b'FROM OUR PRESIDENTWhat Is Old Is New AgainOver the past few months, we have seen mentioned and heard rumours about a new agreement for provincial government construction projects. Now, the secret is out: the Manitoba Jobs Agreement (MJA)essentially a carbon copy of the Floodway Agreement and a project labour agreement by any other nameis here.After denying its existence for weeks, and without any consultation with the construction industry, the government rolled out the MJA on Sept. 16, 2025. It has already been attached to the procurement process for the four-schools CM package and is listed as a requirement in the Victoria Hospital Redevelopment Project.This agreement will drive up the cost of public projectsthat is a givenand the troubling part is that its completely unnecessary. Government will argue the MJA guarantees equity participation, which is already taking place in the industry. It will claim to provide more apprenticeship opportunities, which everyone supports, despite this same government restricting the number of apprentices per journeyperson. Government will also crow about wages and benefits, despite the fact that Manitoba recently revised its unique Construction Industry Wages Act schedules in cooperation with Manitoba Building Trades (MBT). And finally, there is some language that suggests the projects will be built by Manitoba workerssomething we support, but we also recognize that construction labour is highly mobile, and their right to work is enshrined in the various provincial trade agreements. The MJA favours unionized companies and requires the open-shop sectorif they choose to participateto pay union dues to the MBT. With the majority of Manitobas construction industry working in the open-shop sector, these companies will add that cost to their bids, driving up overall project costs. Its hard to see a benefit for the Province of Manitoba in this!Ron Hambley8 BUILD MANITOBAwinnipegconstruction.ca'