Public pay premium hurts construction
ICBA has highlighted the problem with the 14% public pay premium recently revealed by the Fraser Institute in posts here and here. Our column on the direct impacts in construction ran today in the Journal of Commerce. Construction companies face higher fees and taxes...Spots open in electrician certificate course
A pair of spots have just opened up in Sprott Shaw College’s Level 1 Electrician program starting on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at their Port Coquitlam campus. This ITA-BC Approved modular program provides opportunities for Electrical Apprentice’s to gain employable...ICBA worker defence runs in Sun
Our column on the prosperity killing stance by B.C.’s labour leaders appeared in the on-line version of the Vancouver Sun today. You can read the entire column here on the Sun website.Sending home foreign workers hurts B.C.
British Columbia’s labour leaders may be calling the homeward-bound trip for 16 Chinese temporary foreign workers a success, but they are celebrating an empty victory that hurts everyone in B.C. The 16 jobs in question at HD Mining’s Murray River Project near Tumbler...Follow ICBA on Facebook
WELLNESS WEDNESDAY #166: Back-to-School Blues![]()
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If you’re on any kind of social media, you’ve seen dozens of photos of your friends’ kids, ready for the first day of school.![]()
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Even three decades after my last Back to School, I still couldn’t help picking up a new shirt and a few other items. ’Tis the season, as they say!![]()
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But with the unknown can come some anxiousness for many kids—and that should be talked about. The folks at the Mental Health Coalition offer 5 conversation starters:![]()
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• How are you feeling about going back to school?![]()
• It’s okay if going back to school feels hard this year. It would be hard for me, too.![]()
• What feels exciting about going back to school? What feels hard about it? It’s normal to have different feelings about the same thing.![]()
• I notice you haven’t liked talking about going back to school. That’s okay, but if you want to talk about, I’m here.![]()
• It’s okay to ask for help, and you can always ask me.![]()
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Let’s get our kids talking!![]()
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Each week, ICBA’s Jordan Bateman reflects on what we’ve learned as we participate in ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program. ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program is helping more than 100 companies and more than 10,000 construction professionals better understand mental health. This program is free for all ICBA members – check out icba.ca/wellness for details.
To all the workers out there - especially the half million construction professionals building British Columbia and Alberta every day - we say: thank you!![]()
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Have a safe, wonderful Labour Day.
TRAINING THURSDAY: Blueprint Reading for Construction Projects![]()
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Kerry and Jordan talk about ICBA’s latest featured course.![]()
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Blueprint Reading for Construction Projects![]()
Live Online | 3 hours/week X 4 weeks![]()
September 19 – October 10, 2024![]()
icbatraining.arlo.co/w/courses/550-blueprint-reading-for-construction-projects![]()
Missed this one? Check out icba.ca/courses![]()
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In this course, participants will learn the functions of different plan views, elevations, sections, details, and schedules presented on Architectural, Structural, Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) drawings. Participants will practice identifying standard construction graphics and interpreting specifications and key terminology relevant to interpreting graphical and written construction documents.![]()
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This course would be considered intermediate. Participants are expected to have a basic understanding of construction concepts and terminology. The course will build on foundational knowledge, focusing on practical skills for interpreting and using construction drawings effectively in real-world projects.![]()
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By the end of the course, participants will be able to:![]()
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• Interpret graphical information shown on construction drawings.![]()
• Identify different types of construction drawings: architectural, structural, and MEP.![]()
• Determine where information is located on a set of construction drawings.![]()
• Interpret various drawing views - plans, elevations, sections, and details.![]()
• Assess information on schedules relative to plans, elevations, sections, and details.
