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Expanding our PresenceintheMedia:
SinceJuly, the Calgary ConstructionAssociation (CCA) has beenfeatured in over 59 news stories across various platforms, including radio, articles, columns, and television. These stories have covered critical topics such as the cut to the Canada-Alberta Job Grant, Calgary's ongoing watermain break crisis, the Green Line LRT, and theroll-outof the Telus Spark (BLU)PrintProgramand our Honour the Work initiatives. Our consistent presence in the media underscores theAssociation's role as akey voice in shaping public discourse around the construction industry's most pressing challenges and opportunities. Maintaining strong visibility is crucial as it strengthens our advocacy efforts, ensures our members' interests are represented, and reinforces the CCA's leadership in driving meaningful change.
Activity onthe Stampede Circuit:
We were actively engaged throughout the Stampede Circuit, connecting with key political figures including Calgary City Councillors, Mayor Jyoti Gondek, Premier Danielle Smith, Opposition Leader Naheed Nenshi, and severalpotentialmayoralhopefuls. Theseinteractionsprovided valuable opportunities to discuss key industry issues, such as infrastructure development, procurement practices, and workforce challenges.
By being present at theseevents, theCCAsolidified its roleas a trusted advisor and industry leader, whilereinforcing relationships with policymakers. From an advocacy and visibility standpoint, these engagements are critical toensuring the voiceof Calgary's construction industry is heard at all levels of government, allowing us to influence policy decisions that directly affect our members.
Raising Concerns Regardingthe Reduction totheCanada-AlbertaJobGrant:
Wehaveactively raisingconcerns about the Government of Alberta'sdecisionto cut the Canada-Alberta Job Grant, following a reduction in the Labour MarketTransferAgreement between Albertaand the federal government. This cut has severe implications for skilled-trades training and development, which arecrucial to addressing the current labour shortages in our industry. TheCanada-Alberta Job Grant has been a vital tool for funding upskilling programs, including those offered by organizations like Momentum, which focus on preparing underrepresented groups for careers in the skilled trades. Eliminating this support weakens efforts to developa strong, capable workforce and undermines theconstruction industry's ability to meet growing demands.
Our advocacy efforts on this included a news release, which went national. As aresult, we wereable togenerateover 11 different news stories (articles and radio hits) acrossCanada.
Ahead of theintroduction of new water restrictions at theend of August, we proactively collaborated with the City of Calgary to minimize the impact of these restrictions on theconstruction industry. In particular, weemphasized thecritical role that water plays in concreteproductionduring the summer months, as concrete is foundational for building new residentialand commercial spaces. Ensuring a steady supply of concrete is essential to maintaining construction timelines and meeting thecity's growing infrastructuredemands. Through our discussions, wehighlightedtheneed to balance water conservation efforts with the industry's ability tocontinuebuilding, ensuring both environmental stewardship and economic progress.
Partnering with TELUSSparkScienceCentreand the Government of Alberta toLaunch the BLUprint Program:
In August, we werepleased to announce our partnership and historic investment withTELUS Spark ScienceCentreand the Government ofAlberta,resulting in thelaunchof a pioneering program designedto inspire youth to pursuecareers in the skilled trades.
AsAlberta'spopulationandeconomycontinuetogrow rapidly, demand for skilled tradespeople continues toincrease. The labour shortage is the challenge of our times,and that is why the Calgary ConstructionAssociation Education Fund isinvesting$100,000towards the BLUprint Program - the largest singleinvestmentmadeby the Fund sinceits inception in1998.
What is BLUprint? Recognizing thecriticalneed toaddress theskilledlabour shortageand invest in future tradespersons, the CCAis dedicated toencouraging the next generation of tradesprofessionals. Our partnership withTELUS Spark Science Centre will createa series of exploration spaces called BLUprint-standing for "Building, Learning,and You."These spaces aredesigned toeducateyouth about trades-based science concepts in a fun and engaging way. By featuring hands-on activities related to carpentry, plumbing, and electrical trades, BLUprint integrates STEAM (Science,Technology, Engineering,Arts, and Mathematics) education.
Launching the Honourthe Work Initiative:
At the end ofAugust, we were proud to announce our collaboration with "Honour TheWork" and will be bringing a skilled-tradescurriculum supplement program to 850 Calgary Classrooms and over 30,000 elementary students this Fall.
Honour the Work, founded by educators and supported by industry leaders, aims to address the skilled trades labour shortage by sparking interest in these careers from an early age. The centerpiece of the program is the curriculum-compliant STEAMS Kits, (Science - Technology - Engineering - Math - Skills) which are designed for grades 1-6 and include hands-on activities that connect classroomlearning to real-world skilled trades careers. Each kit features comprehensive lesson plans, curricular expectations, digital resources, building materials, and diverse children's books about skilled trades.
First launched in Ontario to tremendous success, the Honour theWork program will be piloted in Calgary schools, including both the Calgary Catholic School District and the Calgary Board f Education.We are proud that through the Calgary ConstructionAssociationEducation Fund and our funding partners, we are making one of the largest direct industry investments into elementary school education related to skilled trades in Canadian history.
From a media perspective, the launch of HTW was tremendously successful. We were able to generate12 news stories on the initiative (television, radio, print) in all 4 major news outlets (Global Calgary, CTV, CBC and CityNews), and an article was written about us in the Calgary Herald.
We expressed deep concern over therecent delays to the Green Line LRTproject due to the Province's withdrawal of funding.This project, long seen as transformative for Calgary's transportation infrastructure,now facesfurther uncertainty,jeopardizing jobs and economic growth.The CCAwarns that thisfunding pull sets a troubling precedent for future provincially funded projects, introducing significant risks for contractors and businesses, and undermining confidence in government commitments. If this trend continues, it could have far-reaching impacts on Alberta's infrastructure development and economic recovery. In response, the CCAlaunched an intense media campaign advocating for the restoration of funding and project continuity. Our effortsculminated in a letter written to Premier Smith and Mayor Gondek, offering our full support and assistance to get the Green Line LRTproject back on track. We urged the provincial andmunicipal governments to collaborate closely with industry stakeholders to ensure the timely completion of thiscritical infrastructureproject, emphasizing its importance to the future of Calgary and the entire province.
AddressingtheGovernment ofAlberta's School Construction Accelerator Program:
Weaddressed the Government of Alberta's School Construction Accelerator Program, a $8.6 billion initiative to create 50,000 student spaces over the next three years. While the CCAwelcomed the programas a positive step towardsaddressingAlberta's educationinfrastructureneeds, it highlighted significant challenges that could impede its success.The CCAemphasized the need for reforms in procurement practices and risk management frameworks, which currently pose risks of receiving no bidsfor critical projects.Additionally,the CCAraisedconcerns about theseverelabour shortage in the construction industry, urging the government to invest inworkforce training and skillsdevelopment. The CCAexpressed itscommitment to collaborating with the government to overcome these challenges and ensure the program'ssuccessful delivery.
