Saskatchewan Construction Week celebrated in Swift Current on April 18 to 24

Swift Current City Council took time out of their April 19 meeting to salute the hard working men and women in Saskatchewan’s Construction industry.

Council proclaimed the week of April 18 to 24 as Saskatchewan Construction Week in Swift Current in order to honour and celebrate the businesses and workers who truly help build Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan’s construction field is the province’s second largest private sector employer, with more than 9,000 companies employing more than 42,000 people, which represents eight per cent of the provincial work force.

Mark Cooper, President and CEO of the Saskatchewan Construction Association, noted that awareness is a big component of Saskatchewan Construction Week.

“We were shocked really at how few people recognized just how important construction is to our province, both to our economy and to our way of life,” Cooper stated during a virtual presentation to council. “As you are well aware, from the roads we drive on, to schools we send our kids to, the hospitals we need, the water we drink, the stores we visit, and the recreational facilities we all enjoy, none of this is possible without the skill sets, knowledge, professionalism, and frankly the grit of the construction industry.”

With approximately one in 12 Saskatchewan workers employed in construction, most people directly know someone who works in construction and sees the impact of those local people in the communities they live and work.

“Now, more than ever, its become apparent that the value of hiring local contractors, because when you do that it provides job opportunities for your neighbours, your friends, and it injects hard cash into our economy which is certainly something at a time like this that’s really valuable.”

The theme of Saskatchewan Construction Week was #Saskbuilt, with the week helping to showcase local talent, recognize Saskatchewan success stories, and share examples of construction excellence across the province.

“It’s really a time just to say thank you and acknowledge all their hard work and dedication to building our communities,” explained Megan Jane, Manager of Marketing and Communications of the Saskatchewan Construction Association.

The presentation to council also shared a construction outlook for the upcoming year.

Ryan Tynning of Swift Plumbing & Heating Ltd. shared a local perspective of an improved outlooking over the coming months.

“From what I’m seeing I think its substantially better than last year was,” Tynning said. “I’m sure you’re aware from building permits that they’re not what they used to be. But there does seem to be a lot of increased activity this year in comparison. So things seem to be taking a turn in the right direction.”

Cooper added that the provincial picture is also an improvement from a quiet 2020, but there remain some hurdles ahead.

“The last year was a rough year in terms of new activity, especially in the commercial sector. There was virtually no new activity of any significance. We’re seeing provincial spending increase through the stimulus money, we’re expecting a lot of that money to start flowing out towards the back end of this year and significantly into next year,” Cooper said.

”The big concern I would have is we’re still seeing private sector investment slow to pick back up. And federal investment just seems stuck. I don’t know if it’s in bureaucracy or what, but the dollars just don’t seem to be flowing.”

“I think there’s an opportunity for municipalities and the construction industry to advocate together to get that money moving.”

“Overall though, thanks to things like the wage subsidy, construction companies were able to keep a lot of their crews working at least a little bit over the last year, and so they’re there. We’re not going to face a big labour shortage this year, which we were worried about.”

“So cautiously optimistic is how I would describe it. Given that we’re still coming out of a pandemic.”