HUGE BC POLITICS NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![]()
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🚨 ICBA Praises Falcon’s Decision to Suspend Campaign, ![]()
Unite Free Enterprise Voters![]()
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SURREY—Kevin Falcon’s decision to suspend the BC United campaign and endorse John Rustad’s Conservative Party of B.C. is a historic moment in B.C. politics and a turning point for this election, says the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA), Canada’s largest construction association and a leading voice for free enterprise and a strong economy.![]()
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“Today, Kevin Falcon made a courageous decision to put personal ambition aside and unite the free enterprise vote in an effort to give British Columbians a clear and compelling choice on October 19th,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA President. “Over and over again in B.C. history, we have seen how splitting the vote accomplishes little except NDP victories. By bringing these two parties together, John and Kevin give voters the opportunity to bring much-needed change to the province.”![]()
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“After seven years of NDP Government, this election will be about change – we need a fresh start, new thinking, and a different approach to the challenges we all face in our daily lives. By every measure and every metric, B.C. has been moving in the wrong direction under the NDP,” said Gardner. “Our health care is collapsing, with emergency room closures, practitioners overwhelmed, and patients being sent to the USA for treatment; once-vibrant downtowns in every city are now defined by homelessness, open drug use, and random acts of violence; and the ability of our economy to create private sector jobs has been crippled by shocking levels of government hiring and taxation.”![]()
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When it comes to building homes and the infrastructure we need to support families and communities, the dismal record of the NDP is costing British Columbians dearly. “Whether it’s the Cowichan Hospital, the Massey Tunnel, or the Skytrain Expansion projects, every major infrastructure project is years behind and, combined, billions over budget.” ![]()
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On housing affordability, the most egregious failure of the NDP, Gardner pointed out that we are building about the same number of homes today as we were in the 1970s. “Every single policy enacted by the NDP Government has made affordability worse not better – it’s a government long on divisive rhetoric, taxes, and red tape and short on working constructively with builders to make meaningful change to deliver more homes faster and cheaper for young people and families struggling in one of the most unaffordable housing markets in North America.”
WELLNESS WEDNESDAY #165: Keanu Reeves Helps Canadian Mental Health![]()
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It’s a legendary story in Windsor, Ontario: a teenaged Keanu Reeves was THISCLOSE to making the local Ontario Hockey League team as a goalie, but an injury kept him from his tryout.![]()
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Keanu, of course, did just fine for himself and went on to be a huge movie star and all-round great dude.![]()
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Last week, the Windsor Spitfires (official) signed Reeves to a one-day contract, where he posed for photos and autographed items that will be auctioned off to support the Canadian Mental Health Association - Windsor branch.![]()
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“We thought by getting him to sign a jersey, we're going to auction it off for the CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association), and hopefully raise some money for a great cause,” Spitfires GM Bill Bowler told CBC News. “And again, we can't thank Mr. Reeves enough.”![]()
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Sounds like a fun way to support mental health services! The auction ends August 30, at 10AM Pacific. Details on the Spitfires’ website.![]()
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Each week, ICBA’s Jordan Bateman reflects on what we’ve learned as we participate in ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program. ICBA’s Workplace Wellness Program is helping more than 100 companies and more than 10,000 construction professionals better understand mental health. This program is free for all ICBA members – check out icba.ca/wellness for details.
Our Jock Finlayson writes about inflation for The Fraser Institute in the Toronto Sun -- and considers the damage it did to Canadians: ![]()
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"A Statistics Canada survey conducted a few months ago found that 45 per cent of respondents reported difficulty meeting day-to-day expenses, a far bigger share than two years earlier. Those on fixed incomes and younger people striving to form separate households have been hardest hit. Meanwhile, workers whose pay hasn’t kept pace with above-normal inflation have seen their purchasing power diminish."![]()
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Read the piece at www.fraserinstitute.org/article/canadians-weary-after-years-of-brutal-inflation
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TRAINING THURSDAY: Blueprint Reading for Construction Projects
Kerry and Jordan talk about ICBA’s latest featured course.
Blueprint Reading for Construction Projects
Live Online | 3 hours/week X 4 weeks
September 19 – October 10, 2024
Details at: https://icbatraining.arlo.co/w/courses/550-blueprint-reading-for-construction-projects
ICBA NEWS RELEASE: ICBA Praises Falcon’s Decision to Suspend Campaign, Unite Free Enterprise Voters