Our Jordan Bateman gives you the heads-up on a sneaky federal-union monopoly plan, Kelowna becoming a “gown town”, and Premier Smith giving us the 411 on federal ministers and their views on energy.
For links to sources, visit www.icbaindependent.ca. We can’t post media links here because of the Trudeau Government’s foolish Online News Act. 🙄
💸 So buried in the Trudeau Government’s Investment Tax Credit scheme for clean energy projects was a provision that project owners must pay labour costs based on the collective agreements of unions that represent just 15 per cent of B.C. construction professionals and 12 per cent of Alberta’s. This is a backdoor union monopoly that cuts out 85-88% of construction professionals. ICBA BC and Alberta presidents Chris Gardner and Mike Martens teamed up on an op-ed pointing out the foolishness and unfairness of such a policy – and the costs to the economy.
🌇 Interesting piece from Kelowna Now on the 43-floor University of BC Okanagan tower being built in downtown Kelowna. It includes 10 storeys of classrooms and offices, and student residences above. This has sparked the “University Effect”, where other buildings spring up nearby. Across the street, for example, is ONE Varsity Tower, being built by longtime ICBA member Kerkhoff Construction, which will include 36 storeys of condos. Kelowna is becoming a “gown town,” which bodes well for its economic security.
🛢 Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was in Banff on the weekend and told delegates at the Global Business Forum that the federal Liberals seem divided over the future of Canadian oil and gas. While she reiterated her disappointment with Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, she said Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan and Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault have all been helpful. “I would say it’s not uniformly negative in the Liberal caucus. But for some reason they’re allowing Stephen Guilbeault to be a maverick and a renegade and quite offensive to those of who are trying to be reasonable and adult about this,” Smith said.
