On January 21 the provincial government announced an additional $50 million in capital funding for school upgrades and provided clarity on plans for new school construction. The province has committed to the construction of two new schools to go to tender this spring and the design of four more schools to be completed in 2021-22.

Ron Hambley, Winnipeg Construction Association President, said this announcement of additional capital funding and the release of the capital plan for new schools is good news for the construction industry.

“WCA has been consist in our message during the pandemic that stimulus funding through capital programs is needed for the construction industry and for Manitobans”, said Hambley.

“Rolling out tenders for two schools this spring will be welcomed by the industry.”

Hambley was also happy to see the commitment to get four new schools designed sooner rather than later.

“The commitment to getting four new schools designed relatively quickly is great for the industry. This means as soon as the capital spend is approved we can get shovels in the ground,” said Hambley.

“The Provincial Government is providing the construction industry some clear indications on their capital program for education over the next couple of years. We applaud this approach as it is helpful for the industry to know what projects to expect in the short and medium term.”

WCA and the rest of the construction industry look forward to helping the Provincial Government deliver on its capital commitments.

Catch up on the latest industry news, including important changes to several trade regulations from Apprenticeship Manitoba with the latest issue of The WCA Newsletter here.

On Thursday, January 7, WCA and other industry groups had the opportunity to meet with the provincial government over its proposed repeal of the Construction Industry Wages Act. Following the meeting, the government has decided not to repeal the act, and has committed to updating the minimum wages within it.

You can find a full media release on the subject here.

Earlier today, Dr. Brent Roussin announced further restrictions will be coming in to place across the entire province of Manitoba. For details on the restrictions and what they mean for the construction industry, click here.

As of 12:01 a.m. on Monday, November 2 the Winnipeg Capital Region has been designated as RED (Critical) on the COVID-19 response plan, while the rest of the province moved to ORANGE (Restricted). For details on what this means for construction, click here.

On Wednesday, October 21 WCA hosted an industry forum on COVID-19: Preparing for the worst. WCA President Ron Hambley was on hand to moderate and we had three expert industry panelists speak on actionable steps contractors can take to prepare for the possibility of a positive test on their site, a province-wide construction shut down and more.

You can find a recording of the one-hour webinar here.

You can find the answered Q&As here

CSAM Executive Director also references several resources during the webinar, which we’ve linked below:

Staff Memo

Guidelines following a positive test

Sample Staff email

The Construction Safety Association of Manitoba has released a step-by-step guide on what to do if an employee tests positive for COVID-19. You can find it here.

As of Monday, Winnipeg will be designated as Restricted (Orange) under the provincial Pandemic Response System. Here’s what that means for members: https://lnkd.in/gXzXBP3

If you missed our BuildWorks 101 webinar on September 11, a recording is now available here.

WCA members enjoyed a beautiful day at Minnewasta Golf & Country Club on September 10. Congratulations to all our winners:

Winning Team:

The winning team this year, with a score of 60, was team 3B from the Construction Safety Association of Manitoba. CSAM beat the team from Dave’s Quick Print (16B), who also shot 60, based on a countback.

Congratulations to Sean Scott, Derek Pott, Keith Steffano and Ray Clark on their great round! They’ll each receive a $100 gift card to Golf Town.

Closest to the Hole:

Men’s: Matt Krahn, McCaine Electric Ltd. – Garmin Apprach S20 Watch

Ladies: Eva Martel, Trotter and Morton Industrial Contracting Inc. – Garmin Approach S20 Watch

Longest Drive:

Men’s: Brett Preun, Penn-Co Construction – $150 Amazon Gift Card

Ladies: Micha Kyliuk-Smith, Contemporary Office Interiors – $150 Amazon Gift Card

Door Prize:

Adam Hodgins, Flynn Canada – Yeti Cooler

Random Draw Prizes:

Frogger BrushPro club cleaner & 12 golf balls:

Alex Coelho, Gardon Construction

Sal Maida, Antex Western

Tyler Clegg, Parkwest Projects

$25 gift card to Starbucks & coffee thermos:

Christa Lee, PCL Constructors Canada

Dave Rowe, AccessSMT

Albert Krahn – WinnPro Construction Ltd.