b'INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLEINDUSTRY ROUNDTABLECONSTRUCTION IN B.C.S ECONOMY BY MATTHEW BRADFORD020 is destined to be remembered as one of the most 2 challenging years for the construction industry. With a new year ahead, SICA Construction Review reached out to leaders within the field to share their insights on how the pandemic shaped the industry and the road ahead.CHRIS ATCHISON (CA) President,IN WHAT WAYS HAS THE PANDEMIC SHIFTED B.C. Construction THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSTRUCTION IN THE Association (BCCA) CANADIAN ECONOMY? CA:Construction is always very important in the economy, but COVID-19 has made that importance more transparent and visible to people who dont generally think about it. The industry contributes over 8 per cent of GDP in a normal year, and I imagine that proportion will increase for the past year as other industries have been forced to slow down. We saw a bit of a lag in the early weeks of the pandemic as employers and safety officers worked to adapt and expand protocols to figure out how to keep workers safe on site. Still, our industry has mostly come back, and any significant shifts are seasonal or project related. BILL FERREIRA (BF)BF:The construction industry remains an integral part of Canadas Executive Director, economy, which is why it was declared an essential service by most BuildForce Canada provinces during the first wave of COVID-19 in Canada. The construction industry quickly adapted; most provincial health and safety authorities worked in cooperation with the industry to implement new health and safety protocols to permit construction to continue throughout the pandemic. While provincial infection rate reporting is generally done on a province-wide basis, anecdotal reporting by unions and employers tell us that reported outbreaks on construction sites were minimal, with most reported cases traced back to community spread rather than workplace contamination. RODRIGUE Its really not surprising given the nature of the industry, as few GILBERT (RG)sectors have made greater strides to implement strong workplace Vice-President, health and safety procedures to minimize workplace injuries. In Public Affairs,this context, integrating COVID-19 health and safety protocols to Canadian Constructionoverall workplace health and safety procedures did not present much Association (CCA) of a challenge for the industry, costs notwithstanding. 36 SOUTHERN INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION'