The Industry Snapshot for Q4 2020 is now available. Click here to download a PDF.

The latest edition of The WCA Newsletter, including a look at the new provincial travel restrictions, is available here.

Earlier today, premier Brian Pallister announced changes to the current public health order which will restrict travel within Canada. Starting at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, January 29, anyone arriving in Manitoba from another province must self-isolate for 14 days. This change is in response to the growing number of COVID-19 variants that officials have seen emerge in the past weeks.

While this has been the case for most of Eastern Canada for some time, it now applies to the entire country, with exceptions made for border communities. 

There are several exceptions for construction:

From the province:

“Out-of-province workers arriving in Manitoba are required to self-isolate for 14-days upon their arrival UNLESS they are not displaying any symptoms of COVID-19 and they are providing vital services. This includes (emphasis ours):

• workers such as health care providers
• police and correctional officers
• national defence personnel
• persons responsible for construction or maintenance of water control works, highways, bridges, hydro-electric generating stations and electrical infrastructure, waste water treatment and sewage facilities and telephone and Internet services

In addition, individuals engaged in the construction or maintenance of any building, structure or other project, are also exempt if the failure to complete the construction or maintenance on a timely basis would pose a threat to persons, property or the environment if they are not displaying any symptoms of COVID-19.

It is the responsibility of, the employer to determine if it is absolutely necessary for the worker to immediately begin work upon entering Manitoba (e.g. no one else is available to perform their function) and to implement appropriate workplace health and safety measures in the workplace. Employers should consult with occupational health or Workplace Safety and Health prior to their arrival to ensure appropriate steps are taken to mitigate the potential risk to others in the workplace.”
WCA will continue to monitor the situation and will advise our members of any changes. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions to our COVID-19 hotline at covid19@winnipegconstruction.ca.

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.