b'BCCA UPDATEChris Atchison, President, BCCAA MESSAGE FROM BCCANO MARGIN FOR ERROR IN 2023ast year kicked off with the provincial governmentIf youre bidding on public projects, youre likely experiencing L making an abrupt about-face on the most crucialthe erosion of document quality firsthand. Best practices and fair, business issue in B.C.s construction industry: theopen and transparent policies are out the window. Thats why lack of prompt payment for completed work. It was not aweve started a series of Owners Only sessions to drive home good start to the year. to public owners that contractors will not bid on projects that present too much risk. This is a government that has rested its portfolio on delivering housing but doesnt seem to fully appreciate the fact that theWere also working hard to get some reality around contract contractors and tradespeople who build the housing are moreterms. If you need help navigating a procurement or contract financially vulnerable than theyve ever been. situation, you can get in touch with your RCA for some support and advice in partnership with BCCA.We are on the cusp of carnage for businesses in construction. Now lets talk about workforce. Your team is getting smaller and In October, BCCA published Reversal of Fortune: Anmore expensive:Economic Analysis of BCs Industrial, Commercial, andB.C.s construction labour force has shrunk more than 12 perInstitutional Construction Sectors in 2022. The reportcent in the last two years.Wages went up nearly 11 per cent between February 2020 and painted a very clear picture for B.C.s lawmakers of the state of our industry, and its not a pretty picture: May 2022.The paid sick leave policy introduced at the start of 2022nvestment in B.C.s ICI industry is down 10.9 per cent I effectively represents two per cent of that wage increase.since February 2020.This is why BCCA is offering you cash and talent:The price of non-residential building is up 12.8 per cent.The non-residential building price index is upBCCA has $21M from the federal government to pay up to 19.6 per cent.There has been an 11-per-cent rise in labour costs. $40,000 per contractor for simply registering up to four first-year apprentices in 39 Red Seal trades.The construction unemployment rate is the lowest it has There are no strings on what you can do with that money.been since 1976 at 5.8 per cent.You can register a current employee or hire a new one, but youThats a lot of risk for your construction business to navigate.must register the first two no later than March 31, 2023, and With interest rates and inflation rising faster than your bloodthe second two by March 31, 2024.pressure, waiting for payment is more unaffordable than ever. We know its hard to find talent, so were running an aggressive BCCA and the four regional construction associations (RCAs)recruitment campaign across B.C. called Builders Life. Its are advocates for you. Its our job to work with whicheveralready brought in over 5,000 applicantsreal people interested party is elected to build a stronger, more productive and morein an apprenticeship in the construction industry.resilient construction industry in which your business I cant urge you strongly enough to tap into this talent pool. Theres can succeed. no cost to youwe have experts vetting and matching candidates For 2023, our advocacy efforts remain focused on: based on your needs. Just visit bccassn.com to find out more.Prompt payment; Its going to be a tough year, but were here for you. Take Public sector procurement; advantage of the resources your RCA and BCCA have to offer. Contracts; and Why wouldnt you?Workforce development. Ive already mentioned that the NDP government has been stalling on prompt payment legislation. Well keep the heat on, working closely with the Electrical Contractors Association of British Columbia (ECABC), the Mechanical ContractorsChris Atchison Association of BC (MCABC), the General ContractorsPresident, BCCAAssociation and over 30 other stakeholder groups.12 SOUTHERN INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION'