Calgary Catholic School District Career Fair
CCA and members supported a hands-on career exploration experience for more than 150 students, showcasing trades and construction careers across HVAC, carpentry, plumbing, sheet metal, welding, millwright, electrical, project management, design and more.
SAIT School of Construction Tailgate Toolkit Partnership
CCA and SAIT’s School of Construction was well represented in the media to highlight Tailgate Toolkit talks being integrated and made available to apprenticeship students.
Honour the Work
CCA celebrated one year of the Honour the Work curriculum supplement with Rocky View Schools after launch in 26 schools, engaging media with teachers, trustees, students and CCA representatives.
2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
LOOKING AHEAD: FROM GROWING TO BUILDING CCA’s advocacy in 2026 is rooted in a simple reality: Calgary and Alberta do not need more announcements alone. They need the market conditions, procurement models, workforce pathways and delivery partnerships that turn growth into completed projects. The Association will continue to bring member insight to City Hall, the Alberta Legislature, Parliament Hill and the public conversation through media. The priority is to remain positively restless, informed by industry, engaged with government in real time and focused on continuous improvement. For Calgary’s construction industry, this is a moment of opportunity and responsibility. CCA’s role is to ensure members are heard, decision makers understand what delivery requires, and the industry is recognized as a partner in building the city, province and country we need.
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2026 ADVOCACY UPDATE
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