In time for the holiday season, members of the Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) raised over $20,000 for families in the communities they work and live in. Their generosity shone at a time it is needed the most; a time when families struggling to get by are reminded of what they can and cannot have.

Of the funds raised, $12,500 were put towards grocery gift cards, distributed by elementary school principals to families who bear the uncomfortable burden of living paycheque to paycheque. While not the face of poverty, they struggle to support their family’s basic needs but don’t qualify for other charitable donations.

“We have identified quite a few families in need and with the increasing cost of living, even more of our parents are experience financial hardship,” says Katrin van der Leeden, Grade 5 Teacher at Ruth King Elementary School. “These grocery gift cards from VICA and its members help to alleviate some of the stress and worry that our families experience around the holidays; and perhaps most importantly, their kindness has made a difference in the way our children experience the holiday season.”

Recipient schools include George Jay and Oaklands in Victoria, Tillicum in Saanich, Ruth King in Langford, and Georgia Avenue Community School in Nanaimo. Each elementary school principal received $2,500 worth of grocery gift cards to give to families in their communities that need it the most. 

“These donations from VICA Members are a testament to the generosity of the individuals that make up our construction community,” says Rory Kulmala, CEO of the Vancouver Island Construction Association. “We’re proud to represent our local industry and pleased to partner with local school principals who help us support families throughout the year, even after the seasonal spirit of giving ends.”

“Many families have needs but don’t ask,” says Leila Durzi, Family Liaison Worker at George Jay Elementary. “I know the families and the cycle. There’s often a high need in January, after the holidays, as well as September because families have gone all summer without any support.”

Funds for the grocery gift cards were raised at VICA’s Christmas Luncheon through 50/50, a silent auction, and a change challenge, where guests empty their pockets and wallets to fill paint cans with cash. Heavy hitters in 2019 included Farmer Construction, 91 lbs; Slegg Building Materials and Gordon ‘N’ Gordon Interiors, 54 lbs; Story Construction, 49.8 lbs; and Knappett Projects, 45 lbs.

On top of the funds raised at the Luncheon, $7,700 worth of new, unwrapped toys were collected at both VICA offices and donated to The Great Nanaimo Toy Drive, CFAX Santas Anonymous Society in Greater Victoria, the Ladysmith Resources Centre Association, the Parksville Society of Organized Services, and Santa’s Workshop in Courtenay. 

For a complete list of VICA Member toy donors, visit www.vicabc.ca/toydrive

MEDIA CONTACT
Kelly Marion, Manager, Marketing and Communications
Vancouver Island Construction Association
office: 250.800.0918 | cell: 250.686.1415 | kelly@vicabc.ca   

* High-resolution photos from all locations available upon request.

About the Vancouver Island Construction Association
VICA is a member-based, industry-led association serving the industrial, commercial, institutional, and multi-family residential construction sectors across Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and coastal British Columbia, including Powell River. With bases in Victoria and Nanaimo, VICA connects the industry with skilled labour, training and education, and business development opportunities.

The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) is displeased to learn that the Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed an appeal brought forward by contractor, J. Cote & Son Excavating.

Last week’s decision effectively upholds the use of “reprisal clauses” in tender documents. The clause used by the City of Burnaby against J. Cote & Son Excavating stated that the city would not accept tenders from any party that is, or has been within the last two years, involved in legal proceedings initiated against Burnaby arising out of a contract for works or services.

“The clause effectively forces consultants or contractors who may have a dispute with the city to choose between pursuing their legal rights and bidding on city contracts for the next two years,” said Mary Van Buren, CCA president.

This ruling has serious implications for contractors; it condones placing contractors on a two-year blacklist that bans them from bidding on city projects.

“The inclusion of these types of clauses in contracts essentially allows contractors to be financially punished for exercising their legal rights,” explains Van Buren. “The result is contractors are deterred from accessing the courts to enforce their legal rights because they fear being banned from future participation in projects.”

The decision by the Supreme Court of Canada effectively means that there is no constitutional barrier to municipalities using reprisal clauses. CCA will continue to closely monitor any developments as the association believes this case ruling could have major implications for the construction industry in all of Canada.

About CCA

Across Canada, CCA represents more than 20,000 member firms drawn from 63 local and provincial integrated partner associations. CCA gives voice to the public policy, legal and standards development goals of contractors, suppliers and allied business professionals working in, or with, Canada’s non-residential construction industry. www.cca-acc.com

Nine months after unveiling the resources to help the industrial, commercial, and institutional construction sector set a standard code of conduct on worksites in B.C., the Builders Code has honoured six companies for their leadership at the inaugural Builders Code Champion Awards. Hosted by the BCCA and Minerva BC at the Ocean Pointe Resort in Victoria yesterday, the awards recognized companies with advanced policies and practices that seek to ensure all employees can reach their full potential in the skilled trades.

“Thank you to the BC Construction Association, Minerva BC and all of your partners for the work you are doing to recruit and advance more women in trades,” said Mitzi Dean, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity. “Your commitment to safe and inclusive workplaces contributes to a more accessible sector for everyone. Initiatives like the Builders Code are a rallying point to get more people involved in the trades, helping our province continue to grow while embracing diversity.”

