SURREY – Amid a housing affordability crisis and growing economic uncertainty, a staggering 72% of B.C. contractors report a shortage of skilled tradespeople, according to the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association’s (ICBA) 2025 Wage and Benefits Survey of...

New year, and a new ICBA Foundation! In 2025, we are launching our new charity dedicated to helping trades apprentices get their Red Seals and supporting mental wellness in construction. It will build on our half-century of work with the trades, and our position as...

Merry Christmas! A huge gift is coming for trades apprentices in 2025 – the launch of the ICBA Foundation! This is a new charity dedicated to helping trades apprentices get their Red Seals and supporting mental wellness in construction. It will build on our...

By Jock Finlayson, ICBA Chief Economist As a new year beckons, Canadian policymakers and business leaders find themselves staring at an unsettled economic landscape that renders the task of forecasting more perilous than usual. The past two years have been...

The following piece by ICBA Chief Economist Jock Finlayson first appeared in Business in Vancouver on Dec. 19, 2024. As the clock ticks down on a turbulent 2024, Premier David Eby and his recently installed cabinet are staring at an uncertain and unforgiving economic...

For more than three-and-a-half years, I’ve been writing Wellness Wednesdays for ICBA’s social channels – sharing tips, takes, and tales from our work in mental health. But this will be our final regular edition. While Wellness Wednesday is wrapping up, our work in...

The following op-ed, written by Jordan Bateman, ICBA's VP-Communications, first appeared in Business in Vancouver on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. David Eby made his annual visit to the B.C. business community this week, but if you were looking for specifics and good news,...

By Jock Finlayson, ICBA Chief Economist Over the past few years, the Canadian construction industry has been grappling with labour shortages, escalating payroll costs, and growing numbers of retiring workers. It may come as a small consolation to know that our...