The award categories and winners included:

• Recruiting & Hiring Champion: RAM Consulting Ltd. (Vancouver);
• Workplace Culture Champion: Scott Construction Group (Vancouver) and Kinetic Construction (Victoria);
• Community Champion: Westcana Electric (Prince George);
• Initiate of the Year: Durwest Construction Management (Victoria); and
• Contractor of the Year: Westcana Electric (Prince George) and Chinook Scaffold Systems (Nanaimo)

“On behalf of everyone at BCCA, Minerva BC and all our Builders Code partners, I want to thank our winners for their support of the Builders Code and congratulate them for creating and maintaining outstanding workplaces that support the safety and protection of all employees,” said Chris Atchison, President, BCCA. “As an industry facing a serious labour shortage, the retention of tradespeople, and especially tradeswomen, in our sector is critical. By demonstrating their commitment to their workforce, our winners have distinguished themselves as outstanding role models in the construction industry.”

To be recognized as a Builders Code Champion, individuals and organizations must have demonstrated their commitment, leadership, and action towards advancing and retaining women in their company and achieving the provincial goal of 10% tradeswomen by 2028. Nomination applications were accepted from May to November 1, 2019, with winners selected by a Judging Panel comprised of Minerva BC, the BCCA and the Builders Code Governance Committee. The winners included:

“As partners of the Builders Code, we’re pleased to apply our experience measuring and reporting on women’s representation in B.C.’s workplaces to the construction sector,” said Tina Strehlke, CEO, Minerva BC. “Benchmarking where the construction sector is now will help us identify where progress is happening in the sector and where there is room for improvement. By sharing their information with us, our inaugural participants have demonstrated an important commitment to advancing and retaining tradeswomen.”

Builders Code Champion Award Recipients

Recruiting & Hiring Champion – This award recognizes companies that: hire the best talent based on skills, experience, and attitude; work to attract diverse candidates; look for ways to remove barriers that hold them back; and compensate all employees at fair market value regardless of gender, race, religion, or ethnicity.

Winner: RAM Consulting Ltd. (Vancouver) – Among RAM’s initiatives in this category were: performing an audit of staff make-up; committing to increasing its percentage of women and minority workers, especially in management and technical positions; creating a RAM Women in Engineering (RWE) group; revising the wording of job postings to make them gender neutral and unbiased; ensuring women or minorities being interviewed have a representative on the selection panel; and creating a family-friendly environment in the workplace, with flexible working hours, and all-ages family events throughout the year. Today, over 65% of RAM’s staff is made up of visible minority workers and 33% of the staff is women, including 28% in positions of management. RAM was also named one of the top ten fastest-growing professional service companies on Canada’s Growth 500 list.

Workplace Culture Champion – This award recognizes companies that: commit to a respectful, safe and inclusive workplace culture; encourage employees to recognize their role in that culture; and hold employees and sub-contractors accountable, ensuring a work environment free from harassment, hazing, and bullying.

Winner: Scott Construction Group (Vancouver) – Among Scott Construction Group’s initiatives in this category were: supporting a company-wide, volunteer-run Mental Health Committee to reduce the stigma of mental illness and support the mental health of staff and groups/individuals on their jobsites; advancing and retaining tradeswomen through partnerships with Canadian Construction Women, BC Center for Women in the Trades, and ITA; and participating in training that promotes the retention of tradeswomen (Be More Than A Bystander and Mental Health First Aid Attendant training)

Winner: Kinetic Construction (Victoria) – Among Kinetic Construction’s initiatives in this category were: being an active promoter of diversity, including female apprentices and all tradespeople;; providing education in Camosun’s Women in Trades (WIT) program, volunteering their time to educate WIT students, speaking at Camosun College events and attending and instructing at team building forums; over the last three years has been a dedicated industry partner of the Royal Roads University Master of Global Management program, hosting international students in paid internships; regular participants in RRU’s industry panels and networking events; adding the Builders Code to on-boarding packages for all new employees; and posting Builders Code signage at worksites.

Community Champion – This award recognizes companies that: promote career opportunities for women in the skilled trades; support their tradespeople to mentor others; and promote education, awareness and training that positively impacts their community, company and employees.

Winner: Westcana Electric (Prince George) – Among Westcana Electric’s initiatives in this category were: signing MOUs

with Indigenous communities to facilitate work experience and training for young women; creating their “Apprentice-Shop Program” to provide youth with hands-on experience in an electrical warehouse (60% have gone on to trades training); providing more than $300,000 in sponsorship for activities, teams and organizations; providing gender appropriate washroom facilities and ensuring PPE and clothing is appropriately sized for women; providing on-going training for managers, supervisors, and staff to ensure they are knowledgeable about what constitutes an Acceptable Worksite; and integrating Builders Code best practices into their HR hiring practices.

Initiate of the Year – This award recognizes companies that: introduced diversity policies this year; are committed to building an Acceptable Worksite; and are working to create a construction sector that works for everyone.

Winner: Durwest Construction Management (Victoria) – Among Durwest Construction Management’s initiatives in this category were: providing Builders Code training on all its jobsites; updating bullying, harassment & “zero tolerance” policies; incorporating an ‘Equal Opportunity’ pledge into employment contracts; promoting its anti-hazing, bullying and harassment policy; sponsoring and mentoring female apprentices; working with the Women in Trades program at Camosun College to attract women to work at Durwest; training all site staff on acceptable treatment of all workers; and incorporating Builders Code Acceptable Worksite expectations to recruiting and hiring practices, as well as orientation packages for all employees.

Contractor of the Year – This award recognizes companies that: are fully committed to achieving an Acceptable Worksite and building a diverse workforce where all employees are able to perform at their best and reach their full potential.

Winner: Westcana Electric (Prince George) – Among Westcana Electric’s initiatives in this category were: employing approximately 30 women in trades that are either apprentices or journeyperson electricians; partnering with the Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Education and Training Association’s Women in Trades program; creating their “Apprentice-Shop Program” to provide youth with hands-on experience in an electrical warehouse (60% have gone on to trades training); providing more than $300,000 in sponsorship for activities, teams and organizations; winning a 2018 ITA award for carrying the most apprentices to journeyperson; and winning the NRCA Construction Leadership award in 2018 and 2019.

Winner: Chinook Scaffold Systems (Nanaimo) – Among Chinook Scaffold System’s initiatives in this category were: providing a workplace that is dedicated to equality for all workers; having a senior management team that is 50% female and a safety team that is 62.5% female; participating in entry level exposure programs such as Heavy Metal Rocks, which exposes high school students to potential careers in trades; partnering with the Prince George Aboriginal Employment and Training Association to provide entry level trades training to Indigenous people; and providing dedicated change rooms and appropriately sized clothing and harnesses for tradeswomen or visible minority workers.

For more information about the Builders Code Scorecard and Builders Code Champion Awards visit www.builderscode.ca/recognition/

Public Services and Procurement Canada, on behalf of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is requesting information from interested parties for construction and environmental remediation services necessary to re-establish fish passage in the Fraser River in response to the Big Bar Landslide. Please follow the link below to access the RFI and kindly respond with your answers and comments as soon as possible.  Please note that the RFI closes Friday, 06 December, 2019

http://buyandsell.gc.ca/procurement-data/tender-notice/PW-PWY-025-8699

In the interest of time and in order to facilitate a real-time exchange of information, a WebEx will be organized for Monday, 02 December, 2019. To participate in the WebEx meeting, please contact the Contracting Authority (Donna Fung) for the details.

The City of Victoria, on behalf of the Coastal Communities Social Procurement Initiative Steering Committee, is pleased to announce it has awarded a two-year contract to Scale Collaborative, Vancouver Island Construction Association, Buy Social Canada, and Presentations Plus to incubate a two-year Social Procurement Hub for the Coastal Communities Social Procurement Initiative (CCSPI).

The aim of the Coastal Communities Social Procurement Initiative is to develop a cohesive approach to social procurement in local governments across Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast while enabling individual communities to create their own strategic focus regarding community benefits. This project will seek to improve the health of our communities and the strength of our economies by changing the culture of public sector procurement.

“With the awarding of this contract, we’re happy to see significant progress on this important initiative,” said Mayor Lisa Helps, Victoria and Mayor Josie Osborne, Tofino, Steering Committee Co-Chairs.

“We look forward to working with our colleagues across Vancouver Island and coastal communities to strengthen our local economies and get good value for taxpayer dollars.”

Social Procurement is a growing practice that seeks to better leverage tax dollars to achieve positive social outcomes aligned with community values and strategic objectives. The practice has been adopted around the world and is demonstrating positive results for taxpayers and the wider community.

“Social procurement is a huge opportunity to utilize dollars that have to be spent anyway and leverage those dollars to bring community value.  Scale Collaborative and their partners are excited to be part of CCSPI and for the benefit this initiative will bring for communities and the economy of Vancouver Island” said Kristi Rivait, Co-Founder of Scale Collaborative.

“The construction industry is a significant contributor to the economy of Vancouver Island and we see a great opportunity with the Coastal Communities Social Procurement Initiative to support the growth and resiliency of our communities in a fair, open, and transparent manner,” said Rory Kulmala, CEO of the Vancouver Island Construction Association. “We are looking forward to working with our partners and our industry on this important development in procurement practices.”

The public platform for the Coastal Communities Social Procurement Initiative will launch in February 2019.

BACKGROUNDER

• The Village of Cumberland was the first in the Association of Vancouver Island and Coast Communities (AVICC) region to adopt and implement a Social Procurement Framework.
• The Towns of Qualicum Beach and Ladysmith are also implementing procurement with a implementing a procurement strategy that focuses on benefiting the local community.
• The City of Victoria Council has adopted the Good Jobs + Good Business = Better Community Action Plan and is working toward implementation, including a direction for the procurement of construction of the Crystal Pool and Wellness Centre Replacement Project to model the federal government’s Community Benefits Report Framework